California Pushes Ahead with a Carbon Cap, Ahead of Schedule
California has the world’s eighth largest economy and a well-earned reputation as a global trendsetter on environmental policy. It should come as no surprise that Californians are out of the gate on the most urgent environmental challenge of our generation: building a clean energy future that protects the world from catastrophic global warming. Given that the countdown to Copenhagen is underway and the White House and Congress are weighing proposals and priorities, California’s leadership-by-example means more than ever. Today, the California Air Resources Board unveiled a conceptual outline – a

Clean Energy Takes Big Step in Senate
After all the drama, the clean energy bill is on its way to the next stage in the Senate, having cleared committee this morning. Meanwhile, Senators Kerry, Graham and Lieberman are leading the charge to getting a clean energy bill passed on the Senate floor. EDF’s president Fred Krupp had this to say: Chairman Boxer and her colleagues deserve great credit for their commitment to move forward on solving our climate and energy challenges. Californians should be very proud of their Senator today. The Senators who supported this effort recognize the urgent need to end our addiction to imported oil, create jobs, and cap the pollution that

A Wild Ride: Big News from the Clean Energy Front
A lot has happened quickly in the clean energy world. Here’s a wrap-up: Yesterday was day two of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s markup process for the Kerry-Boxer bill. Republicans once again boycotted the proceedings, although they made a couple of cameo appearances. The markup continues today — you can see it on C-Span. And, Greenwire is now reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has given EPW Chairwoman Barbara Boxer “the green  light” to move ahead without the GOP. Reid reportedly told Boxer to advance global warming legislation on Tuesday, November 10,  if Republicans have not ended their bo

Environmental Defense Fund Welcomes Stabenow Climate Offset Legislation
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow unveiled her new agriculture and forestry title for the Senate climate bill today. The legislation would establish a domestic “offset” program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We gave the measure qualified praise today, saying it gives the Senate an opportunity to craft a consensus approach that delivers low-cost emissions reductions with environmental credibility — but also cautioning that the bill needs more work to guarantee that offsets are environmentally effective. Here’s the statement from our senior policy manager, John Mimikakis: Offsets are contentious, but they are essential to effective cl

Fred Krupp’s Remarks on the Finish Line for a Climate Deal
This morning, Fred Krupp, EDF’s president, gave the following remarks at the Point Carbon conference in New York City: Think for a moment about the speech you’d expect to hear from an environmental leader on the eve of Copenhagen. Now forget it.   This is not going to be that speech. You might expect someone in my position to call for – to demand – a final international agreement to solve the climate crisis before Copenhagen delegates go home for Christmas.   I will not. You might expect me to assert that the greatest threat to our planet will come about if New Year’s Day 2010 arrives without a new treaty.   It will