October 11, 2009 archive

Sunday Train: Supporting Rail Electrification with the Climate Bill

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

crossposted from ProgressiveBlue

Transport For America (t4america.org) has a call to action out on the Climate Change Bill. “ACES” passed the House, and the corresponding (but of course not identical) legislation is presently up for consideration in the Senate.

The basis of the call for action is straightforward:

  • 1% of the revenues raised by the Carbon Fee is permitted to be used for clean energy transport – not even mandated, but optionally may be used for that among a range of other options.
  • Transport is responsible for 30% of the CO2 emitted
  • thus, “You can’t solve 30% of the problem with 1% of the funds

Now, about 14% of carbon fee revenue is dedicated to emissions reduction, so that is 7.2% of the emissions reduction budget allocated that is the maximum allowed to be spent on installing existing clean energy transport. Based on CBO estimates of carbon fees, the maximum amount that states would be allowed to devote to clean energy transport is:

  • $391m in 2011; rising to
  • $1.3b ($1,323m) in 2019

By contrast, the bill authorizes utilities to tax customers by $1b-$1.1b a year over 10 years to finance the installation of Carbon Sequestration Technology, which is the excuse given for permitting continued construction of coal-fired generating plants. (source: 1Sky analysis, pdf)

This means:

  • The most promising single opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transport inside a decade, electrification of the STRACNET long haul rail freight network, is entirely out of bounds for any funding
  • Funding for electric rail and trolley bus passenger transport requires first gaining approval through Federal programs that discriminate against energy-efficiency

Weekend News Digest

Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread

Now with World and U.S. News.  57 Story Final.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Canadian ‘space clown’ returns to Earth

by Alexander Osipovich, AFP

Sun Oct 11, 8:33 am ET

MOSCOW (AFP) – Canadian circus tycoon Guy Laliberte returned to Earth on Sunday, wearing his trademark red clown nose, when a Soyuz capsule carrying him and two astronauts landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan.

“Everything took place normally and on time,” said Vitaly Lopota, head of Energia, the Russian state-owned company which designs the Soyuz capsule, in televised remarks.

“The crew is feeling excellent,” he added.

Olbermann’s call to Action: a Photo Essay

Hopefully you saw Keith Olbermann’s Special Comment on the sorry state of the Health Insurance System in American.  And hopefully, you were moved to action, like I was.  There’s still time to pony up, if it slipped your mind.  Let’s give Keith some ammo when he resumes the fight next week.

DONATE HERE: National Association of Free Clinics

as linked on Countdown’s home page

Time is a task-master, that waits for no one,

We can only heed its call, as it marches, inexorably forward …

Hopefully we will find compassion, as we turn its pages.

If you missed the Special Comment, read on for some of the highlights …

community service.

If blogs replace news papers, who will be Miss Manners?  Or Doctor joyce,  WELL, I could do that.  I seem to have an opinion about everything and the people in meat world have grown tired about listening.  Any way, do any bloggers here have any questions about manners?  If not, I guess it’s a bad idea.

NewsFlash: Obama Makes Another New Promise

No link since it doesn’t really matter what the promise is, apparently.

Here’s some Sunday music instead.

Royal Mail: battle for us all

[Royal Mail: battle for us all Royal Mail: battle for us all]

Docudharma Times Sunday October 11




Sunday’s Headlines:

Lobbyists Fight Last Big Plans to Cut Health Care Costs

A Family’s Journey and a Girl’s Dream

Steep Losses Pose Crisis for Pensions

Obama renews pledge to gays to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’

Monsoon threatens Sri Lankan refugees with ‘humanitarian disaster’, warns UN

China jails corrupt government offical

Ukraine fears for its future as Moscow muscles in on Crimea

Nuclear terror suspect is top physicist

Jordan to refill shrinking Dead Sea with salt water

Captured insurgent in Iraq: `I will fight again’

‘SoleRebels,’ Ethiopian answer to ‘Nike’

Honduras further restricts freedoms of broadcasters

Late Night Karaoke

Open Thread

We don’t lie here.

I got all over the place yesterday, talking to people who blog here; about difficult and highly confrontational subjects.

I’ve done that before, on other blogs.

But what I’m seeing here, is that we don’t lie here.

The more I read people who don’t lie here, the more happy I get about blogging in a community comprising people who do not lie.

So thanks, everyone; for your honesty.

I needed this; starting back when I was involved as a kid, with the Advisory for Open Education, etc. The adults in my life were running that when I was in my early adolescence.

Nachtuntertitel-Wettbewerb

Photobucket

On ratings.

Ex Cathedra.

Yup, Pope ek the first is speaking for the church tonight and you better listen up.

Department of InJustice Strikes Again

If you aren’t reading The Raw Story, you are missing out on some exceptional reporting.  The Obama Department of InJustice has struck again:

The US government doesn’t have to reveal information about phone companies that may have spied illegally on Americans because those phone companies are an “arm of the government,” the US Justice Department argued in a recent court case.

SAY WHAT?????

But, yes, that is what the DoJ is arguing in court…

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