In a blow to environmentalists' hopes, White House spokesman Jay Carney declared yesterday that the Obama Administration has "no intention of proposing a carbon tax." [DailyCaller]
White House spokesman Jay Carney Jan. 23 deflated environmentalists' hope of a major federal program to counter climate change, by declaring that the "we have no intention of proposing a carbon tax."
Carney's statement is a letdown for progressive climate-control advocates, who say the federal government has the regulatory and taxing power to try to affect the globe's temperature by curbing the release of carbon dioxide from cars, houses, factories, power plants....
"I think the President has long supported congressional action on climate change," Carney said Jan. 22. But "he looks at [climate control] in a more holistic way, and he will move forward in implementing some of the [regulatory and spending] actions that he took in the first term," he said.
The Chinese government has announced it will aim to limit the country's total primary energy consumption to 4 billion tons of coal-equivalent by 2015, in a bid to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emission. However, the target will not be binding. [Reuters]
The European Commission has proposed new standards to encourage alternative fuel use - such as electricity, hydrogen, and liquified natural gas - throughout the European Union's transportation infrastructure. [Bloomberg]
According to a new study, the Andean glaciers - a vital source of fresh water for millions of South Americans - are retreating at their fastest rate in 300 years, having already shrunk between 30 and 50 percent since the 1970s. [The Guardian]
Senator Lisa Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, says she will release a "very comprehensive" energy plan next week. The blueprint was put together in consultation with the Committee's other GOP members, and will likely not include any proposal to curb greenhouse egad emissions. [The Hill]
Oregon State University will be building the first utility-scale, grid-connected wave energy testing site in the country. [Renewable Energy World]
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/24/1489291/january-24-news-wh
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