[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”AIR POLLUTION: CARPER PLANS FOR APRIL MARK-UP OF 3-POLLUTANT BILL”] Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) said this week that he expects a mid-April markup of legislation to curb power plant pollution in the full Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. Carper, who chairs the Clean Air Subcommittee, and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) unveiled a bill (S. 2995)…
March 15: highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by ESA’s Science Policy Analyst, Piper Corp.
Here are some highlights from the latest ESA Policy News by ESA’s Science Policy Analyst, Piper Corp. Read the full Policy News at https://esa.org/pao/policyNews/pn2010/02262010.php.
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SENATE CLIMATE BILL: REID WANTS DRAFT ASAP, GRAHAM INTRODUCES NEW ENERGY LANGUAGE”] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is urging Senator John Kerry (D-MA) to finish work on a draft climate and energy bill as soon as possible. Kerry is working with Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to produce a sweeping measure…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SENATE CLIMATE BILL: FUTURE OF BILL REMAINS UNCERTAIN AS OBAMA, CLIMATE BILL AUTHORS LOOK TO COMPROMISE”] Although the focus in Washington is on jobs and the economy, the Senate climate debate continues to grow more complex. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) still plans to hold a floor debate this spring, but there is little consensus…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SENATE CLIMATE BILL: LEADERS VOW TO STAY THE COURSE, BUT JOBS AND ELECTIONS PRESENT A MAJOR HURDLE”] The chances of a climate law in 2010 are slim. With unemployment in the double digits, a still-weak economy, and midterm elections on the way, the Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress will likely focus almost entirely on…
This post was contributed by Piper Corp, ESA Science Policy Analyst, and Katie Kline A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks when it comes to climate change: 2009 was tied for the second warmest year on record, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski took aim at the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and China joined…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”NEGOTIATIONS: TURBULENT COPENHAGEN SUMMIT ENDS IN NON-BINDING ACCORD”] The UN climate summit in Copenhagen concluded on December 19, with the world’s largest emitters vowing to cut emissions and help developing countries adapt to the changing climate, and with the almost 200 countries present agreeing to “take note” of this pledge. Just before midnight the day…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”NEGOTIATIONS: COPENHAGEN DAYS AWAY; US SETTLES ON SPECIFICS”] With the Copenhagen climate summit set to begin December 7, the US has been faced with mounting international pressure to offer hard numbers on its climate contributions. Many of the key players, including Russia, Brazil, Korea and the European Union, announced their targets earlier and have been…
This post was contributed by ESA’s Director of Education and Diversity Programs, Teresa Mourad. A new nationwide campaign was launched yesterday at the White House, designed to motivate and inspire America’s youth to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Speaking about the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, President Obama reaffirmed the importance of science and mathematics education to drive…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”NEGOTIATIONS: NO BINDING AGREEMENT AT COPENHAGEN; CLIMATE TALKS TO BE A “STEPPING STONE””] At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore, top officials acknowledged that the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month will not produce a final international deal to reduce emissions. Denmark Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who will host the…
Yesterday afternoon at the ESA Millennium Conference on water-ecosystem services, drought, and environmental justice included a varied program of presentations, including two more plenary talks and a reception showcasing case studies on water-ecosystem services, presented in a manner very different for ecological science: in a session using videos that was reminiscent of a poster session. Emily Bernhardt of Duke takes…
Nancy Grimm welcomes attendees to the first ESA Millennium Conference. ESA’s first Millennium Conference kicked off today in Athens, GA. The meeting is bringing together ecologists and social scientists to engage in conversations about one of the most dramatic emerging challenges in ecology: that of clean water and water scarcity. While ecologists’ main expertise is in providing and maintaining adequate…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SENATE CLIMATE BILL: EPW DEMOCRATS PASS BILL WITHOUT REPUBLICAN SUPPORT”] The Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) advanced climate legislation on November 5, in spite of a three-day boycott by its Republican members. GOP lawmakers had refused to participate in the scheduled markup, arguing that it would be unwise to move forward with a climate…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”CLIMATE: KERRY-GRAHAM OP-ED OFFERS ROUTE TOWARDS BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE”] A joint New York Times op-ed from Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), may pave the way for a bipartisan climate bill in the Senate. The senators use their military service as common ground, focusing on the impact that climate change and energy could have…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”SENATE CLIMATE BILL: KERRY-BOXER CLIMATE BILL INTRODUCED”] On September 30, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) unveiled their much-anticipated draft climate bill, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. The legislation draws a great deal from the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454) passed earlier this year in the House,…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”APPROPRIATIONS: SENATE APPROVES INTERIOR-EPA SPENDING BILL”] On September 24, the Senate voted 77-21 in favor of its 2010 Interior-EPA 2010 spending bill. The $32.1 billion provided by the measure is $4.5 billion above 2009 levels, but $225 million below the White House request and $200 million below the measure passed in the House. Funding highlights:…
ESA is a supporting partner of a really innovative and useful new project by the World Resources Institute: an online directory of scientists whose work relates to ecosystems services. This experts database is meant to be a resource for journalists, policymakers and businesspeople. The free directory enables users to search for experts around the world in a wide range of…
In this week’s Policy News, produced by ESA’s Policy Analyst Piper Corp: climate legislation delayed, acceleration of the process for Endangered Species listing, new Energy and Natural Resources bill in the House and the EU unveils environmental measure of GDP. Read the full Policy News here. Senate delays climate bill, raising questions about Copenhagen. Senate Democrats no longer plan to…
[toggles title=”In This Issue”] [toggle title=”CLIMATE: SENATE DELAYS CLIMATE BILL, RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT COPENHAGEN”] Senate Democrats no longer plan to unveil their climate and energy bill by September 28. They gave several reasons for the delay, including the healthcare debate, the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and the need for additional consultation from government experts. Senate Majority Leader Harry…