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Climate Progress

Fire at fourth reactor complicates effort of last 50 workers to cool multiple nuclear plants

By Joe Romm on Mar 15, 2011 at 9:38 pm

Reuters: Japan crisis now seen worse than Three Mile Island

A second fire was discovered Wednesday in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the latest in a series of setbacks at the stricken plant that has heightened fears that the incidents could lead to widespread radiation contamination.

The 50 workers who have stayed behind to stave off catastrophe are true heroes.  But they now have 6 reactors to focus on.

As the NYT reported 8:39 pm EDT, beyond the “the three stricken reactors, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, where overheated fuel rods continued to boil away the water at a brisk pace” during much of the day, “Concern remained high about the storage pools at that [4th] reactor and at two other reactors, Nos. 5 and 6.”

For Japan news junkies, here is the live stream from NHK WORLD TV, a 24-hour English language news channel:

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Politics

VIDEO: Before Meltdown, GOP Mocked Concerns About Nuclear Safety

By Jeff Spross on Mar 15, 2011 at 8:00 pm

Commenting on the unfolding nuclear reactor crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant, John McCain (R-AZ) said recently:

I think what happens now to this power plant as to whether the damage is contained or not will have a direct effect on the future of nuclear power in the United States. Let’s have a little straight talk.

Kicked off by the 9.0 magnitude earthquake which struck the country on Friday, the crisis has already become the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster. An ensuing series of explosions and breakdowns has forced workers on site to react with increasingly desperate measures to bring the crisis under control, primarily by pumping seawater into the damaged reactors in an attempt to cool the overheating cores.

Not surprisingly, the crisis has also inspired renewed debate over the future of nuclear technology here in America. It’s worth noting that, before offering “straight talk” on nuclear energy, McCain and fellow Republicans — including Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) — were displaying a frighteningly blasé and contemptuous attitude towards the severity of nuclear power’s dangers and the regulations necessary to address them:

McCain is probably regretting that his views on nuclear safety did not advance sooner beyond “blah blah blah.”

Climate Progress

Gallup poll: Public understanding of global warming gains, while most Republicans remain misinformed

By Joe Romm on Mar 15, 2011 at 7:56 pm

Media blows the story, again

A new Gallup poll finds Americans (accurately) believe global warming is due more to human activities than natural changes by 52% to 43%, up from 50 to 46 last year.  Only 36% of Republicans acknowledge this.

The percentage who believe “most scientists believe that global warming is occurring” vs. “most scientists believe that global warming is NOT occurring” is 55 to 8, vs 52 to 10 just last year.

Some 51% personally worry a great deal or fair amount about the problem, almost precisely the percentage as last year (52%).  Only 31% of Republicans worry that much about global warming.

But the media had a different take on the poll.

The CNN headline reads, “Poll: Global warming fears cooling,” and the lede is “Americans’ perceptions of the issue of global warming appear to be cooling.”  The UPI story’s headline is “Americans’ concern over warming slips.”  Why this spin?

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Politics

‘War On Science’: Committee From Koch Votes To Deny Climate Change

By Brad Johnson on Mar 15, 2011 at 6:51 pm

Today, Republicans in the House energy committee voted not once, not twice, but three times, against amendments recognizing that climate change is real, despite the broad scientific consensus that “climate change is happening and human beings are a major reason for it.” They then unanimously voted in favor of the Upton-Inhofe bill to repeal the EPA’s scientific endangerment finding on greenhouse pollution. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) succinctly expressed the day’s proceedings:

This is a war on science.

The 31 Republicans and three Democrats who voted in favor of H.R. 910 have received a grand total of $343,750 from Koch Industries, an average of more than $10,000 each. Freshman Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Koch’s special man in Congress, tips the scales at $79,500.

Yglesias

Endgame

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 15, 2011 at 6:15 pm

It is you, my desert flower:

— Everybody’s moving to Phoenix.

— “It predicted 2,000 deaths and $200 billion in damage from a 7.8 southern California quake on the San Andreas Fault.”

— That would be ~30 times less powerful than the quake that hit Japan.

— Meltdown macro.

— The stumbles of Haley Barbour.

— If people thought American debt was getting riskier they wouldn’t be buying it.

Going for Devotcha’s “The Enemy Guns” in honor of a brief trip to Phoenix.

Climate Progress

Committee From Koch Votes To Deny Climate Change

By Brad Johnson on Mar 15, 2011 at 6:07 pm

Written with guest blogger Kristen Bartoloni, Researcher for Progress Central.

Today, Republicans in the House energy committee voted not once, not twice, but three times, against amendments recognizing that climate change is real, despite the broad scientific consensus that “climate change is happening and human beings are a major reason for it.” They then unanimously voted in favor of the Upton-Inhofe bill to repeal the EPA’s scientific endangerment finding on greenhouse pollution.

The 31 Republicans and three Democrats who voted in favor of H.R. 910 have received a grand total of $343,750 from Koch Industries, an average of more than $10,000 each. Freshman Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Koch’s special man in Congress, tips the scales at $79,500.

But today’s vote is not the first time the Commitee From Koch went public on their science denial. Here’s a survey of the members of the committee, fueled by support from Koch Industries and other polluters, and their proclaimed opposition to climate science and climate scientists:

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (MI): “I do not say that it is manmade.” [ThinkProgress, 2/8/11]
Koch Contributions: $20,000

Energy and Power Subcommittee Chair Ed Whitfield (KY): “Whitfield has questioned climate science in the past, including in the aftermath of the release of the so-called “Climate Gate” emails.” [The Hill, 3/15/11]
Koch Contributions: $9,000

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX): “My good friend from California tries to make it clear that the science is settled. I would say it’s not settled.” [The Hill, 3/15/11]
Koch Contributions: $44,750

Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH): “A debate continues about the sources of this climate change, and it should continue within the scientific community.” [WMUR, 7/25/10]

Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA): “Whereas recent events have uncovered extensive evidence from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in England (in this resolution referred to as the ‘CRU’) which involved many researchers across the globe discussing the destruction, altering, and hiding of data that did not support global warming claims.” [H. Res. 954, 12/8/09]

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): “Also absent from the discussion in Copenhagen is the climate-gate scandal. Recently leaked e-mails reveal climate scientists have a long track record of manipulating data to hide scientific evidence that contradicts the global warming establishment. And why? To bully citizens and lawmakers into supporting job-killing energy tax schemes. This scandal raises serious questions about the Democrat’s climate control plans, questions that deserve a transparent investigation, not a rush to judgement by the bureaucrats in Copenhagen.” [GOP weekly address, 12/12/09]
Koch Contributions: $32,000

Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX): “My opinion, for what it’s worth, is the science behind global temperature changes is not settled…Now, weather and climate are complex phenomena affected by a host of variables. In the 1970s, we’ve all seen the cover of Time magazine, the earth was cooling, the next ice age was on the way. It was the consensus of scientists at that time that that was fact and there was no point in debating it any further.” [Energy committee hearing, 3/8/11]
Koch Contributions: $27,500

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Politics

Tea Party Billionaire David Koch Hosted One Of Mitt Romney’s First Fundraisers For 2012 Campaign

By Lee Fang on Mar 15, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Last year, the New York Times revealed that petrochemical billionaire David Koch was among a small group of multibillionaires quietly promoting a presidential candidacy for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Today, a report by investigative journalist Peter Stone states that Koch actually hosted Romney last summer for one of his first large fundraising parties:

Romney’s team boasts veteran bigwig bundlers such as Woody Johnson, who owns the New York Jets; Wayne Berman, who chairs the lobbying firm Ogilvy Government Relations; and David Koch of Koch Industries. This trio and other big bundlers have done yeoman’s work already. Last August, Koch and his wife hosted an evening soiree at their home in the Hamptons for Romney. Since the November elections, Romney has done about one conference call a month with a nationwide group of some 300 fundraisers to keep them in the loop.

The Koch brothers have historically played a key role in selecting GOP candidates. Last year, they guided a large contingent of climate change-denying candidates to victory using their Tea Party “Americans for Prosperity” and “No Climate Tax” front groups.

During the ’90s, Koch heavily supported Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole. At one point, Koch “turned his Gatsbyish estate in Southampton, New York, into the site for celebrating Dole’s 72nd birthday in July 1995, raising $150,000 for his campaign.” Dole reciprocated throughout his career; at one point offering legislation to suppress an investigation into Koch Industries’ massive theft of oil from Indian reservations and public lands.

Yglesias

Still Waiting For The Budget Debate

By Matthew Yglesias on Mar 15, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Something frustrating both Your Humble Blogger and the Obama economic team is that the furious debating over continuing resolutions and the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriation is completely crowding out the actual debate about the federal budget deficit. That’s because no matter what congress does or doesn’t appropriate for FY 2011, we still need to do something about 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, etc. The Obama administration addressed all these years in its annual budget proposal and the White House is still awaiting a response from Republicans.

When it came out, their generally tendency was to complain that Obama’s proposals featured taxes that were too high and also a budget deficit that’s too low. So the natural question to ask is—what’s the alternative? And Republicans haven’t answered the question. The closest thing we have to an answer came from Paul Ryan’s budget roadmap, but his Social Security privatization plan would cause the deficit to go much higher than Obama’s proposal in the medium term. And the rest of the caucus hasn’t exactly leapt at the opportunity to embrace Ryan’s Social Security privatization or his Medicare privatization or the substantial post-privatization Medicare cuts he’s envisioning.

So the question is: What do they want? You can’t get the deficit lower than Obama’s target while extending the Bush tax cuts purely by defunding NPR. So is the plan to gut Medicare? I think the White House believes it has the most politically viable medium-term budget plan out there. But they can’t win a debate on the budget unless a debate on the budget happens. This is something the press ought to be pushing congressional Republicans on. Fiscal Year 2011 only lasts for a few more months. What happens next? What happened to the Ryan Roadmap? The focus on short-term shutdowns and debt ceiling votes ignores the real fiscal question.

Security

Utah Governor Gary Herbert Signs Immigration Bills, Distances State From Arizona Approach

By Andrea Nill Sanchez on Mar 15, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Today, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) signed off on a bundle of four immigration bills which includes proposals that were specifically introduced as proactive alternatives to Arizona’s harsh immigration law. One of the measures would allow undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements to carry a state-issued guest worker permit. A separate bill would create a migrant worker partnership with Mexico. Another piece of approved legislation will allow Utahns to sponsor migrants wanting to work or study in the state.

GOP delegate coordinators have dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to pushing back against the proposal with robo-calls and a petition. “As GOP delegates, we support the governor and everything he’s done up until now,” said Brandon Beckham, a Utah County GOP delegate who opposes guest worker and sponsorship proposals. “If he signs this bill, I don’t think he’s going to muster enough delegate support to make it past convention.” On the other side of the spectrum, some labor advocates worry that the guest worker permits will “give employers cheap labor without providing additional protections for workers or a path to citizenship.” “It gives illegal immigrants false hope because it makes them think they could become legal,” Ana Avendano of the AFL-CIO said. “But they’re still illegal, and could be deported.”

Meanwhile, several Latinos in Utah have been organizing against the other bill that Herbert signed into law today — HB-497. The legislation is a “watered down” version of Arizona SB-1070 that gives Utah police officers the authority to investigate a person’s immigration status if they’re suspected of felony or misdemeanor crimes.

Litigation has been threatened by both sides — immigration restrictionists who argue that the guestworker and sponsorship bills violate federal law and immigration advocates who say that the enforcement-only bill is unconstitutional. While it’s pretty monumental that such a conservative state has enacted a set of proposals that aren’t just aimed at making life completely miserable for undocumented immigrants, both sides of the debate are going to have a tough time arguing that the bill they oppose is preempted by federal law while maintaining that the one that they support is not.

Yet, maybe that’s the whole point. Utah Senate President Michael Waddoups (R) told the Salt Lake Tribune that the signing of the bills is “putting the federal government on notice.” “They’ve been on the sidelines way too long,” Herbert said. “They need to get in the game.” In fact, state officials are reportedly talking with the White House and congressional officials about using the “Utah Solution” as a model for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. The laws won’t go into effect for another two years. The U.S. Congress could spend that time to enact a legalization and a worker program that would render all of these state and local initiatives null.

Economy

U.S. Chamber Hires Bush’s Attorney General To Help Weaken Ban On Corporate Bribery

By Alex Seitz-Wald on Mar 15, 2011 at 4:45 pm

As ThinkProgress reported in October, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pushing to overhaul the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the government’s main enforcement mechanism to stop American-based multinational firms from bribing foreign governments in order to win special business advantages. The Chamber thinks the law is too burdensome for American businesses and makes them less competitive compared to foreign companies, which are freer to engage in corruption.

The Blog of Legal Times reports the Chamber has now enlisted a powerful ally to fight the scourge of anti-corruption — President Bush’s Attorney General Michael Mukasey:

Debevoise & Plimpton, where Mukasey is a partner, filed lobbying registration papers on his behalf this month, according to Senate records. The registration is for the Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform and is effective back to March 3. It covers possible FCPA amendments and other issues “related to criminal law and policies affecting U.S. corporations.” [...]

Harold Kim, senior vice president at the Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform, said he’s pleased with Mukasey’s hiring. “He brings a wealth of experience on these matters given his past positions as attorney general of the United States as well as chief judge of the Southern District of New York,” Kim said in an interview. “I think he’ll be a good advocate as part of our overall efforts to secure some more clarity and certainty with respect to the current statute.”

The Chamber may have decided to take on the FCPA now because President Obama’s Department of Justice has decided to do what Bush’s Department of Justice under Mukasey didn’t — thoroughly enforce the law. Under Obama, the department collected more than $1 billion in fines during fiscal year 2010, the most the government has collected in the law’s 38-year history, and more than ten times the $87 million collected in 2007 by the Bush Administration.

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