The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced the remarkable news today:

The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity (enough to serve over 2 million homes).

Half of that was brought online in the fourth quarter, and so I expect stories in big media touting how well alternative energy has been weathering the brutal economic storm — as if (see “Global recession? Must be time for the media’s alternative-energy backlash“).

Still, the AWEA report made clear that there could be tough times ahead, unless Congress takes strong action on tax credits (see “House Ways & Means embraces refundable renewable tax credits“):

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Reps. Israel (D-NY) and Inslee (D-WA)

Congressmen Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Steve Israel (D-NY) today announced the formation of a caucus of thirty-five progressive House members, the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition. In their release, they acknowledged the severity of the climate crisis and the need for “bold, aggressive action”:

The 111th Congress convened in a perfect storm. The melting of the Arctic ice cap is speeding up toward a point of no return and the economy is in turmoil. We are in need of bold, aggressive action, and that’s exactly what the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition is about.

Inslee and Israel, both long-time leaders on sustainable energy and the environment, will co-chair the caucus. Inslee, who has continually promoted a space-race level investment in a new energy economy since his election in 1992, was one of the organizers of a statement of progressive climate principles signed by 152 members last year. Israel, elected to Congress in 2000, “has been framing energy as a national security issue” with his Next Generation Energy Plan.

Vice-chairs for 2009 and 2010 have been named: Reps. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) will be the vice-chairs for speakers; Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Paul Hodes (D-NH) for outreach; Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and David Loebsack (D-IA) for membership; Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Niki Tsongas (D-MA) as whips.

The coalition, whose mission is “to advance policies that promote clean energy technology innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create green collar jobs throughout the product supply-chain, help arrest global warming and protect our nation’s clean air, water and natural environment,” formed last fall “when Inslee and Israel called a meeting for like-minded members of Congress to discuss how they could impact the 2008 House energy and economic recovery bills.”

(H/T Northwest Progressive Institute)

UPDATE: Full list of the founding members of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition: Read more

Arctic sea ice extent just dipped below January 2007 levels in the last few days, according to the daily time series from the National Snow and Ice Data Center(NSIDC):

The NSIDC notes that they are showing the data from 2007 on this figure since that year “went on to reach the lowest summer minimum in the satellite record” (see “Arctic Ice shrinks by an Alaska plus a Texas“).

The NSIDC also has an interesting 2008 Year-in-Review for cryosphere buffs. It explains why the ice stopped growing for a week in mid-December. It also has an interesting graphic comparing the Arctic sea ice extent in 2008 with 2007 :

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Think Progress reports:

Kathie Olsen — a global warming denying Bush official at the National Science Foundation — has entrenched herself into the agency prior to the arrival of the Obama administration. A congressional investigation said Olsen’s action “raises serious questions concerning whether a high-level Bush White House science appointee is trying to ‘burrow in‘ at the agency.”

The whole sad story, from Talking Points Memo, is below:

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Yes and no.

Larry Summers is widely regarded as a very brilliant economist. I can’t dispute that. He was also the lead horse among the economists in the Clinton administration who were using every trick they knew to undermine any serious effort toward negotiating an international agreement on restricting greenhouse gases in Kyoto, Japan (see here and below).

He appears to remain firmly in the camp of most MEOWs (Mainstream Economists who Opine on Weather) in that he

• Doesn’t understand climate science enough to realize how dire the situation is
• Doesn’t propose remedies that would avert the irreversible catastrophe we face.

That seems clear from his two-part series on climate in the Financial Times in 2007 (Part 1 and Part 2). By his own admission, he proposes polices that are “less dramatic in their immediate claims for emissions reductions” than what the world has been considering. These include more R&D, of course, and an end to energy subsidies, plus:

The US must engage in an energy efficiency programme that takes effect without delay and has meaningful bite. As long as developing countries can point to the US as a free rider there will not be serious dialogue about what they are willing to do. I prefer carbon and/or gasoline tax measures to permit systems or heavy regulatory approaches because the latter are more likely to be economically inefficient and to be regressive

First off, the “and/or” is odd, since the “or” undermines the whole message. A gasoline tax is obviously not going to touch coal, and it is obviously not “economically efficient” if your goal is carbon reductions.

Second, it is odd economics to described an “energy efficiency” program as being driven by price, when high carbon prices primarily drive fuel switching. You would need incredibly high CO2 prices to drive efficiency in transportation (see “Why a carbon cap won’t solve our oil addiction“), something Summers has never endorsed as far as I’ve seen. Also, even his new boss knows a gas tax is a politically dubious strategy for pushing efficiency (see Obama is right: Higher gasoline taxes to boost efficiency would be “a mistake”). Fortunately, his boss also understands that smart regulations make more sense in the transportation sector (see “Obama to push for California waiver that mandates cut in auto CO2 emissions“).

In any case, if Summers won’t specify a domestic emissions target let alone a global one — and won’t specify how high a carbon or gasoline tax he has in mind, then it is impossible to view his policies as a serious addition to the debate or know if he is really serious at all. He is just another mainstream economist opining on a subject that he has not bothered to become knowledgeable enough on to make a useful contribution.

But does it matter that a MEOW, in this case a very clever kitty, is the head of the president’s powerful National Economic Council? The NYT says it does matter a lot in “In Obama’s Team, Two Camps on Climate,” which pits Summers against Carol Browner, who will oversee Obama’s energy and climate policy, and which ignores the rest of his amazing Cabinet.

I argue it does not in my latest Salon piece, “Real science comes to Washington” by way of my experience in the Clinton Administration:

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A guest post by Eban Goodstein, Professor of Economics at Lewis & Clark College and Project Director of the National Teach-in on Global Warming Solutions following up on his earlier post.

The National Teach-In On Global Warming Solutions is one week away. Close to 700 colleges, universities, high schools, faith organizations and civic groups are participating. Help us get that number to 1000 by next week! It is not too late to sign up and show the free webcast, The First 100 Days–featuring David Orr, Hunter Lovins, Ray Anderson and others– at your faith organization, high school, college or university.

You can learn more on our organizing call this Wednesday at noon eastern:

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