Filibuster to protect Big Oil Welfare fueled by oil money

Brad Johnson has this breaking story.

Tonight, Republicans filibustered the majority’s attempt to repeal $21 billion in subsidies for the big five oil companies “” the same companies that made over $30 billion in profits in just the first three months of 2011.

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“Like a monster coming down the River”

The heavy floods coming down the Mississippi River threaten Gulf Coast ecosystems and livelihoods, writes Kiley Kroh.

The Gulf Coast region, still reeling from the oil-laden assault on its ecosystem and livelihoods, is now bracing for what’s being called one of the worst cases of flooding since the 1920s and “the nation’s slowest moving natural disaster.” Economists are projecting billions of dollars in damages just as local Gulf-dependent industries such as fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism are struggling back to profitability after the devastating blows from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the BP oil spill.

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Last month, ThinkProgress took note of a strange new defense of oil subsidies:  denying their existence. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), a top recipient of oil industry campaign contributions, defended billions in targeted oil subsidies by telling a constituent that they don’t exist, so Congress shouldn’t cut them.

Now, it appears freshman Rep. Ben Quayle (R-AZ) is adopting Bishop’s novel defense.  TP’s Lee Fang has the story.

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Our favorite climate de-crocker Peter Sinclair has a new video:

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Jon Huntsman, Jr., Obama’s former ambassador to China and a potential contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, believes in global warming — but not enough to do anything about it. Unlike the rest of the field, Huntsman recognizes the scientific fact that fossil fuel pollution is dangerously heating our planet. In a recent interview with Time magazine, Huntsman said that “I respect science and the professionals behind the science”:

This is an issue that ought to be answered by the scientific community; I’m not a meteorologist. All I know is 90 percent of the scientists say climate change is occurring. If 90 percent of the oncological community said something was causing cancer we’d listen to them. I respect science and the professionals behind the science so I tend to think it’s better left to the science community – though we can debate what that means for the energy and transportation sectors.

However, Huntsman doesn’t believe that the United States should do anything about climate pollution:

Cap-and-trade ideas aren’t working; it hasn’t worked, and our economy’s in a different place than five years ago. Much of this discussion happened before the bottom fell out of the economy, and until it comes back, this isn’t the moment.

In fact, cap-and-trade systems developed under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush saved the ozone layer and cleaned up acid rain. The Northeast’s regional carbon cap-and-trade system is boosting state economies and reducing pollution. Europe’s carbon market is meeting its targets, helping clean energy industries throughout the European Union.

If Huntsman actually listened to the scientific community, he would know that the nation’s scientists believe that there are “many reasons why it is prudent to act now. ” In a new report commissioned by the U.S. Congress, a committee of the National Research Council — representing the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine — concludes that there is a “pressing need for substantial action to limit the “environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change.” Committee chair Albert Carnesale, chancellor emeritus of UCLA and dean emeritus of the Kennedy School of Government, explains:

It is our judgment that the most effective strategy is to begin ramping down emissions as soon as possible.

Huntsman also argued that putting a price on carbon pollution would be “putting additional burdens on the pillars of growth.” In fact, investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy creates four times as many jobs as the oil and coal industry. The committee of the nation’s top scientists found “the most efficient way to accelerate emissions reductions is through a nationally uniform price on greenhouse gas emissions with a price trajectory sufficient to spur investments in energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies. ”

(HT Ben Geman)

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, told Parliament today that the UK government will formally adopt plans to cut its carbon dioxide pollution some 50% by 2023-2027 compared to 1990 levels.

The AP reports, “The goal is part of longer-term legal commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2030, and 80 percent by 2050.”

The NY Times notes this is one of “the world’s most ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions “” a striking example of a government committing to big environmental initiatives while also pursuing austerity measures.”  Striking, perhaps, but two years ago Nobelist Paul  Krugman said that climate action “now might actually help the economy recover from its current slump” by giving “businesses a reason to invest in new equipment and facilities.”

Here’s some background on the decision from the BBC:

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With gas prices soaring to near-record levels, a majority of Americans say they support an Obama Administration proposal to raise nation-wide vehicle efficiency standards to 60 mpg by 2025, according to a new report from the Consumer Federation of America. The current standard is 27.5 mpg, with the requirement moving to 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Over the last year, the amount that Americans are paying at the pump has increased dramatically. Here’s an excerpt from the report:

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GOP’s “rejectionist stance is unrivaled among major political parties, including conservative ones, around the warming planet”

In a must-read editorial, USA Today compared climate science deniers to “the ‘birthers’ who continue to challenge President Obama’s American citizenship “” a vocal minority that refuses to accept overwhelming evidence.”

Snap!  Or whatever sound is made when a house of cards collapses.

In making the comparison, the newspaper cited both the National Academy’s “Climate Choices” study and their own devastating dismantling of statistician Edward Wegman’s work, which has been a corner-stone corner-card of the climate science denial cult:

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Japanese Officials Ignored or Concealed Dangers

The nuclear power plant, lawyers argued, could not withstand the kind of major earthquake that new seismic research now suggested was likely.

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Yesterday’s news from the solar company Sungevity that it will partner with Lowe’s Home improvement stores to help customers quote and install a solar system is a great indicator of where the industry is going.

Critics often charge that solar is “fringe” or “inaccessible,” which has historically been true. Since the 70′s, home solar photovoltaics has been largely a technology for environmentally-conscious first adopters and hi-tech lovers. But with prices coming steadily – and now dramatically – down over the years, and companies adopting innovative financing models to make a purchase easier, solar PV has moved far beyond that label.

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Daniel J. Weiss and Kate Gordon in a CAP cross-post.

The Senate plans to vote tonight on the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act, S. 940″”legislation that would eliminate $21 billion of tax loopholes over the next decade for the five largest oil companies. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and 28 of his colleagues, would close tax loopholes for Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhilips, Exxon Mobil Corporation, and the U.S. subsidiaries of BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. And it would require that all recovered funds go to the U.S. Treasury to reduce the federal budget deficit.

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