Energy and climate policy will be in the spotlight in Washington DC this week, with confirmation hearings and the release of the Presdent’s budget. [The Hill]
This week is jam-packed on the energy front in Washington, D.C. It will bring public grilling of President Obama’s choices to run the Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, battles over the Keystone XL pipeline, and more.
Ernest Moniz, Obama’s choice to replace outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will face the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday…. Look for a more contentious affair Thursday, when EPA nominee Gina McCarthy appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. …
Beyond the confirmation fights, this week brings release of the delayed White House fiscal 2014 budget proposal. Obama, with Wednesday’s proposal, will likely revive his fight with Republicans, and Democrats from oil-producing areas, over petroleum industry tax policy. His previous budget plans have called for stripping billions of dollars worth of tax incentives from oil-and-gas producers, but Congress has not gone along.
Ocean acidification may slow down oysters, but they make crabs grow huge — throwing off the balance of ecosystems like Chesapeake Bay. [Washington Post]
Oysters have discovered that warmer ocean temperatures can give them herpes, and they are dying in large numbers off the British coast. [SoNuB]
A toxic red algae bloom is killing manatees in Florida. [New York Times]
Arizona installed 148 MW of solar power last year, and is set to double that amount this year. [Earth Techling]
George Schultz and Gary Becker make the conservative case for a revenue-neutral carbon tax in the Wall Street Journal. [WSJ]
A coalition called “All Risk, No Reward” aired ads opposing the Keystone pipeline yesterday and will soon be targeting Democratic donors and youth. [The Hill]
The House GOP is expected to release a new effort on fossil fuel-based energy (featuring Keystone approval) before Memorial Day, like they do every year. [National Journal]
New teaching standards set to be released this week should allow students in 40 states to learn about climate science, while British curricula may eliminate the topic from existing lesson plans. [New York Times]
The ALEC-sponsored bill to repeal North Carolina’s RES still has to get through three more committees and be signed by the governor. [News & Observer]
Hybrid sports car maker Fisker Automotive let go most of its work force in order to stave off bankruptcy. [Guardian]
Solar energy stocks had a recent bump but at the end of this quarter, many had fallen again. [New York Times]
A new study was able to confirm land temperature rise without using surface thermometers which have become controversial to some. [Skeptical Science]
More are catching on to the fact that the oceans have been absorbing the heat from global warming. [Yahoo News]