Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Energy

GOPers Re-Name the Climate Bill Again: Now It’s a ‘Gas Tax’!

By Elana Schor | Oct 21, 2009 | 1 Comment

Seven months after first trying to re-brand congressional climate change legislation as an "energy tax," Senate Republicans were back at it today with a new report and op-ed that attempts to expose the climate bill as a "$3.6 trillion gas tax." Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) (Photo: GOP Lounge) Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and […]

The Top 10 States for Energy Efficiency — And Some Surprising Achievers

By Elana Schor | Oct 21, 2009 | No Comments

As Congress continues to debate climate change legislation that would include energy efficiency measures, states are already making progress in reducing the consumption of vehicles, utilities, and other fuel users. Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, where new building energy efficiency codes were recently adopted. (Photo: About.com) The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) singled out the […]

Think Tank Responds to Report on Hidden Costs of Fossil Fuels: Yawn

By Elana Schor | Oct 20, 2009 | 1 Comment

The National Academy of Science’s new report on the hidden health costs of U.S. reliance on fossil fuels has generated high-profile media coverage around the country, most of it focusing on the $62 billion annual estimate for coal rather than the $56 billion projection for vehicles. (Photo: SILive.com) But Greenwire’s write-up is particularly interesting, if […]

New Study Shows $56 Billion in Hidden Health Damage from Autos

By Elana Schor | Oct 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

Transportation’s effects on public health are rarely discussed by policy-makers, but they remain very real — and the National Research Council (NRC) put a number on them today, reporting that cars and trucks have about $56 billion in "hidden" health costs that are not reflected in the price of oil or electricity. (Photo: MetroDCLiving.com) In […]

Transportation Allowances in the Climate Bill: A Tale of Two Modes

By Elana Schor | Oct 16, 2009 | No Comments

To understand why the climate change bill is a top priority for urbanists, it’s crucial to understand the emissions allowances that the legislation distributes. The allowances essentially put the "trade" in "cap-and-trade" — whichever industry or state government holds them can benefit from their monetary value or use them to emit pollution under the "cap." […]

California Cities Lead Nation in Reducing Emissions from Streetlights

By Matthew Roth | Oct 16, 2009 | 1 Comment

PG&E workers installing an LED streetlight. Photo: PG&E Streetlights are an enormous part of any city’s energy consumption and cities that wish to cut down on their emissions and their energy bills are getting in line to convert their older street lamps to LED technology. According to Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and Department of Energy […]

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