Today's Climate: June 25, 2009

Poll: Majority Say Regulate Greenhouse Gases, Even if Prices Rise (Washington Post)

Three-quarters of Americans think the federal government should regulate greenhouse gases to reduce global warming, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. That support dips slightly to 62 percent when asked if they would be willing to pay higher costs.

Not Easy Being Green: The House Moderates Under the Most Pressure (Politico)

House moderates are under intense pressure from all sides and stuck in a “treacherous vote” on the climate bill tomorrow. Here’s a look at the members who would most like to crawl under a lilypad.

AEP, Southern Dropping Out of FutureGen (Tulsa World/Bloomberg)

Energy giants American Electric Power and Southern Co. say they are withdrawing from the FutureGen carbon capture and storage project.

EU Drive for CCS Stumbles in Germany, UK Steps Ahead (Reuters)

Europe's push for pioneering carbon capture and storage has suffered a setback in Germany, Europe's top greenhouse gas emitter, which put back a plan to create a legal framework for the technology.

ForestEthics Asks Clinton to Block Tar Sands Pipelines (Reuters)

ForestEthics asked U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to deny permits for pipelines that would bring oil from Canada's oil sands to the United States, arguing that the tar sands’ greenhouse gas emissions conflict with President Obama's pledge to tackle global warming.

Scotland Agrees to World’s Toughest 2020 Climate Goal (Reuters)

Scottish lawmakers backed a binding goal to cut greenhouse gases by 42 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels, edging Germany into second place in a ranking of the most ambitious developed world targets.

Study: Coal Industry Costs Kentucky Government (Lexington Herald-Leader)

The coal industry takes $115 million more from Kentucky's state government annually in services and programs than it contributes in taxes, according to a study to be released today by the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development.

Sweden Seeks to Steer EU onto Energy-Efficient Path (EurActiv)

Sweden plans to step up Europe's energy-efficiency legislation as it takes over the rotating six-month EU presidency at the beginning of July.

Oregon Senate Approves Low Carbon Fuel Standard (Salem News)

The Oregon Senate last night approved the governor’s proposal to authorize a Low Carbon Fuel Standard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

California Weighs Global Warming Fees on Producers (AP)

California air regulators today will consider leveling the nation's first statewide carbon fee on utilities, oil refineries and other industries as a way to pay for the state's landmark greenhouse gas emissions law.

First Solar Sees Costs Dropping by a Third in 5 years (Reuters)