Today's Climate: July 17, 2009

Locke: US Should Pay for Carbon Content of Imports (Reuters)

To address the serious threat of global warming, Americans should be required to "pay" for the carbon content of goods they consume from other countries, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told business leaders in Shanghai today.

Offshore Oil Leases to Be Auctioned Despite Court Ruling (Los Angeles Times)

The Obama administration will auction off a new batch of oil-drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico next month, in spite of a court ruling earlier this year that threw out the nation's offshore leasing plan.

California Budget Deal May Mean New Offshore Oil Drilling (Red, Green & Blue)

California’s state budget crisis could open the door for the first new offshore oil leases in state waters in 40 years if a proposal floated in the closed-door state budget negotiations wins approval from Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Salazar Reinstates Oregon Logging Limits (New York Times)

In a move to protect endangered species, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced his department had reversed a Bush administration decision to double the amount of logging allowed in and around old-growth forests in western Oregon.

BLM Locking in Coal, Locking Out Facts (Earthjustice)

At the same time the Obama administration is supporting targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the BLM is proposing to extend the life of four coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin and lock in long term federal coal leases to giant mining firms.

Climate Change Divides Farm Groups (Delta Farm Press)

The climate change legislation now before the Senate has succeeded in doing something neither the nation’s environmental groups nor the Bush administration could do: Create fault lines in the farm bloc.

Study: Biofuels 'Done Right' Can Curb Emissions (Princeton)

Biofuels derived from renewable sources can be produced in large quantities and address many problems related to fossil fuels, including greenhouse gas emissions, but only if they are made from certain sources, a team of scientists and policy experts says.

US Releases Unclassified Spy Images of Arctic Ice (Reuters)

The United States released more than a thousand intelligence images of Arctic ice to help scientists study the impact of climate change, within hours of a recommendation by the National Academy of Sciences, an unusually quick response.

Climate Push Gets Personal in Senate (Politico)

Stung by complaints that it did too little, too late in the House, the Obama administration has launched an intense, senator-by-senator effort to push climate change legislation through the Senate.

Consumer Groups Push Rate-Protection in Climate Bill (New York Times)

Two paragraphs tucked into the House climate bill four days before the final floor vote give large manufacturers what consumer groups see as a special safeguard against higher electric bills, a protection not offered to residential customers.