Today's Climate: September 9, 2009

Another USCAP Member Pulls Out of ACCCE (Greenwire)

Alstom Power, a French company that makes parts for power plants and is working on carbon storage, followed Duke Energy in dumping the troubled American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

Salazar: Climate Bill Still High on Obama's Agenda (Reuters)

Despite Washington's nearly single-minded focus on healthcare reform, the Obama administration still expects the U.S. Senate to pass climate change legislation, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says.

Developing World's Energy Needs Set Stage for Fight in Copenhagen (Washington Post)

Developing nations' urgent need for more energy has become a central issue this year as developed countries push for a global reduction in carbon emissions ahead of the December meeting at Copenhagen.

Russia's Peatlands Mining Could Release 113 Gigatons of Carbon (Mongabay)

Wetlands International is warning of drastic environmental consequences if the Russia government goes ahead with plans to begin large scale peat mining, including the potential release of 113 gigatons of carbon.

EPA Seeks to Block Massive Mountaintop Removal Project (Coal Tattoo)

The EPA issued a mountaintop removal bombshell: A major letter that blasts a whole host of problems with an Arch Coal project that is the largest strip-mining permit ever issued in West Virginia.

UK Committee Recommends Higher Airline Prices to Cut Emissions (London Times)

The UK government’s advisory body on climate change says airline ticket prices should rise steadily to deter air travel and ensure that carbon dioxide emissions from aviation fall back to 2005 levels.

NYU Study: ACES Benefits Outweigh Costs (Wall Street Journal)

As flawed as it may be, the Waxman-Markey climate bill makes economic sense, offering benefits worth at least twice as much as it costs, if not more, the NYU Law School’s Institute for Policy Integrity says.

Vattenfall CEO: Arguing from the Inside (Wall Street Journal)

Vattenfall is far from the cleanest energy company on the planet, yet its CEO has become an influential voice on global warming in Europe. He has pledged to take Vattenfall carbon neutral by 2050. Dismissed by some as greenwashing, it comes at a pivotal time.

Study: Global Warming Would Hit Utah Hard (Ogden Standard-Examiner)

While Gov. Gary Herbert is putting together a conference on climate change to decide if humans have anything to do with it, the Nature Conservancy has issued a warning on what global warming will do to the humans in Utah if current trends do not change.

Climate Change Survival Means Anticipating and Adapting (IPS)