Today’s Climate: April 22, 2009

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GOP Grapples with Climate Confusion (Politico)

Ask 15 Republicans about climate change, and you’ll get 20 different answers. They’re trying to focus on economic arguments, but some fear the message is getting lost in a hazy mix of conflicting and sometimes confused commentary.

US to Clear Way for Offshore Wind Farms (Chicago Tribune)

The Interior Department has finalized sweeping rules that clear the way for the first offshore wind turbines to be erected along the Atlantic Coast, the most aggressive move yet toward shifting the nation’s offshore energy goals from oil to wind power.

Investors Disappointed by Utilities’ Weak Carbon Reporting (Business Green)

New figures to be released today show the majority of the world’s largest electricity utilities have no emission reduction targets and aren’t even providing investors with information on the fuels they use.

Climate Change Threatens Mighty Rivers (Guardian)

Some of the mightiest rivers on the planet, including the Ganges, the Niger, and the Yellow river in China, are drying up because of climate change, a new study of global waterways warns.

ABC News Intentionally Misled Viewers with RFK-Obama Story (Huffington Post)

The reader is left with the distinct impression that Robert Kennedy Jr. called President Obama an indentured servant to the coal industry today – something Kennedy never said.

Catholic Leaders Unveil Climate Covenant (US News)

Catholics worldwide will be heeding a new call to care for all of God’s creations by reducing their impact on our planet. The Catholic Climate Coalition’s new campaign encourages them to consider their environmental impact and its effect on the poor.

Earth Day Quandary Over Power: No Silver Bullet (Star Tribune)

A look at one state’s struggle to create the right energy mix and the balance the drawbacks of all the options.

China Planning More Dams on Troubled Yangtze (AFP)

China plans to build at least 20 more reservoirs or hydroelectric projects in the Yangtze river system by 2020, despite growing concerns over dam construction there.

Bangkok beats NYC, London in Carbon Pollution (Reuters)

Residents of the Thai capital produce as much carbon pollution as New Yorkers and more than Londoners, a U.N.-backed study released today shows.

EPA Proposal Targets Mercury in Cement Kilns (Washington Post)

The EPA says its cement plant rule would cut the industry’s mercury emissions by 81 percent and its sulfur dioxide emissions by 90 percent.

A $100M Bet on Turning Trash into Fuel (Los Angeles Times)

California is preparing to adopt the world’s first regulation to reduce the carbon footprint of fuel, and it is looking to companies like BlueFire Ethanol Fuels, which converts raw trash into fuel.

Lab Finds New Way to Turn Biomass into Gasoline (Reuters)

U.S. scientists have combined a discovery from a French garbage dump with breakthroughs in synthetic biology to come up with a novel method for turning plant waste into gasoline, without the need of any food sources.

WV’s Environment Chief Goes Off on EPA (Coal Tattoo)

“We are the environmental regulators here in West Virginia. We are the ones on the front line here. We are the ones responsible for protecting the environment. We have a very rigorous and robust regulatory program that is basically being challenged.”

Paris Rooftops to Sprout Windmills (Reuters)

In the tradition of the Moulin Rouge, Paris officials are planning to build small wind turbines into one of the world’s most famous skylines to take advantage of the strong winds which sometimes sweep high points such as Montmartre.

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