WRAP UP

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
1/18/13

IN CONGRESS

Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), along with several senior Republican colleagues from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced a resolution this week that rejects the prospect of a federal carbon tax on fuels for electricity and transportation. McKinley’s office said a blanket tax on emissions would increase unemployment and the cost of living while hurting the country’s economic competitiveness internationally. “Given our current economic climate, this is the worst time to implement another tax on coal, oil and gas—industries that fuel our economy,” McKinley said in a statement. “Affordable and abundant electricity from coal and natural gas is essential to our way of living and a carbon tax would increase the cost of electricity, putting a financial burden on American families.” The idea of a revenue-neutral carbon tax has been floated widely by many prominent think tanks as a potential fix to the nation’s so-called fiscal cliff, but lawmakers from both parties and houses of Congress, as well as the White House, backed away from the proposal after the November election.

IN THE ADMINISTRATION

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced this week that he will step down from his cabinet position by the end of March. Perhaps best known for promoting renewable energy development on public lands, Salazar said in a statement that he will return home to Colorado to spend more time with his family. “I have had the privilege of reforming the Department of the Interior to help lead the United States in securing a new energy frontier, ushering in a conservation agenda for the 21st century, and honoring our word to the nation’s first Americans,” he added. Under Salazar’s purview, DOI approved 34 solar, wind and geothermal projects on public lands and established 10 national wildlife refuges and seven national parks, according to a department fact sheet. He also oversaw an offshore drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill in 2010. Former North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad and former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire have been mentioned as possible replacements.

ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT

The effect of black carbon, or soot, on the climate is far worse than initially thought, according to a new analysis of the pollutant released this week. The more than 230-page report, published in the most recent issue of Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, concludes that black carbon is the second-most dangerous human contribution to the climate after carbon dioxide. Conduced by nearly three-dozen atmospheric scientists under the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Project, the four-year study is considered one of the most comprehensive looks at the pollutant to date. The analysis says that even though soot stays in the atmosphere for a relatively short period of time, it still packs two-thirds of the punch of CO2, roughly twice as much impact as initially believed by many researchers. The pollutant is emitted from diesel engines, open biomass burning, industrial boilers and residential cook stoves and can lead to premature death, respiratory and cardiovascular problems.