Opinion
Ron Meador: PUC is hardly an energy policy powerhouse
>> MinnPost
Could any appointee to the PUC chairmanship – the most fanatical, tireless, politically gifted, coal-hating, green-power devotee imaginable – use that role to dramatically redirect energy policy in Minnesota? In a parallel universe, maybe. In this one, not so much.
David Roberts: Does the ‘rebound effect’ matter?
>> Grist
Discussion of rebound effects is often taken to be “anti-efficiency,” so the most important conclusion to emphasize is: The existence of rebound effects does not harm the case for energy efficiency. In any way. At all. Even a little.
Marc Gunther: Why Google invests in clean energy
>> MarcGunther.com
Clean-energy investing isn’t philanthropy for Google. It’s business. In fact, it’s a classic double-bottom line investment, one that is intended to deliver environmental as well as financial benefits.
Editorial: Partisanship clouds Minnesota Senate’s PUC decision
>> Minneapolis Star Tribune
Ellen Anderson was pilloried for the positions on issues she took during 19 years in the state Senate as a leading voice for greater reliance on renewable energy and less dependence on nuclear power.
Editorial: Don’t blame EPA for coal plant closure
>> Toledo Blade
Ohio’s Bay Shore power plant is not primarily a victim of new anti-pollution rules, as FirstEnergy asserts. Instead, its poor planning and lack of vision date to 1955, when the largely coal-fired plant opened.
Editorial: Loss of coal plants will hurt Ohio communities
>> Cleveland Plain Dealer
Reducing emissions of mercury, a known neurotoxin implicated in birth defects, is important. But the impact of federal regulations also has to be managed.
Editorial: Spare North Dakota’s pristine acres
>> Grand Forks Herald
Do North Dakotans truly want to save what’s worth saving in the state? If they do, then now’s their chance, because protecting the state’s signature landscape would be a great place to start.
Roger Kerson: Chevy Volt as ‘political punching bag’
>> The Future of Cars
It’s much easier, it turns out, to set a Congressman’s hair on fire than it is to ignite a Chevy Volt.
Analysis: The press and the pipeline
>> Media Matters for America
A Media Matters analysis shows that as a whole, news coverage of the Keystone XL pipeline between August 1 and December 31 favored pipeline proponents.
David Roberts: Obama doesn’t back down on clean energy
>> Grist
What the administration has figured out that many political journos have not is this: No matter how much the right squawks, no matter how much money the Chamber of Commerce spends on attack ads, Americans love clean energy.
