Senator Warner to seek EPW Ranking Member Position

This is good news for everyone who cares about getting a serious global warming bill out of this Congress. While Senator Warner may not be the greenest of Senators (he has a lifetime LCV score of 21), he was one of the 44 Senators to vote for Senator Bingaman's (D-NM) "Sense of the Senate" resolution stating that global warming is real and mandatory limits are necessary to curb and eventually reverse global warming pollution. The Republican Senator from Virginia also provides a huge change in temperament with regard to global warming as compared to the current chairman, Senator Inhofe (R-OK) who considers global warming a "hoax" and looks at those trying to stop it with nothing more than disdain.

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

For Immediate Release Contact: John Ullyot

November 17, 2006 202-224-6290

SENATOR WARNER TO SEEK ELECTION

AS SENATE EPW COMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER

Today, Senator John W. Warner, R-Va., announced that he will seek election as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works (EPW) in the next Congress, which begins in January.

Senator Warner is the senior Republican on the Committee, having served on the panel since January 1987.

Senator Warner said, "Many in the media have inquired of my intentions for committee positions in the upcoming Congress, now that I have concluded my Chairmanship of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in keeping with the six-year term limit established by Republican Conference rules. I intend to remain on the Armed Services Committee as the second-ranking Republican on that panel.

"As the senior Republican on the Senate EPW Committee, I intend to submit my name for election as the Ranking Minority member of that panel. I will do so in recognition of established Senate Republican Conference rules and precedents.

"Under these protocols, Republican Committee members first elect their chairman or ranking member, and their choice is then ratified or rejected by the full Republican Conference. These rules and precedents recognize the seniority of membership on the Committee as the principal factor in making such decisions.

"In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with the new membership of the EPW Committee as it makes this decision for submission to the Republican Conference."

Daily Briefing - 11/17/06

Progress is made in Nairobi with the 180 countries actually coming to sort of an agreement on reviewing Kyoto! Maybe they were all brainwashed... at least that's what everyone's favorite Senator from Oklahoma thinks. New advances in green technology, including but not limited to fuel and automobiles look promising, while killer robot insects do not. The Republicans put the finishing touches on their new leadership and studies show that drinking red wine keeps you young and healthy, so grab a glass and enjoy the briefing!

MW
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Daily Briefing – 11/17/06
717 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Green turns to gold
- Bush administration rejects calls from Senators to cap greenhouse gas emissions
- Progress made in Nairobi
o Also from Washington Post
- The invented debate
- A “brainwashing” session. Why Senator, that implies that you have a certain necessary part to be washed
o Oh and we shouldn’t worry about global warming because “God is still up there”
- Sun Microsystems going green… also called “green tech”
- Grist: What’s the real cost of climate change?
o Going out on a ledge
- Berry grower hit by global warming
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Trauner decides against recount, Cubin wins officially
- John Boehner is the Minority Leader, and Roy Blunt is the Minority Whip
- Democrats want to make baseline for wages $7.25
- Glenn Beck to Congressman-elect (and Muslim) Keith Ellison: “[W] hat I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."
Other News from the Media
- Cellulosic Fuel on the cusp of commercialization, but hurdles remain (sub. req’d)
- Pentagon guidelines that classified homosexuality as a mental disorder now put it among a list of conditions or "circumstances" that range from bed-wetting to fear of flying.
- BLM has cleared the way for oil shale projects
- Red wine keeps you young
- Holy cow, a bionic hornet?!
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix looks at Senate races in ‘08
- Calling for electronic campaign finance reports for Senators on DailyKos
- From Grist:
o Peak oil
o Ride that bike!
o Transforming the automobile
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Borat sued… again
- People going nuts over the PS3
- Too gay for Nashville?
- People in Illinois believe in the sanctity of Penguin relationships
- The coolest guy in the world
Quotes O' the Day
“White rednecks” who “didn’t show up to vote for us” - Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) giving one of the reasons why the GOP lost their majority

Democrats Gained from Global Warming Debate

Washington, DC (Nov. 16) – Half of Americans who voted in the mid-term elections said concern about global warming made a difference in who they voted for on Election Day 2006, according to a recent Zogby International post-election survey. Eighty-five percent of these voters who felt global warming was important cast their votes for Democratic Congressional candidates, including 48 percent of Independents and 7 percent of Republicans. Read on...

Here is a statement from Larry Schweiger, President of National Wildlife Federation:

Americans to Congress:

Get On With Solutions to Global Warming

Statement by Larry Schweiger

President, National Wildlife Federation

On new Zogby International poll results showing

global warming a factor in voting decisions that led to

Democratic victories on Election Day

Washington, DC (Nov. 15) -- “Election Day clearly propelled global warming to the top tier on the nation’s agenda for action. The public has already moved beyond a debate over science to a demand for action.

“The Zogby post election survey of nearly 20,000 voters found that three-quarters of the electorate say Congress should pass legislation promoting renewable and alternative energy sources as an effective way to reduce global warming pollution.

“This makes clear that from here on out, no candidate for political office can ignore the issue of global warming. It is not going away, and voters clearly expect candidates for public office to offer solutions.

“There can be no question on Capitol Hill that the American public wants immediate and aggressive action to address global warming. We have a new Congress with a clear mandate from the public to get on with the task of finding global warming solutions that create energy independence from fossil fuels.

“Americans want a new energy future that reduces our dependence on foreign oil, creates more American jobs and develops clean, renewable energy sources that will benefit us all. Energy independence from fossil fuels means national security and climate security.

“This is not a matter of left or right, it’s a matter of right or wrong. We have a moral responsibility to solve this problem to protect our children’s future.”

The National Wildlife Federation is America’s conservation organization inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

The Zogby International statement on the post election survey findings is available at:

http://www.zogby.com/index.cfm

Immediate Release

November 16, 2006

To obtain the full poll results contact:

Christine Dorsey, 802-229-0650, ext. 334, dorsey@nwf.org

Daily Briefing - 11/16/06

House Leadership for the majority has been decided. Three democratic Senators make an appeal to the President to work with them to limit greenhouse gases, while world leaders meet in Nairobi to discuss how to move forward on Kyoto (by slapping non-Kyoto countries with tariffs, perhaps??). Trent Lott makes his glorious return to power (that's a very loose use of the word "glorious"), and economics has lost a pioneer. All that and a lot more... in the briefing.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 11/16/06
718 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Nations wrangle in Nairobi
- Kofi Annan: Climate change is as serious as WMD
- Democrats to Bush: Greenhouse gas limits needed
o Grist has their exact letter, and more from the Financial Times
- The Bush administration will “watch closely” how others implement cap-and-trade systems. This can also be described as “not doing anything”
- How to talk to a skeptic: Consensus is collusion
- EU may apply tariff on those that do not sign on to Kyoto
- Sending a chill through winter sports
- Australian union buys shares in coal companies to have sway over global warming decisions
- Air pollution could combat global warming… umm, isn’t air pollution the problem? Come on people, are we grasping for straws now?
- The “left” in Australia have a new here… Al Gore
- Looking to start a trend
- Polar bear survival rate reduced
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Speaker Pelosi… officially
- But we’re still waiting on the #2… I guess it pays to be slow with the briefing – Hoyer named Majority Leader
- He’s baaack
- So much for that bipartisanship thing
- And in typical fashion, Democrats return to infighting
- Tommy Thompson jumps in the Presidential “exploratory” ring
- “Blue Dogs” plan to throw their weight around
Other News from the Media
- Milton Friedman died
- Yikes, don’t forget your poncho
- Yesterday was a record day for markets
- Stem cells help dogs with muscular dystrophy
- Scientists unveil beginnings of Neanderthal’s DNA code
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Hoyer v. Murtha
- First Muslim in Congress snubs the President for a Labor event
- “Conservative” Democrat panders to 99% of Americans, has radically “conservative” ideas of economic equality and stuff
- TomPaine: A green guide to the new Congress
- From Grist:
o What the Democrats win means for sustainable food movement
o A devastating die-off in the Puget Sound
o ON the floor of GreenBuildExpo
o Terry Tamminen, top environmental advisor to Gov. Schwarzenegger
o Trying to get CyberTran running
o Bill passed that further criminalizes animal-rights actions
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Jim McGreevey, yup that Jim McGreevey, has filmed a pilot talk show episode as a possible co-host to Joan Rivers. Some ideas are just pure genius.
- Defending Borat
- I wonder if this could work with my cat
- Lyle Alzado, Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Floyd Landis, and now… Annika Sorenstam?
- You jump on a person’s couch, the least you could do is invite them to your wedding
Quotes O’ the Day
"Sherwood's seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn't whined about being throttled," Grover Norquist

"As a result of this week's election, the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is now the most powerful woman in the country. After hearing this, Oprah Winfrey said, 'Yeah, right'." Conan O’Brien

"There's something painfully ironic about Trent Lott being named 'minority whip,'" - Robert A. George

Daily Briefing - 11/15/06

Senator Boxer is coming out with guns blazin', with talk of extensive hearing on global warming. All of this is making Republicans nervous about such 'radical' intensions, but it must ease the worry UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has after decrying the 'frightening lack of leadership' on global warming (an obvious poke at the U.S. and Australia).

In other news, Sen. Reid has tentatively announced committee assignments, while a man we all know by now will be spending the next 6 years behind bars. Fox News is out searching for happy terrorists, while Grist is reporting on items that would make fish and those of us who ride public transport happy. All that and more... in the briefing.

Enjoy!

MW

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Daily Briefing – 11/15/06
719 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Extensive hearings on global warming, so says Senator Boxer
o Muzzling the gas guzzlers
o Republicans fear a “radical” agenda
- A “frightening lack of leadership”
o Also from Forbes
- White House sued over global warming
- Oklahoma’s drought may be exacerbated
- Edmonton Sun: Global warming hot air?
- Calgary Sun: Oil sands a global warming threat
- Coverage of global warming
- Virtualization solves global warming…?
- Making the government own up to its contribution
- Borat would be proud… Kazakhstan is ranked one spot above the U.S.
- Robert Redford hosts US Mayors at the Sundance Summit
- How to talk to a skeptic: “There is no consensus”
- I would have voted for “macaca,” but carbon neutral works
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Courtney OFFICIALLY beats Rep. Simmons in CT-02 race
- Jim Webb, populist
- Lobbyists are trying to switch sides
- So, were any of those polls useful?
- Welcome back, Trent
Other News from the Media
- Thomas Friedman: China isn’t very clean
- Fit that man for stripes
- Eco-Friendly travel tips
- Dept. of Energy vows to turn up appliance efficiency
- Sunpower, the highest efficiency solar cells on the market
…and the Blogosphere
- Supposedly (according to MYDD) Jack Murtha has the votes
o Also at MYDD, Sen. Reid enticed Schumer to keep him as head of DSCC
- The Fix on Hillary ‘08
- Fair and balanced my @%$
- From Grist:
o An ultra-light, cost-efficient public transportation system?
o Clamping down on sea-bass smugglers
- Tom DeLay shares his thoughts from jail… err, I mean RedState
- TomPaine: Energy for change
- The Caucus: New leaders all around and the freshman orientation
- The Hotline: Immigration lessons from the midterm and why John McCain will save the GOP
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- I’ve been overlooked once again.
- A Desperate Housewives video game. People really need more to do.
- Just a guess, but I don’t this is a great use of land
- Umm, 1% of the WHOLE internet is a lot
- OJ Simpson will tell Fox how he would have murdered his wife and Ron Goldman… had he done it… which he didn’t… so he says
Quotes O’ the Day
“Be on the lookout for any statements from the Iraqi insurgents, who must be thrilled at the prospect of a Dem controlled Congress" – Fox News internal memo

110th Congress - Tentative Senate Committees

Senator Reid has tentatively announced the makeup of the committees for the 110th Congress. The biggest change for the conservation community is the removal of Senator Inhofe from his position as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. He will most likely be replaced with Senator Boxer, a politician we have worked successfully with over the years. How do you think the committee assignments will affect conservation legislation?

MW

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Reid Announces Democrats Anticipated Committee Assignments for 110th
Congress

Washington, DC - Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) today
announced the committee assignments he anticipates members of the
Democratic Caucus will hold during the 110th Congress.

As required by Senate rules, Senator Reid will meet with the incoming
Senate Republican Leader following the Republican Caucus's leadership
elections to negotiate and finalize the Majority/Minority make-up of
each Committee.

Outside Foreign Relations, which would gain one member from both the
Majority and Minority under this anticipated plan, the number of
Senators placed on each committee reflects the committee make-up agreed
to in the 108th Congress, the last time there was a 51-49 Senate.

Anticipated Committee Democratic Assignments for the 110th Congress

(Subject to Negotiations Following Republican Leadership Elections)

Agriculture

CHAIR: Harkin

Leahy
Conrad
Baucus
Lincoln
Stabenow
Nelson (Ne)
Salazar
Brown
Casey
Klobuchar

Appropriations

CHAIR: Byrd
Inouye
Leahy
Harkin
Mikulski
Kohl
Murray
Dorgan
Feinstein
Durbin
Johnson
Landrieu
Reed
Lautenberg
Nelson (Ne)

Armed Services

CHAIR: Levin
Kennedy
Byrd
Lieberman
Reed
Akaka
Nelson (Fl)
Nelson (Ne)
Bayh
Clinton
Pryor
Webb
McCaskill

Banking

CHAIR: Dodd
Johnson
Reed
Schumer
Bayh
Carper
Menendez
Akaka
Brown
Casey
Tester

Commerce

CHAIR: Inouye
Rockefeller
Kerry
Dorgan
Boxer
Nelson (Fl)
Cantwell
Lautenberg
Pryor
Carper
McCaskill
Klobuchar

Energy

CHAIR: Bingaman
Akaka
Dorgan
Wyden
Johnson
Landrieu
Cantwell
Salazar
Menendez
Lincoln
Sanders
Tester

Environment Public Works

CHAIR: Boxer
Baucus
Lieberman
Carper
Clinton
Lautenberg
Cardin
Sanders
Klobuchar
Whitehouse

Finance

CHAIR: Baucus
Rockefeller
Conrad
Bingaman
Kerry
Lincoln
Wyden
Schumer
Stabenow
Cantwell
Salazar

Foreign Relations

CHAIR: Biden
Dodd
Kerry
Feingold
Boxer
Nelson (Fl)
Obama
Menendez
Cardin
Casey
Webb

Health, Education, Labor, Pensions

CHAIR: Kennedy
Dodd
Harkin
Mikulski
Bingaman
Murray
Reed
Clinton
Obama
Sanders
Brown

Homeland and Government Affairs

CHAIR: Lieberman
Levin
Akaka
Carper
Pryor
Landrieu
Obama
McCaskill
Tester

Judiciary

CHAIR: Leahy
Kennedy
Biden
Kohl
Feinstein
Feingold
Schumer
Durbin
Cardin
Whitehouse

Intelligence

CHAIR: Rockefeller
Levin
Feinstein
Wyden
Bayh
Mikulski
Feingold
Whitehouse

Budget

CHAIR: Conrad
Murray
Wyden
Feingold
Johnson
Byrd
Nelson (Fl)
Stabenow
Menendez
Cardin
Sanders
Whitehouse

Aging

CHAIR: Kohl
Wyden
Lincoln
Bayh
Carper
Nelson (Fl)
Clinton
Salazar
Casey
McCaskill
Whitehouse

Veterans

CHAIR: Akaka
Rockefeller
Murray
Obama
Sanders
Brown
Webb
Tester

Small Business

CHAIR: Kerry
Levin
Harkin
Lieberman
Landrieu
Cantwell
Bayh
Pryor
Cardin
Tester

Rules

CHAIR: Feinstein
Dodd
Byrd
Inouye
Schumer
Durbin
Nelson (Ne)
Dorgan
Murray
Pryor

Joint Economic

CHAIR: Schumer
Kennedy
Bingaman
Klobuchar
Casey
Webb

Indian Affairs

CHAIR: Dorgan
Inouye
Conrad
Akaka
Johnson
Cantwell
McCaskill
Tester

Daily Briefing - 11/14/06

Lots of intraparty movement to secure leadership posts is going down to go along with politicos throwing their hats into the Presidential ring. A bunch of races are still undecided, but one is officially being called. Th blogosphere is aflutter with leadership races, presidential races, and more. Oh and for those that have a MySpace account... be sure to check just who your friend requests might be coming from.

Enjoy!
- Mike

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Daily Briefing – 11/14/06
720 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- For clues on climate, look to the packrats?
- Mayors come to Utah for Warming Summit
- Senator Inhofe feels demonized. All together now, “AWWWW”
- 72% of bird species in certain areas could become extinct
- Cool headed calculus
- From Grist:
o Prospects for action in the new Congress
o Some serious protesting
o A conversation with associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
- A carbon tax passed in Boulder
- China defends its record
- Tack some more on to the list… more wildfires and less skiing
- Antarctic global warming study upcoming
- Aussie PM Howard to discuss global warming at APEC meeting
Washington/Legislation/Politics/Scandals/etc.
- Feingold is out, McCain, Biden and Giuliani in?
- Sen. Mel Martinez to chair RNC
- Democrats looking to alter trade climate in favor of labor and environmental clauses
o They’re also looking to press U.S. automakers case
o And to identify pork sponsors…$10 bucks we’ll see Don Young’s name next a word with lots of consonants and not many vowels
- Offshore drilling bill looks dead
- For Murtha… not for Murtha
- Hawaiian sovereignty bill back on the docket
- Webb joins strange bedfellows
Other News from the Media
- “More people say heavy internet use is disrupting their lives.” Is the Daily Briefing unhealthy?!?!
- Lame ducks wing it
- Thinning without burning is dangerous to forests
- Montana expands hunt for Yellowstone Bison
- Investors backing experimental ethanol plant
- Global Warming skeptic, Rep. Reichert (R-WA08) returns to Congress
- Engineering better human bodies… umm, sign me up?
- Counting still going on in the Ohio 15th and New Mexico 1st
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix on Giuliani
- Hotline on Murtha’s evolution
- Rep. Simmons (R-CT02) just picked up 105 votes… he’s only down 60 now
- DailyKos: Defining Climate
- Dick Morris is calling for decapitation
- From Grist:
o Sustainable Nike
o A retort to Robert Samuelson
- Huffington Post: Energy Department’s Craven Obeisance to Oil/Gas Gougers
- Senator Feingold: The Dangerous Lame Duck
- A video from the BurntOrangeReport, that’s right… a liberal blog from Texas
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Stalking your old high school girlfriend… from death row
- Red meat à cancer
- At least she’s not too depressed about the Republicans’ loss
Quotes O’ the Day
"My No. 1 goal is to not go to jail." Representative-elect (and global warming skeptic) Michele Bachmann

Daily Briefing... on the web! 11/13/06

Good afternoon friends, conservationist, countrymen/women! The Daily Briefing, once a stalwart of intraoffice inboxes, has made its way to the public forum! Ye gods, the weight of such responsibility is crushing!... No, not really, but I'm going to have be extra careful not to make a fool out myself. With that said, look for the Briefing everyday here sometime late morning/early afternoon. Enjoy!

MW

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Daily Briefing – 11/13/06
721 days until the NEXT election…not really, there’s probably a bunch of elections in between.

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Climatologists hit the skies
- Warming isolates Canadians in far north
- Congress to address global warming, NASA… yup, that Congress
- Confronting “forces of darkness”… and no, not George Steinbrenner, red sox fans
- When "Bar Harbor is underwater, then we can do global warming stories." That should help.
- Grist: How to Talk to a Global Warming Skeptic
o The Inhofe “argument”
o Some site show cooling
Washington/Legislation/Politics/Scandals/etc.
- Washington Post: The Lame-Duck Congress
- Year of Macaca!
- Bob Novak is calling people stupid… well, sort of
- NYT: On that energy bill we’re hearing so much about
- Pelosi backs Murtha
- They are still counting in Washington’s 8th
- Putting a big ‘ol target on Norm Coleman
- Rahmbo
- And it starts… yeesh
- Lieberman leaves GOP door open
- It’s like the first day of school all over again. Watch out for Ted Kennedy kids, he’ll take your lunch money.
Other News from the Media
- The CEO of Google says our cell phones should be free… and I agree.
- First things first… taking care of the auditor in Iraq
- Will the pork stop here?
- Voters OK greenbacks for green space
- Going nuclear…
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Feingold’s out and Pelosi making quite the gamble
- Stu Rothenberg pats himself on the back
- They’re looking to take out “Cold Cash” Jefferson at DailyKos
- Matt Stoller at MYDD talks about a legislative agenda
- TPM’s guide to leadership battles and a rundown on the still undetermined races
- From Grist:
o Environmental Media Awards
o Chafee retrospective
o Hydropower not as low carbon as we thought?
o Environmentalism and animal rights
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Oh no! Borat got beat up!
- Boo! Ryan Zimmerman got shafted!
- Bush’s wax head takes a beating
- A fruit clock!
- Dr. Octagon’s “Trees”
Quotes O’ the Day
"Do you really want to know why I'm doing all this goodwill? ... It's because I feel guilty about the huge hole in the ozone layer my haircuts created. It's my responsibility to right the wrongs of the '80s." Jon Bon Jovi

A Lame Duck Energy Bill? Hopefully not...

Before recessing to attend to last week's election festivities, the House and Senate each passed versions of an "energy bill." Neither deserves to be called an energy bill, because such nomenclature deserves comprehensive substance behind it. The Senate version is narrow in scope, and the House bill is, let's just say, not overly substantive.

The Senate bill, co-sponsored by Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, is a narrowly drawn measure that would open a section of the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration and use part of the royalties to help rebuild Louisiana’s battered wetlands and barrier islands. This page, setting aside earlier misgivings, has supported her bill because of its limited scope and its demonstrably worthy environmental objectives.

The House bill, by contrast, is a broad, mischievous and badly conceived piece of work sponsored by Richard Pombo, Republican of California, that, in a stroke, would lift a long-standing federal moratorium on oil and gas drilling along the entire American coastline. The bill has been vigorously opposed by most state governors from Maine to California.

This is from the New York Times editorial page who ask Congress to wait and address this bill in full session... and hopefully come together on legislation that actually leads to the results the politicians say it will, i.e. less dependence on fossil fuels (foreign or otherwise), expanded use of clean energy, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, all without lifting necessary environmental regulations and moratoriums on drilling.

MW