TOP STORY

Markey-Waxman Compromise Details Emerge

The headlines express the range of attitudes on the "final" Markey-Waxman bill that will soon be voted on in the Energy and Commerce Committee:

• Democrats to Relax House Emissions Bill [Washington Post]
• Waxman, Markey Announce Breakthrough on Climate Change Bill [Roll Call]
• Energy And Commerce Dems Reach Partial Deal On Climate And Energy [Congress Daily]
• Democratic Climate Plan Would Trim CO2 Emissions 17% [Bloomberg]
• Waxman predicts committee passage as details emerge on climate, energy bill [New York Times]

Related:

Dirty energy interests have spent $79 million this year lobbying Congress

"According to the latest lobbying data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, the oil and gas industry spent nearly $44.6 million lobbying Congress in just the first three months of this year, and ranked second only to the health care and pharmaceutical industries in total spending. Electric utilities spent $34.4 million, and businesses in the energy and natural resources sector as a whole spent $102.7 million."  [Grist]

RECOMMENDED READING

World's Coral at Risk from Climate Change, Pollution

"Scientists consider the region known as the "coral triangle" to be the centre of marine life on Earth, teeming with fish and almost one-third of the world's coral reefs...But in the past 40 years, 40 per cent of the coral reefs and coastal mangroves in the coral triangle have been lost because of pollution, coastal development and overfishing."  [Sydney Morning Herald]

Pesticide Ban Won't Affect Exporters

"A U.S. ban on the use of carbofuran in food won't affect production of the pesticide at the [West Virginia-based] Institute chemical plant because most of the product is shipped overseas."  [The Charleston Gazette]

Montreal Inaugurates Continent’s Most Ambitious Bike-Sharing Program

" Gérald Tremblay, the mayor of Montreal, inaugurated North America’s first large-scale bicycle-sharing system on Tuesday.  Bixi is nothing if not ambitious. The service is starting out with 3,000 of the specially designed bicycles distributed among 300 closely-spaced stations in its downtown core." [Green, Inc. - New York Times]