![On the back of a Dragonfly [B&W]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6128449851_14ec409b56_s.jpg "On the back of a Dragonfly [B&W]")
TOP STORY
Close Win Predicted For Cap-and-Trade Bill
"The House could vote today on a measure to cap U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, with Democratic leaders predicting a tight victory for a behemoth bill that has grown more complex with each compromise. The heart of the bill, which now runs to 1,201 pages, is a plan to reduce emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. To do that, it would create a cap-and-trade system, in which polluters would be required to accrue buyable, sellable credits for all the greenhouse gases they produce...Yesterday, Democratic leaders said they had gathered enough votes to win passage of the bill, which could be voted on today or tomorrow." [Washington Post]
Related:
- "Waxman-Markey Vote Watch," A tally of likely vote. [Grist]
- "Limits on Emissions Have Wide Public Support" [Washington Post]
RECOMMENDED READING
Environmentalists Rachet Up Campaign Against Oil Sands
"In a broadside aimed squarely at Canada’s energy heartland, a coalition of 18 leading environmental groups launched a high-profile campaign this week, calling on the United States government to discourage imports of crude oil derived from tar sands. Led by the Sierra Club, the coalition is asking Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton not to issue permits to Canadian energy companies that want to build pipelines between Alberta to the American Midwest." [Green, Inc. - New York Times]
In the Andes, a Toxic Site Also Provides a Livelihood
"La Oroya has been called one of the world’s 10 most polluted places by the Blacksmith Institute, a nonprofit group that studies toxic sites. But for several months, the Peruvian smelting company in Mr. Rennert’s empire has claimed that low metals prices prevented it from completing a timely cleanup to lower the emissions that have given this town such an ignoble distinction....Citing financial difficulties, the smelter’s Peruvian operators, who have idled most of its operations, have threatened to close entirely for several months, putting in danger 3,000 jobs at the plant and thousands more who rely on it like Ms. Albino, who washes clothes for the wives of smelter workers." [New York Times]
Tree Owners Could Reap Climate Bill Windfall
While U.S. families could see their annual energy bills rise hundreds of dollars under a massive climate bill that President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are trying to push through the House, owners of large swaths of forestland — timber companies, large farms, even foreign countries — could reap billions of dollars." [Associated Press]
Deserts Crossing Mediterranean
"The Sahara Desert is crossing the Mediterranean, according to Italian environmental protection group Legambiente which warns that the livelihoods of 6.5 million people living along its shores could be at risk...Legambiente said that southern Italy was at severe risk in addition to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia where 11% of all arable land showed signs of drying up." [ANSA]
