Green Options

U.S. stocks advanced today in the biggest presidential Election Day rally in 24 years. This has been led by energy and banking shares, on higher commodity prices and speculation the Treasury will bail out more financial companies. (Bloomberg)

Economic populism involves an economic philosophy urging social and political system changes. In the current political and economic climate, the public concern over the inequity of wealth appears to be at a peak. There is a growing call by Senator Barack Obama and democrats to raise taxes on the wealthy to shrink the wealth gap. But is it true that the rich are getting richer? Or are the rich actually in danger of losing a significant portion of the nation’s [...]

Seeing the sheer volume of people attending these two events in Colorado on Sunday, was to see the tangible evidence of the punctuation on a political shift in Colorado that might just help put Barack Obama in the White House.

Obama and McCain agree on the goals of energy and climate policy. Both candidates acknowledge global warming is man-made and advocate a mandatory cap-and-trade policy in the United States for dealing with carbon emissions — something the Bush administration opposes. They’re also largely in agreement over reducing oil consumption and investing in new energy technologies.

After being chided over remarks he made in August about renegotiating the Colorado River Compact, John McCain said at a recent campaign stop that he would “never, ever” try to take more of Colorado’s water. But has the damage already been done in this water-sensitive state?

From our friends at ZapRoot this week: Arizona tests artificial CO2 filtering trees. Sarah Palin loves oil. We help you find ways to get rid of your junk mail.

While at a campaign stop in Maumee, OH, Democratic vice-presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden said there should be no new coal plants in the United States, clean or otherwise. Biden also stressed the need to get China on board. Watch for yourself:

After a hefty long debate over offshore drilling and new energy policies, the House passed the ever unpopular Comprehensive American Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act. The bill which will open up new areas of the country to oil drilling, but it also comes with increased support for renewables. The bill - weighing in at 290 pages (PDF) -  was not formally introduced until 9:45pm on Monday night, but Pelosi had released an outline of it early last week.

“The energy bill puts us onto that path of independence by having a comprehensive legislation which is the result of a bipartisan compromise in favor of sweeping innovation solutions for America’s energy future,” said Pelosi in a press conference today. “It is imperative that we are energy independent, so we can enhance the prospect for a great future of renewables and creating good paying jobs.”

The bill passed in the House by a vote of 236-189, with ten Republican’s supporting the bill and thirteen Democrats opposing it. It includes measures to “extend the tax credits for renewables, curb energy speculation, establish a national renewable electricity standard, release 10 percent of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, repeal subsidies to oil companies, and force oil companies to explore on the land already under lease (”use it or lose it”).” It also comes with provisions on efficiency and public transit. And there are even incentives for “clean coal.”

The act allows drilling 100 miles off the Atlantic coast and Florida’s Gulf coast, but that buffer zone could be reduced if a state’s government allows. It will also let state’s decide on whether or not to permit oil-shale development on federal lands within their borders. Here are some videos from the floor debate:

Democrats caved came to a new proposal on Wednesday which would allow offshore drilling 50 miles from the coast if the state approves: federal waters within 50 miles of shore would continue to be protected. Waters off Florida’s Gulf coast also would remain protected at least until 2022 under the plan.

The proposal is expected to come up for a vote next week. Along with allowing offshore drilling, it is also expected to roll back tax breaks on the largest of oil companies, where those royalties will be used to spur renewable energy programs and conservation. But the proposal, announced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, would essentially end the long-standing federal ban on oil and gas drilling that has barred oil companies from more than 80 percent of Outer Continental Shelf waters from New England to Washington state.

This week from our friends at ZapRoot: The most notorious bicycle thief is caught in Canada. Find out how Green is Joe Biden? Check out a new batch of Alternative Autos.

Thursday night was Barack Obama’s night, and when he delivered his magnificent capstone speech, he hit one out of the ballpark with the bases loaded.

But former Vice President Al Gore was on fire.