Green Options » us senate

US Congress To Pass Ban on “Finning” to Protect Sharks

Michael Ricciardi — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:44:37 +0000

According to the most recent data estimates, roughly 70 million sharks are caught (and killed) each year, most of this is for food, some for sport, and sadly, some just out of fear.

But most of the commercially fished sharks are in fact killed for their fins only–their mutilated carcasses are simply tossed overboard. This is known as “finning”. The fins make their way into a dish known as shark fin soup–a prized delicacy in Japan but also in some Scandinavian countries and in Germany. And as its popularity increases, so do catches–and almost any shark will do (100 out of 400 species are presently exploited for food, according to the Shark Foundation). According to the IUCN (which tracks endangered species with its annual “red list“) and governmental and NGO conservation groups, one third or more of all shark species are endangered.

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Mercury Falling: New Bill Proposition to Curb Mercury Pollution

Ruedigar Matthes — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:25:42 +0000

Highly toxic by ingestion or inhalation of the dust, it can also poison a person through exposure to soluble forms, inhalation of its vapour, or eating fish contaminated with it. It’s mercury. We all know mercury for its presence in thermometers. And we all know what it means for the mercury to be rising (as is currently a major global issue). But what does it mean when mercury is falling?

It means that Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has introduced a bill that would eliminate mercury from chlorine production within two years. The Mercury Pollution Reduction Act of 2009 (S. 1428), co-sponsored by Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), would abandon the use of mercury technology within two years; specifically by requiring four chlorine plants within the states to make the shift to mercury free technology in producing chlorine and caustic soda.

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U.S. - India Nuclear Deal Passes as America Focuses on Bailout Plan

Heidi Suydam — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:13:53 +0000

National and international news sources are reporting about a nuclear deal between the US and India. The US Congress and Senate have both approved a nuclear deal between the US and India. The LA Times reports the debate ensued for three years. The deal passed the Senate on September 28th, Congress October 1st and ends a 30-year ban on sales to India of nuclear technology and fuel. The ban was the result of India developing and testing a nuclear device in 1974. The deal was signed yesterday, October 10th, and does not require India to sign the Non-proliferation treaty.

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U.S. Government Axes “Renewable Diesel” Tax Credit

Nick Chambers — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:06:42 +0000

Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted to renew a one year extension for renewable energy tax credits worth $18 billion dollars. Absent from the package was a tax credit aimed at helping food giant Tyson and oil giant ConocoPhillips turn a profit by converting fats leftover from Tyson’s processing of beef to the so-called “renewable diesel” that ConocoPhillips blends with regular diesel (for a look at what renewable diesel is, check out Jason Burroughs comment below).

The legislation enacts a $1 per gallon credit for biodiesel production, but the “renewable diesel” made from waste fat, or tallow, would only be eligible for a 50 cent per gallon credit. According to Tyson and ConocoPhillips, without the $1 per gallon credit for making “renewable diesel” from tallow, their proposed project is a no go.

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The Economics of Global Warming: Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn’s “Earth: The Sequel”

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:22:42 +0000

I’m a bit behind the curve in getting to Fred Krupp (the president of Environmental Defense Fund) and Miriam Horn’s new book Earth: The Sequel– my reading time ain’t what it used to be! While other green bloggers have beat me to the punch on this one, I still wanted to weigh in on this book, especially since the US Senate begins its debate of the Lieberman-Warner-Boxer Climate Stewardship Act today. While this timing was a matter of luck, as opposed to planning, Krupp and Horn’s book provides some valuable insight into the debate that will occur on the Senate floor this week… let’s hope a few of our esteemed representatives have read it.

At it’s core, Earth: The Sequel is an argument for cap-and-trade as a viable, market-based mechanism for addressing climate change. While long-time sustainablog readers are likely up on the concept of cap-and-trade, it’s worth a quick explanation. Krupp and Horn define the concept in the book’s first chapter:

The U.S. Congress must set a legal and steadily declining limit on global warming pollution. The allowances will be divvied up among emitters, or auctioned by the government to raise revenues — or some combination of the two. Polluters who emit more will need to pay for the extra pollution reduction achieved by others; those who can reduce global warming pollution further will profit by selling those reductions in an open market. We can, in short, use the power of the market system to climb out of the hole created by flawed markets.

One might worry that what follows such an introductory chapter might be a long, boring treatise on market-based economics and the environment; rather, the bulk of the book focuses on the companies (mostly start-ups) involved in innovative research and development of next-generation clean energy technologies. I’ll be discussing some of those stories in subsequent posts at CleanTechnica and Ecopreneurist. Today, I want to stay focused on this main argument: cap-and-trade is the mostly viable method of achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

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