energy efficiency

It was hard not to chuckle when I learned that blooper-prone Vice President Joe Biden, thinking he was out of earshot of the cameras when President Obama signed the heath-care legislation today, told the prez: "This is a big f--king deal!"

But crying is more in order if you listen to what Obama said at the bill-signing in remarks about what's next. Why? Because it ain't climate legislation. Here's what our surpreme commander had to say about how he's going to use the health-care win to push Congress on other fronts (italics are mine):

  "We all know our journey is far from over.  There’s still the work to do to rebuild this economy.  There’s still work to do to spur on hiring.  There’s work to do to improve our schools and make sure every child has a decent education.  There’s still work to do to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  There’s more work to do to provide greater economic security to a middle class that has been struggling for a decade."

Notice the emphasis not on what would surely be a hard fight to pass climate legislation, but rather on something (almost) everyone can agree on: Escaping this precipice where countries that hate America control something so vital to our well-being.

No, Obama doesn't risk offending anyone with that sentiment.

Here's how the situation was sized up in a note to clients and other contacts by Capitol Hill veteran Frank Maisano of the lobbying firm Bracewell & Giuliani (yes, that Giuliani!), whose clients include a number in the energy business:

I've always been just a hair skeptical about all those admonitions to consumers to save the world -- you know, the "Live simply, that others may simply live"-type instructions. They felt a little too much like guilt-tripping to me, with perhaps not enough corresponding actual environmental good being done. It seems like a way for consumers who are feeling guilty about something -- say, those SUVs they drive -- to assuage their guilt by doing something that doesn't really hurt, like turning off the lights when leaving a room. And of course, we've seen how this mindset can backfire:

Olympia- The  House passed its first bill of the session this week --  a measure that would ask voters to decide whether to create jobs by using $860 million in bonds in order to make schools more energy efficient.

The bill “catalyzes probably about 2.5 billion dollars in work, which gives you 38,000 jobs, and will account in $190 million dollars in savings to the taxpayer every single year,” explained Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, the bills' creator and primary sponsor. If approved by the Senate, the measure, House Bill 2561, would need voter approval in November.

The bill would allow schools and universities to compete for $860 million in grants in order to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. The state will provide the money by selling bonds with a lifespan of 20 years at a cost of around 1.5 billion, which includes principle and interest. Dunshee projects that the cost of the bonds will be recouped by way of job creation, tax revenue, and reduced energy costs.

But with Washington's unemployment rate up to 9.5 percent in December and the state facing enormous budget cuts, the choice for some lawmakers boils down to creating jobs or saving money, while the energy efficiency of the schools lies somewhere in between.

“We need jobs now!”exclaimed an impassioned Rep. Kathy Haigh, D- Shelton, to her colleagues during the House floor debate.

But Rep.

By Alexander Kelly and Blair Kelly

COPENHAGEN -- Outgoing Seattle mayor Greg Nickels, attending the United Nations climate treaty summit here, says in an interview that Americans need to rethink what represents a successful economy. He says making buildings energy efficient and similar measures should take the economic place of manufacturing lots of stuff:

See more from Nickels on how he sees his role in Copenhagen and how Seattle led in the fight to curb climate change.

Here's something you don't see every day: Battle-hardened military veterans out advocating for an environmental cause.

Oh, I have little doubt that most soldiers and sailors -- like most Americans -- consider themselves friends of Mother Earth. And it's also true, as we wrote recently, that former generals and admirals count energy independence a national security issue. 

 But one doesn't necessarily associate: Military = Green. In fact, waging a war produces a heck of a lot of greenhouse gases.

 So we noted with surprise this week that a group that calls itself votevets.org is launching a $400,000 blitz of radio ads urging key senators to get moving on legislation to safeguard the climate. Here is how the group describes itself:

The leading progressive, pro-military organization of veterans, dedicated to the destruction of terror networks around the world, with force when necessary. It primarily focuses on education and advocacy on issues of importance to the troops and veterans, and holding politicians accountable for their actions on these issues.

The radio spots feature actual vets of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, giving a pitch in their home state. They will run in conjunction with a bus tour making its way Arkansas, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, South Dakota, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maine.

Here's the script:

ANNOUNCER: There's a new generation of American patriots - young veterans who've fought for our country overseas. Now, they're on a new mission? right here at home. (Home State) veteran (Name).

Local Veteran: Growing up in (Home State), nothing prepares you for the things you see over there.

OK, we realize you come to Dateline Earth for thoughtful analysis  of environmental news here and abroad. But, hey, it's Friday. It's the last week of August. So let's just settle for something funny, shall we?

Thanks to Twitter, we discovered something called elephantjournal.com. Before clicking on the link below, you should know that the about-to-be-mentioned Chip Giller is the brilliant guy behind grist.org, one of our favorite enviro-news sites. (Motto: "Gloom and doom with a sense of humor.")

Check it out: http://bit.ly/Lk00b

[caption id="attachment_1625" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="These Chinese apartment buildings use geothermal energy, the product of a previous U.S.-China partnership. Photo courtesy Jean Ku, via U.S. Department of Energy"][/caption]

The announcement this week that the United States and China are teaming up on an ambitious effort to improve energy efficiency in buildings brought to mind an appropriate cliche': Better late than never.

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Chinese Ministry of Urban-Rural Development also said they aim to establish a  U.S.-China Clean Energy Development Center, pursuing joint research on a broader suite of topics including clean vehicles and clean coal projects. Yep, the latter includes the carbon capture and storage projects that both countries hope to perfect in order to exploit their respective and massive coal deposits.

China recently surpassed the United States as the world's top emitter of greenhouse gasses.

From the U.S. side, both Energy Secretary Stephen Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke traveled to China in advance of the announcement. They downplayed expectations, saying they were mainly there to start building relationships between the two and their Chinese counterparts.