The new omnibus spending agreement has at least three provisions that are bad for the climate
The National Journal (among others) is reporting that
The $1 trillion federal spending bill that lawmakers unveiled Monday night would soften an Obama administration climate-change policy that greatly restricts U.S. support for coal-plant construction in developing nations…
The bill also targets a policy to phase out inefficient light bulbs in the U.S. that was contained in a bipartisan 2007 energy law but has since fallen out of favor with conservatives.
More details are at Wonkblog and Environment and Energy Daily (which also reports that language preventing the Obama Administration from changing the rules on mountaintop mining was inserted into the bill–that’s another blow against efforts to internalize the massive external costs associated with coal mining, extraction, and use).
The lighting standards have been a political football for awhile, and the National Journal correctly notes that manufacturers are phasing in the new bulbs rapidly regardless (they strongly support the standards, as do efficiency and consumer groups).
As is clear to anyone who’s paying attention, we’re running out of time to act on the climate issue. Stopping coal exports and the construction of new coal plants, both at home and abroad, should be at the top of our list.
The Administration’s efforts to stop international support for coal plants is one of the few bright spots in the efforts made on climate in the past few years, and it’s disappointing that the people negotiating the spending bill sacrificed that, the possibility of stricter mining regulations, and the lighting standards. These latest developments indicate that the political class (even the folks who supposedly care about the climate issue) really don’t understand the urgency of the problem.
Update: Climate Progress has posted a comprehensive summary of the provisions in the omnibus bill affecting energy and environment.
