Henry Waxman.

House Democrats unceremoniously dethroned John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, installing Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) in his stead -- a move that will have resounding implications for climate and energy policy going forward and demonstrates growing strength among the party's more liberal wing, especially when it comes to climate policy.

Dingell, just three months shy of becoming the longest-serving chairman in House history, has long been seen as an ally of industry, especially the automotive sector in his home state. The "Dean" of the House played a key role in the passage of the Clean Air and the Endangered Species acts, but over the years he has approached energy issues in an industry-friendly manner. He's long-resisted fuel economy increases and other measures to make the automotive industry less environmentally unsound, and supported nuclear power.

Last month he issued a draft climate bill that, though tougher than enviros were expecting from his committee, appeared likely to be more lenient in practice than other proposals floating around the Hill. Even before his new bill was released, he was accusing the "environmentalists and others -- including the do-gooders" of caring too little about industry when it comes to promoting plans to curb emissions. And he wasn't particularly happy when Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a separate committee on climate change and energy independence, since she didn't think Dingell was the best candidate to take up that charge.

He's also taken a fair number of pot-shots at Waxman for taking a tougher environmental view, recently arguing in a radio interview that Waxman is an "anti-manufacturing left-wing Democrat" who has a "serious lack of understanding of people in the auto industry and manufacturing generally."

NOAA's National Climatic Data Center reports:

Based on preliminary data, the globally averaged combined land and sea surface temperature was the second warmest on record for October and ninth warmest on record for the January-October year-to-date period.

Given that this report is just out, I'm assuming they have sorted out the data entry issues that briefly caused problems for NASA (see here and here). Also worth noting from the NCDC report:

• According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the October 2008 Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent, which is measured from passive microwave instruments on board NOAA satellites, was the third least October sea ice extent on record, behind 2007 and 2006. Average ice extent during October 2008 was 8.4 million square kilometers, which is 9.5 percent below the 1979-2000 average. Sea ice extent for October has decreased at a rate of 5.4 percent per decade, since satellite records began in 1979.


• El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions remained in a neutral phase during October.

Here's the call I got this morning, loosely paraphrased, initially from a live person and then with a recording from Newt.

Newt (paraphrased): "I'm calling business leaders like yourself who understand the way that taxes cripple our economy, to ask for your support in the development a flat tax structure to lower the cost on businesses, create jobs and grow the economy."

Live person: "So can I count on your support?"

Me: "That strikes me as a very simplistic proposal to address a complicated economic problem."

Live person: "So do you prefer the current tax model?"

Me: "I don't see that as a bimodal choice."

Live person: "You know that Newt Gingrich has led a bipartisan movement to get things changed in Washington. In fact, his drill here, drill now campaign focused on getting energy costs down and reached across party lines."

Me: "I'm in the energy industry, and that campaign was written to appeal to people who don't understand our energy system. I fail to see how that would have had any positive impact on our energy system, although I do see how it could gain the votes of the uninformed. The flat tax proposal smells similar."

Live person: "I understand. Would you like to receive an autographed copy of Newt's book?"

Me: "No."

The Republican party's got a long way to go, eh?

Ed Markey.

In the wake of news that Henry Waxman will take over the House Energy and Commerce Committee, there's been some speculation that Speaker Nancy Pelosi would scrap the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which she created this past session to throw a spotlight on climate change. (The committee is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.)

However, it looks like Pelosi may keep the committee around. At least that's what the newly elected Waxman says:

With the outspoken Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., appointed as its chair, the panel was originally established to counter the more moderate Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell, D-Mich. "(The panel is) set to expire, but the speaker will probably renew it. That's what I've heard," Waxman told reporters after the House Democratic Caucus elected him to replace Dingell in a hard-fought battle to head the Energy and Commerce Committee. "We'll benefit from their work," he added.

Earlier this month, Pelosi sang the praises of the committee to the San Francisco Chronicle:

Today, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced that she will introduce two pieces of green legislation in January.

Barbara Boxer.

The first is a proposal to create a grant program that would hand out $15 billion a year to support clean energy innovation. This is in line with Barack Obama's campaign promise to spend $150 billion over 10 years on clean energy, and with the widely perceived need for economic stimulus during the economic downturn.

The second bill would direct the U.S. EPA to develop a carbon cap-and-trade system by amending the Clean Air Act. Boxer offered few details about the program beyond saying that it would be "streamlined" and simple -- perhaps an implicit reference to the bloated, complex Lieberman-Warner bill that died in the Senate last year.

Boxer's announcement is only the latest signal that the federal government will try to act aggressively on climate change early in Obama's first term. On Tuesday, Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told a group of businessmen that the administration would "throw deep and long," acting aggressively on, among other things, funding green infrastructure.

Also on Tuesday, Obama reiterated his commitment to bold action in a taped statement to the Governors' Global Climate Summit. Earlier today, the House Democratic caucus voted to remove John Dingell from his chairmanship of the House Energy Committee and replace him with Henry Waxman, who's widely seen as more supportive of ambitious climate action.

Now, with Boxer unveiling her plans, the Democratic energy strategy has become crystal clear: act quickly and boldly.

We'll bring you more details about Boxer's proposed legislation as they emerge. More details on the EPW Committee site.

This is a guest post from Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and author of a dozen books, most recently The Bill McKibben Reader. McKibben serves on Grist's board of directors and is cofounder of 350.org.

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It was snowing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning as hundreds gathered to ask for action -- the kind of omen that those of us who obsess about global warming look for. Maybe the incoming Obama administration really is ushering in a new climate to our nation's capital!

The president-elect certainly sent a strong signal to that effect, capping the day with the strongest words we've heard yet from an American leader on the topic.

Speaking via (low-carbon) video to a California gathering, Obama said that the continued existence of George W. Bush as president would prevent him from making the trip to Poland next month for the next round of international talks. But he'd clearly heard the call for his presence -- including the more than 50,000 invitations from every corner of the world that came through the 350.org website.

"While I won't be president at the time of your meeting and while the United States has only one president at a time, I've asked members of Congress who are attending the conference as observers to report back to me on what they learn there," he said. Better yet, he added this: "And once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change."

The activists gathered outside the Capitol in the morning flurries heard from Maryland Rep. Chris van Hollen, a rising star in the party (he chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that added 20 seats to the party's roster) issue a strong call for early action after eight wasted years of the Bush administration.

He was flanked by an enormous and intricate 350 quilt, hauled from California by its maker, Ulla Nilsen. Mike Tidwell, who heads Chesapeake Climate Action Network, also addressed the gathering, as did Gillian Caldwell from 1sky, and representatives from Greenpeace, local faith groups, and the International Forum on Globalization.

The focus was fascinating -- more and more U.S. activists are clearly as concerned with global re-engagement as with domestic emissions cuts. Which makes sense, since they are the one-two punch of effective action, each useless without the other. As Obama said in the coda to his talk, once he takes office "any nation that's willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America."

All in all, there have been few days in the dismal 20-year history of global warming when Americans could feel more entitled to hope.

A few observations as to what we can expect from the incoming administration: What they ultimately get done may be a function of what they do first.

First off, our economic downturn is going to be long and deep. The headlines about over-leveraged companies going bust or paying down massive amounts of debt essentially mean that there is a lot of money that will not be invested in the U.S. next year. And by "a lot," think trillions of dollars. This may be conservative, but in all cases the investment loss is in excess of the $700 billion bailout being provided by the feds.

I have no ability to say how long nor how deep, but money not invested into the economy = factories not built = capital equipment purchases not made = people not hired to service, deliver, and build stuff (green or otherwise). Some recessions driven by temporary external factors, like 9/11, or single-sector bubbles, like the dot-com collapse, are shallow. Recessions driven by a seize up in the financial markets have a habit of being pretty deep.

Why does this matter to the environmental agenda?

2009 Green Car of the Year: Volkswagen Jetta TDI

At the L.A. Auto Show Thursday morning, the Green Car Journal jury voted the Volkswagen Jetta TDI the 2009 Green Car of the Year. The TDI "clean diesel" runs on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and uses a "common rail direct injection system" that decreases 95 percent of sooty diesel emissions.

The turbocharged diesel sedan bested a field that included two hybrids and the trendy Smart ForTwo. Though it garnered respectable fuel-efficiency ratings from the EPA, 31 mpg city/40 mpg highway, the TDI won the award because it achieved "the kind of fuel efficiency offered by gasoline-electric hybrids but in a more affordable way," Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal, said in a press release.

The TDI's win was a bit of an upset for the Ford Fusion hybrid camp, who thought the win was in the bag. Yours truly was pulling for the über-cute, if über unlikely, Smart ForTwo -- crossing my fingers for the EV version in 2012.

CNN is reporting that Janet Napolitano is Obama's choice for secretary of homeland security.

That's great news for the imperiled wildlife and landscape of America's desert southwest. Napolitano's record shows that she's the ideal candidate to fulfill Obama's pledge to tear down (most of) the Bush administration's border wall now dividing Arizona from Mexico. She's long opposed the border wall as a counterproductive way to deliver border security. Here are her remarks on the topic from a 2007 address to the National Press Club [PDF]:

Remember US-CAP, the business association calling for carbon legislation in the U.S.? Except the call is rather vague, and several US-CAP members lobbied to weaken policy proposals? And the whole thing smelled vaguely of concern trolling?

Now a new business coalition has come on the scene: Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP), which thus far includes Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Starbucks, Sun Microsystems, and The Timberland Company. They are calling for tough climate legislation based on the following eight principles:

On Wednesday at the Governors' Global Climate Summit, we caught up with Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, a few minutes before she hosted the signing ceremony that culminated the event. As head of CARB since July 2007, Nichols has taken the lead in shaping and implementing California's ambitious global warming program, signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2006.

Nichols' name is regularly floated as a top contender for the slot of EPA chief in an Obama administration -- California senator and Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer has publicly endorsed her for the position, and she was also one of the top picks in the Grist poll. The New York Times profiled her as a top possibility for the slot. (Nichols was a senior EPA official under Clinton.)

Would she take the job if offered? "I think anybody in my position would be honored to be considered for that job," said Nichols, "but I've heard nothing about the process."

What about the rumors that her boss is being considered for the position of "climate czar" in Obama's administration? "I think he'd be great at it!" she exclaimed. "He's one of those people who has a phenomenal ability to master technical issues and bring all of his energy and experience ... to whatever he does. But he's made a commitment to serve out his term as governor of the state of California, so I don't think he's going to be taking up any new jobs for a couple years."

Late last year, I began to get the sense that green building fatigue was setting in. On my end, I sighed when a press release announcing a new LEED building landed in my inbox; that fact, alone, no longer seemed like news. But all over the country, the housing bubble was beginning to burst. I wondered: Would green building survive?

With GreenBuild Expo, the largest gathering of green building professionals in the world, occurring this week, the question seems all the more relevant, especially since the bull market has gone bear. After all, green building is widely believed to be more expensive than traditional housing; if McDonald's is seeing record profits due to inexpensive food, will green housing be the equivalent of a biodynamic, $8 a pound plum?

At least one report suggests that's the case.

Breaking news out of Washington: Rep. John Dingell, the Michigan congressman who has used his position as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee to protect Detroit's automakers from serious environmental mandates, has lost his bid to continue leading the panel.

House Democrats today chose to install Henry Waxman of California at the committee's helm. Politico puts it into context: "The ascension of Waxman, a wily environmentalist, recasts a committee that Dingell has chaired since 1981 with an eye toward protecting the domestic auto industry in his native Michigan. The Energy and Commerce Committee has principal jurisdiction over many of President-elect Barack Obama's top legislative priorities, including energy, the environment and health care."

More from the New York Times: "Mr. Waxman, who has been the chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, was backed by many environmentalists for his stands on clean air and global warming, and he has a long record of leadership on health care issues. ... Mr. Waxman is generally regarded as more liberal than Mr. Dingell, and has sponsored tougher global warming legislation. Mr. Dingell's backers argued, unsuccessfully, that he was more likely to knit together a broad coalition of labor, industry and environmentalists in fashioning a climate change bill."

The Detroit News said, "The ouster of Dingell, the longest serving member in the House, was seen as a victory for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. While she publicly remained neutral in the Dingell-Waxman battle, many lawmakers and congressional watchers argued she privately wanted Waxman, a fellow liberal from California to win." The Free Press noted, "U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, a Menominee Democrat and one of Dingell's closest lieutenants on the committee, was asked what message the vote by the Democratic caucus to replace Dingell sent to the automotive industry. 'Not a good one,' he said, adding the Dingell 'took it better than most of us.'"

Stay tuned for more analysis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) two-day climate gathering ended Wednesday with the adoption of a pledge by 26 governors and regional leaders from six countries to work together to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The two-page statement commits the signers to achieving "quantifiable greenhouse gas emission reductions collectively." In a clear nod to attendees from the developing world, the document notes that there are "differentiated responsibilities and capabilities" for rich and poor countries, and it calls for adaptation assistance for nations most significantly affected by the impacts of climate change -- many of which are in the developing world.

The agreement comes after two days of panels and meetings attended by 800 politicians and environmental officials representing 19 countries. Thirteen U.S. governors committed to the agreement, along with regional leaders from Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, and Mexico.

While the agreement is largely symbolic, sponsors say it is intended to set the stage for United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Poland next month, and in Copenhagen next year. The much more important goal of the summit, organizers said, was to demonstrate that regional leaders are ready to discuss cooperative efforts. Organizer and climate policy guru Terry Tamminen said yesterday that attendees may meet again in six months to gauge progress.

Schwarzenegger on Wednesday praised the progress made at the summit, saying it is evidence that leaders from different countries with varying interests can come to agreement on climate policy.

"It just shows you that if we sit down and understand their challenges, their struggles, where their economy is, I think we can make decisions to find that sweet spot in Copenhagen where we can come to a decision to make that next step," Schwarzenegger said. "But we have to listen."

Incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, speaking to a gathering of CEOs and other business leaders:

Mr. Emanuel promised that a major economic stimulus would be "the first order of business" for Mr. Obama when he takes office Jan. 20. The focus of spending will be on infrastructure, specifically "green infrastructure," which he said would include mass transit, upgraded electricity transmission lines, "smart" electrical meters that allow consumers to save money by using electricity at off-peak hours, and universal broadband Internet access, which he said would encourage telecommuting.

This was in the context of broader comments in which Emanuel promised the administration would "throw long and deep," with an ambitious domestic policy agenda that includes a major push for universal healthcare, a cap-and-trade system, and tax reform.

Combined with the choice of Tom Daschle to head HHS, this seems to settle the "big vs. incremental" question. They're going big.

Let's hope the choice to head EPA points in the same direction.

Here's the video:

The first rule of journalism: Do not talk about journalism.

No, that isn't it. The first rule of journalism is "If your mother says she loves you, check it out," which is to say never rely on any non-primary sources, especially other journalists. So this recent post, "Ahnold going to pump it up: Schwarzenegger mandates 33 percent renewables by 2030," isn't right because this story isn't.

Schwarzenegger's Executive Order is here, and it clearly states:

"The Federal Highway Administration has approved Utah's plan for a Mountain View freeway -- if the state can afford it."

-- "Freeway gets greenlight from the feds," Salt Lake Tribune

As the Bush administration tries to cement W's anti-environmental legacy by pushing through last-minute evildoing, ProPublica is keeping a close eye on the shenanigans.

Here is a big-picture article on 11th-hour regulations, including speculation as to what President Obama could do to reverse 'em.

Here is a list of 20 rules and regulations that the Bushies are trying to push through -- from opening the Grand Canyon to uranium exploration to easing restrictions on mountaintop-removal mining to mucking with the Endangered Species Act -- along with notes on whether there's still time to bitch them out send in a comment.

And for the ambitious with time to spare, here is it a do-it-yourself guide to tracking regulatory actions.

Grist readers are quite familiar with the coal fight in Kansas, where Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) earned props from enviros for repeatedly vetoing (and effectively shelving) plans for new coal-fired power plants.

But the unsung hero in that battle was Roderick Bremby, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, who in October 2007 initially refused to grant a permit to Sunflower Electric Power to build the new plants on the basis of carbon dioxide emissions. It was the first rejection in the U.S. of this type, and Bremby argued at the time that "it would be irresponsible to ignore emerging information about the contribution of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to climate change and the potential harm to our environment and health if we do nothing."

The Kansas coal battle was back in the news yesterday, as Sunflower is suing the state for denying their permit. Meanwhile, Bremby is out here in California for the governors' summit, which Sebelius is co-hosting. He told Grist today that he thinks the legislative battle over this particular plant is over (even as the legal fight ramps up), and he has pushed the state to focus on a long-term plan.

"We think that the state will move on, will begin to look towards a comprehensive energy policy, and I think we'll begin to focus on what's important for all Kansans rather than the construction of a 1400 megawatt, coal-fired facility," said Bremby.

Grist caught up with him for a few minutes to find out more about the matter in Kansas and the standard he set for the rest of the country.

A piece in ye olde New York Times today looks at a new line from Simon & Schuster called Little Green Books. Aimed at kiddos, the series promises to "get kids excited about going green!" Whether a book about the journey of a plastic bottle will titillate tots remains to be seen, but check out this quote from competitor Random House when asked whether it had plans to launch a similar line: "Ultimately, we believe that it makes the most sense for our authors, our consumers and our business to have green-centric titles as part of our core publishing business, rather than as an ancillary product line."

Pretty sure that's book-world speak for "Suck it, Simon."

What do you think: Give green its own splashy, high-profile imprint, or incorporate it into the core?