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Poll: Public Would Significantly Alter Administration Budget

A new poll finds that the American public would significantly alter the Bush administration’s recently proposed federal budget. Presented a breakdown of the major areas of the proposed discretionary budget and given the opportunity to redistribute it, respondents made major changes. The most dramatic changes were deep cuts in defense spending, a significant reallocation toward deficit reduction, and increases in spending on education, job training, reducing reliance on oil, and veterans. These changes were favored by both Republicans and Democrats, though the changes were generally greater for Democrats. Sixty-one percent of respondents redirected some funds to reducing the budget deficit, with the mean respondent reallocating $36 billion (Democrats $39.4 billion, Republicans $29.6 billion), though they were not told anything about the size of the deficit. Defense spending received the deepest cut, being cut on average 31%?equivalent to $133.8 billion?with 65% of respondents cutting. The second largest area to be cut was the supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan, which suffered an average cut of $29.6 billion or 35%, with two out of three respondents cutting. Also cut were transportation (cut $12.6 billion or 18%), federal administration of justice ($8.7 billion or 21%), and space research and science ($1.2 billion or 5%). […]

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China Passes Renewable Energy Law

China has passed its first ever renewable energy law, setting the stage for the country to transform renewable energy markets. The Renewable Energy Promotion Law, which takes effect next year, requires power grid operators to purchase resources from registered renewable energy producers. It also encourages oil distribution companies to sell biological liquid fuel, and offers financial incentives, such as a national fund to foster renewable energy development, and tax preferences for renewable energy projects. At the Bonn conference on renewable energy last June, China pledged to increase its installed renewable energy generating capacity to about 60 gigawatts by 2010, about 10 percent of total power capacity (from less than 1% today). China relies on coal for about 75 percent of its energy and coal-fired plants account for most of its pollution. China is now the world’s second biggest producer of carbon dioxide accounting for a seventh of the global total. Only the United States is worse, according to the International Energy Agency. Last year, the market for wind energy in China grew by 35% even without the new law. China has huge potential for solar, wave, tidal and biomass power and there is huge commercial interest in developing renewables there. […]

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China Passes Renewable Energy Law

China has passed a renewable energy law, setting the stage for the country to transform world renewable energy markets. The Renewable Energy Promotion Law, which takes effect next year, requires power grid operators to purchase resources from registered renewable energy producers. It also encourages oil distribution companies to sell biological liquid fuel, and offers financial incentives, such as a national fund to foster renewable energy development, and tax preferences for renewable energy projects. The government plans for renewable energy sources to contribute to 10 percent of the total by 2020. At the Bonn conference on renewable energy last June, China pledged to increase its installed renewable energy generating capacity to about 60 gigawatts by 2010, about 10 percent of total power capacity (from 3% today). China relies on coal for about 75 percent of its energy and coal-fired plants account for most of its pollution. China is now the world’s second biggest producer of carbon dioxide accounting for a seventh of the global total. Only the United States is worse, according to the International Energy Agency. Last year, the market for wind energy in China grew by 35% even without the new law. China has huge potential for solar, wave, […]

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Lawmakers, Environment Groups Praise Bush Choice for EPA Head

by John Fialka, March 7, 2005 President Bush’s choice of Stephen L. Johnson, who spent 24 years climbing the ladder at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to head the EPA was greeted with a rare burst of applause from environmental groups and Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. On Friday, in a break with tradition, President Bush named Mr. Johnson, an expert in regulating pesticides and toxic substances, to be the EPA’s new administrator. In a brief White House ceremony, the president noted that Mr. Johnson, 54 years old, was the first career employee and the first professional scientist to head the agency. The appointment marked the second time Mr. Bush has picked a career official to head a regulatory agency. Last month, he chose the Food and Drug Administration’s acting commissioner, Lester Crawford, to be the agency’s permanent head. Mr. Johnson’s first assignment will give him a taste of what some environmental groups call the worst job in Washington. President Bush asked him to work with Congress to pass the Clear Skies bill, which appears stuck in the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee. Clear Skies would impose sharp cuts in power-plant emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and […]

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