Sarah Laskow

I wrote [the other day](http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?base_name=how_big_is_big_wind&month=06&year=2011) that, in terms of lobbying expenditures and political contributions, “Big Wind” is trailing far behind Big Oil. [Via Clean Technica](http://cleantechnica.com/2011/06/20/wind-power-subsidies-dont-compare-to-fossil-fuel-nuclear-subsidies/), this graphic from a 2010 report by the Environmental Law Institute illustrates how much smaller subsidies for “Big Wind” and other renewables have been than subsidies for fossil fuels. The […]

Every election season, before the contest begins choking news cycles, state governments try to pass laws and regulations that will help push one party or another to victory. Republicans and Democrats tweak election laws that detail who can vote, when, where and how easy it will be, all in the belief that these administrative structures […]

For [all the complaints](http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=06&year=2011&base_name=light_bulbs_and_lastditch_clim) about more efficient light bulbs, government leaders on a municipal level see them as a key way to decrease cities’ energy use and carbon emissions. Also top on their list: low-energy building technology and solar systems. That’s according to [a new report](http://usmayors.org/cleanenergy/) from The Conference of Mayors on clean energy solutions. […]

There’s a debate brewing on Capitol Hill about which bits of the energy industry the federal government should be supporting with tax breaks and tax incentives. The Senate’s proposal from a couple months back to eliminate tax breaks for the biggest oil and gas companies did not pass; another proposal in the Senate, to eliminate […]

The House Natural Resources Committee has been [trying for a little while](http://naturalresources.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=5921) to pin environmentalists with responsibility for the man-made drought in California. How can a drought be man-made? In this case, irrigation to the state’s Central Valley was scaled back after environmentalists argued successfully in court that diverting the water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin […]

*The Atlantic*’s Joshua Green [sees Weiner’s future in TV](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/06/weiner-steps-down/240555/?), “battling conservatives on cable shout shows, only this time as a host rather than guest.” He just might be right, because, really, what else is Weiner going to do? He’s spent his entire career working in politics; unlike Eliot Spitzer, who ended up in TV anyway, […]

It’s painful how close New York is to passing a same-sex marriage bill. The governor supports it; the state assembly supports it. Exactly half of 62 state senators support it. If one more senator would sign on, it would pass. But [after a four hour meeting](http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/new-york-senate-republicans-undecided-about-whether-to-allow-same-sex-marriage-vote/) discussing the bill this afternoon, Senate leaders would still […]

As a campaigner, [**Mitt Romney** is awkward](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-debate-romney-searches-new-hampshire-for-votes-and-laughs/2011/06/14/AGnTpmUH_story.html). It’s surprising that he’s as awkward as he is, because he made his career in business, where charisma is valued as an X factor that makes CEOs great. A quick search on Forbes reveals a wealth of tips to cultivate charisma, and it seems like someone as ambitious […]

House Republicans might hate climate change but apparently they support renewable energy projects, as long as they’re being built on public lands. The House Committee on Natural Resources, the same group of people that led the charge against the Obama administration’s wild lands policy, this afternoon [put forward a different vision](http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=246361) for what those lands […]

[Via Andrew Sullivan](http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/06/let-there-be-100-watt-incandescent-light/240320/), I’m reminded that a lot of conservative-minded people are annoyed about the impending switch away from incandescent bulbs. Their argument is that the government is taking away small freedoms and the power of the market by restricting bulb choice. At Bloomberg Views, [Virginia Postrel suggested](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-10/need-a-light-bulb-uncle-sam-gets-to-choose-virginia-postrel.html): > What matters, from a public policy […]