openspace4life

The Senate finally has its own version of the climate bill, called the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act of 2009 (CEJAPA--not as catchy an acronym as ACES, but oh well). It appears to be similar to ACES but with stronger greenhouse reduction targets and no provision to strip the EPA of its power to help regulate old, dirty coal plants. It's good that it's starting pretty strong, because there's little doubt it will get weaker in the withering heat of Republican hatred about to be turned its way (right after the final vote on the healthcare bill).
On the same day CEJAPA was announced (September 30), the EPA itself said it was ready to move beyond looking at auto emissions under the Clean Air Act and start targeting certain large coal plants with proposed regulations that might take effect as early as 2011.
According to a short quote in the latest issue of GOOD Magazine, none of this may matter much to the international climate debate, since any climate treaty would require not 60 but 66 votes to pass the Senate, which doesn't seem likely enough to care about. "All eyes will be on China anyway." (For the opposing viewpoint, we go to an article in the online version of GOOD, saying that the world hates us for saying we might not get a climate bill signed into law before Copenhagen.)
I just got a cat! Her name is Petra, she's only a year old but seems calm enough not to mind being alone most of the day, and without further ado, here are the obligatory photos:

Hopefully she'll help me stay positive as the final climate turning point approaches.