The Climate Minute - Presidential Plans, Carbon Taxes, and Climate Hawks Celebrate a new US Senator

What a week! From Presidential climate pronouncements (yay!) to Supreme Court rulings (yay/boo), to tragic deaths and a local sport's figure's horrible unravelling...  It's been quite a week. Today we spend most of the podcast talking about the President's speech on Tuesday.  You can find our initial take on it here (along with a video of the speech), but a little more time has given us a little more perspective. Overall, it's "good stuff."  It is visionary, but in many ways still an outline, a picture in coloring book. We must fill it in. So...  will the speech help shift the "Overton Window" and put climate change back in the mainstream dialog -- Dave Roberts thinks so. And again, here's Dave Roberts on the Administration's coal proposals. In addition to the President's intention to cut off the financing of most overseas coal plants, the World Bank announced this week they will be halting support of most coal power projects. One of the more intriguing, and debated, sections of the speech was his treatment of Keystone XL. Allowing the Keystone pipeline to be built requires a finding that doing so would be in our nation’s interest. And our national interest will be served only if this project does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution. (Applause.) The net effects of the pipeline’s impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project is allowed to go forward. Bloomberg joined many in suggesting that these comments are a form of ink blot test -- you see what you want to see.  Either they provide a path for Keystone approval, or an absolutely insurpassable obstacle... In other news, original Climate Hawk Ed Markey was elected to the US Senate from Massachusetts. And while we're talking home state news, Massachusetts could become the first state in the nation to impose a statewide carbon tax, should the folks at The Committee for a Green Economy, who are pushing for a carbon tax ballot question. The Committee is led by Gary Rucinski, who we interviewed for a Climate Hawk's Companion piece last year. Stuff to do: For more about the 350Massachusetts "People's Action Assembly on the Climate Crisis" on Sunday, June 30th in Worcester, check out their page here. For more about the Boston Mayoral Candidate's Environmental Forum on July 9th at Suffolk Law School check out our calendar note here. Also on July 9th the Committee for Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy will be hearing H. 2741, "An Act further promoting energy efficiency and green jobs," which will create an oil heat efficiency program in Massachusetts.  Learn more about the bill here, or listen to our Climate Hawk Companion edition about it here. Remember, for climate activities near you check out our MCAN climate action calendar.  You can enter events as well as browse for interesting things to do. As always, it's been a pleasure sharing climate news and views with you.  You know, you can subscribe to our iTunes feed and get our podcasts automatically here.  Feel free to give us your thoughts on our Facebook page, or through old-fashioned email.  You can even follow us on twitter @MassClimate , so there are lots of ways for you to listen and participate in the dialog. When you are on the website, please contribute to MCAN. Every dollar you give will be doubled by a generous backer.  We're at the halfway point in our fiscal year and need help to be able to enter the second half of the year on a strong footing! So we will close the way we always close, by saying that because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions,  because we accept responsibility for building a durable future and because we believe it is a patriotic duty as citizens, we insist that the US put a price on carbon. Good bye and see you next week…