Last week I posted an alert for the appropriations subcommittee markup session in which the profoundly dangerous Emerson amendment was defeated by 29-30 votes. It’s already a shocker that 29 representatives would raise their hands for something so mediaeval, exactly analogous to a vote to require the Federal Reserve to regulate interest rates without considering how economic models predict their effect on unemployment (or, I guess, to require NASA to conduct its business assuming the planets and stars all go around the earth).
This is coming back on the floor next week, and needs continued pressure to prevent the corn industry from cutting the legs off the US delegation in Copenhagen, not to mention requiring increased use of transportation fuels that actually cause more global warming than gasoline. It would not be a bad idea to call your Congressperson’s office on this: demand that EPA be allowed to use the best science for EISA and the renewable fuel standard and count indirect land use emissions as well as it can estimate them.
The Union of Concerned Scientists is collecting scientists’ and economists’ signatures on a letter. If you have a PhD, go here and sign. Otherwise, go here to send the request to your friends who qualify. The Iranians are getting their heads broken to save their country, we can spend a little time lobbying (and tolerate some duplicate spam emails) to save the planet.
