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Articles by Rob Cowin
Will Congress Let Clean Energy Momentum Stall Out During COVID?
Rob Cowin, director of gov't affairs, Climate & Energy | December 14, 2020, 2:49 pm EST Like most of you I’ve been disappointed in Congress’s inability to provide humane relief for Americans struggling to get through the worst pandemic in our history.
President Trump Badly Losing his War on Federal Funding for Clean Energy
Gage Skidmore/Flickr Rob Cowin, director of gov't affairs, Climate & Energy | December 20, 2019, 9:30 am EST President Trump is not a fan of clean energy. Some might even say that he’s declared “war” on clean energy by trying to prop up uneconomic coal, appointing pro-fossil FERC Commissioners, stalling permits for offshore wind, and his annual budget requests which gut federal clean energy investments.
Congress Must Lead with National Energy Standards to Save the Climate
Rob Cowin, director of gov't affairs, Climate & Energy | June 26, 2019, 10:00 am EDT It’s well past time for a national standard for low-carbon electricity. In order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change we must rapidly decarbonize our power sector while rapidly electrifying as much of the transportation, industry, and buildings sectors as possible. That means adding a lot more carbon-free electricity generation as quickly as possible, and renewables are by far our cheapest option.
Three Climate Priorities the New Congress Can Actually Deliver On
Rob Cowin, director of gov't affairs, Climate & Energy | January 17, 2019, 11:34 am EST It’s a new Congress and that means new opportunities to make some progress on addressing the climate crisis and growing our clean energy economy. The political environment is complex and there are significant challenges to progress, but we can’t afford to wait for a more favorable congress.
McNamee on FERC Harmful to Kansas and Iowa Wind Industries and Rate-Payers
There’s a little known independent federal agency whose decisions could have big impacts on states like Kansas and Iowa. It’s called the Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC makes decisions that affect electric power markets and approval (or rejection) of applications to build interstate electric transmission lines that are essential for the continued growth of the thriving wind industries in these states.
Forget the Trump Bailout-Here’s a Real Solution for Nuclear and the Climate
This post is a part of a series on The Nuclear Power Dilemma The Trump Administration’s proposal to bail out uneconomic coal and nuclear power plants is a bad idea predicated on a made-up problem. The real crisis we face is the climate crisis, as the recent IPCC report highlighted in stark terms last month. We must steeply reduce CO2 emissions over the next decade and beyond or we will lock in warming that will have disastrous consequences for people around the word.
Energy Storage Should Be an Urgent National Priority
Imagine if the US had these three things: access to unlimited electricity from clean sources everywhere in the country, an electricity grid impervious to outages and electricity prices that were even cheaper than they are today. These aspirations can become reality with advancements in energy storage.
Culture Shift: Redirecting Humanity’s Path to a Flourishing Future
By Jeremy LentWhat do all these ideas have in common—a tax on carbon, big investments in renewable energy, a livable minimum wage and freely accessible healthcare?
Calling Out Trudeau 'Betrayal,' Water Defenders Mobilize Against Kinder Morgan Pipeline
By Jake JohnsonIndigenous leaders, lawmakers, students and environmentalists took part in a massive day of action that stretched across Canada on Friday to protest the expansion of Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline, a project Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will "ensure" is completed.Calling out the prime minister by name, demonstrators hoisted signs and banners proclaiming, "Climate leaders don't build pipelines."In what was called a first in Canadian...
Earth Hour 2018: Globe Unites to Celebrate People’s Connection to Planet
Individuals, businesses and organizations in a record 188 countries and territories worldwide joined WWF's Earth Hour Saturday to spark unprecedented conversation and action on stopping the loss of nature, a day after 550 scientists warned of a "dangerous decline" in global biodiversity.Close to 18,000 landmarks switched off their lights in solidarity as people across the globe generated more than 3.5 billion impressions of #EarthHour, #connect2earth and related hashtags to show their concern...
How Did Climate and Clean Energy Programs Fare in the 2018 Federal Budget?
By Rob CowinLast week the Senate passed the fy18 omnibus spending package to keep the federal government running through September.
The Pentagon’s Scary Plan to Militarize Ocean Life
By Maia DanksThe U.S. military has plans to create genetically modified marine organisms that can be used as underwater spies for the military.
How Did Climate and Clean Energy Programs Fare in the 2018 Federal Budget?
Late last night the Senate passed the fy18 omnibus spending package to keep the federal government running through September. The bill is a complete repudiation of President Trump’s budget priorities, especially on climate change and clean energy.
Energy Storage Means Energy Security-but Trump’s Budget Gives It the Axe
On Thursday, Rick Perry—the Department of Energy Secretary—is scheduled to testify on the President’s fiscal year 2019 budget request in front of the Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. No doubt the secretary will give a charming, yet uncomfortable defense of the budget, just like last year; lots of winking and silent pointing back to the White House, with some convenient ignorance thrown in for good measure.
Donald Trump’s State of the Union: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
In his State of the Union address to Congress, President Trump exaggerated the benefits of the Republican tax cut bill to average Americans, overlooked the harm that will result from his push to weaken public health and worker safety protections, and disregarded the serious concerns expressed about key elements of his forthcoming infrastructure proposal.
UCS Experts’ View of Risk and Preparedness as the Impacts of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Mount
A GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma, center, and Hurricane Jose, right, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Navy (Flickr). A GOES satellite shows Hurricane Irma, center, and Hurricane Jose, right, in the Atlantic Ocean, and Hurricane Katia in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Navy (Flickr).
5 Things Congress Can Do to Help Communities Devastated by Hurricane Harvey
As a proud Houstonian, with family living in Houston, I was heart-broken to see my home town devastated by hurricane Harvey and the apocalyptic flooding that will surely bring with it other serious health and safety problems long after the water recedes.
Some Tough Questions for Rick Perry at DOE Budget Hearing
UPDATE (June 19, 3:00 PM): Secretary Perry appeared this morning on CNBC’s Squawkbox and questioned whether CO was the main factor driving climate change. He instead said that it’s most likely “the ocean waters and this environment that we live in” (whatever that means). The secretary went on to say, “This idea that science is just absolutely settled, and if you don’t believe it’s settled, then you’re … somehow or another a Neanderthal.
Congress vs. Trump: Are the President’s Anti-Science Budget Priorities Headed for Another Defeat?
Will Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) employ “the nuclear option” and get rid of the 60-vote requirement (the Senate filibuster), taking away the need for Democratic votes to pass a budget? Will Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) employ “the nuclear option” and get rid of the 60-vote requirement (the Senate filibuster), taking away the need for Democratic votes to pass a budget?
What’s the Skinny on President Trump’s Skinny Budget? All Bark, No Bite
It’s alarming to read headlines like: “EPA budget may be cut by 25% under Trump;” “DOE targeted for massive cuts in Trump draft budget;” “White House proposes steep cut to leading climate science agency;”and “Trump wants 37% cut to State, USAID.” But if you find yourself getting swept up in the hysteria, just remember that the president doesn’t rule by fiat; he’s president, not emperor.
What Will US Energy Leadership Look Like at Rick Perry’s Department of Energy?
There’s a clear trend in the president-elect’s cabinet appointments—many of them are opposed to the agencies they would lead. Some have demonstrated opposition to the particular agency and/or its mission in a professional capacity. Others have stated a desire to see the agency disappear altogether, suggesting the institution has no value.
3 Ways Trump’s Department of Energy Appointee Can Create Jobs
More than 2.5 million Americans are now employed in clean energy or energy efficiency jobs, and the vast majority of new energy jobs being created are coming from the clean energy sector. If the new administration wants to create jobs and grow the economy, it needs to take a closer look at some of the great work the current Department of Energy (DOE) is doing in the clean energy space. DOE programs are making a real contribution putting people to work.
Senate Energy Bill Better than Doing Nothing
Today the Senate is expected to pass the Energy Policy and Modernization Act. From a clean energy standpoint the bill still falls far short of what is needed to promote more clean energy deployment. But there’s a lot to like in this bill and passing it is definitely better than doing nothing. Almost as important as the substance is the bipartisan way the bill was developed—proving you can still make progress on energy policy, albeit modest, in a Republican-controlled Senate.
What You Get When You Vote With Your Dollar: The Case of Organic Wheat
If you buy organic food with the intention of catalyzing change in agriculture, it may be paying off. To address the wide gap between supply and demand, the nation’s largest flour producer Ardent Mills announced an initiative at the end of last year to double US organic wheat acreage by 2019 – a plan that could encourage a shift toward organic agriculture on hundreds of thousands of acres of American farmland.
Where is the Clean Energy in the House and Senate Energy Bills?
When it comes to passing legislation, I’ve learned through the years that it’s best to be pragmatic. But much depends on the leverage you have, or as Roger Fisher would say, BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). When it comes to issues of climate and energy we need to be aggressive, but our BATNA has been weak, despite the fact that poll after poll shows overwhelming public support for clean energy policy as well as more comprehensive climate action. So what’s hurting our leverage?
Sea Level Rise, National Security, and Hope for Bipartisan Action on Climate Change: Obama’s Commencement Speech
Today, the president wisely chose to elevate the issue of climate change in a national security context while giving the commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. The timing is opportune politically because the only bipartisan movement (or agreement) on climate in this congress has been around the issue of national security.
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