- Social:
National Resources Defense Council
Co-Director of the Energy and Transportation Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council
PROFILE
Ralph Cavanagh
Guest
FROM Ralph Cavanagh
Which Way, L.A.?
Oil and Gas Boom Reshapes US Energy Landscape Turns out it was old news to energy experts, but this week's report from the International Energy Agency has a lot of others revising their thinking about the domestic production of oil and what it will mean for jobs and the economy. Until now, it's been conventional wisdom that Saudi Arabia would be the world's leading producer of oil until 2035. Now, the Agency says the US will surpass that country in just five years . America's boom in oil and natural gas is being compared to the tech boom of the 1990's, with the unexpected capacity to create new jobs and accelerate economic recovery. But it's already bad news for the environment and lifestyles in many places — and it could drastically set back efforts to cope with global warming.
To the Point
America's Oil Boom: the Economy and the Environment When the President and Mitt Romney talked about "energy independence" during the recent campaign, it had the sound of an unattainable promise. Now the International Energy Agency says the US will surpass Saudi Arabia's oil production in just five years and be "all but energy self-sufficient" soon after. That means new jobs and economic growth, but renewable fuels and increased efficiency will also have to be part of the picture. If they're not, there could be drastic consequences for the environment and climate change.
Which Way, L.A.?
Proposition 7 Sounds Good, So Why Don’t Most Environmentalists Like it? Proposition 7 is called The Solar and Clean Energy Act of 2008. We're already seeing a blitz of TV commercials on a measure that has divided environmentalists in California. Current law requires private utilities to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2010. Prop 7 would speed that up by mandating 50% by 2025. Opponents agree on the goal: phase out coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power sooner; replace them with energy from the wind, the sun, biomass and the tide.
Recommended
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
Left, Right & Center
The week that wouldn't quit Will next week get even weirder? (Special one-hour episode)
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.