"Money raised from carbon taxes on energy bills should be used to lift millions of households out of fuel poverty and boost the economy, it has been suggested."
Because of the Citizens United decision, spending on the 2012 election by fossil-fuel and anti-environmental-regulation groups was enormous. The actual results of the election seem to suggest that these business lobbies made some disastrously bad investments. The common media narrative that big money makes big business omnipotent (or omniscient) may be due for fact-checking.
"Damage from Superstorm Sandy to the electricity system in the U.S. Northeast exposed deep flaws in the structure and regulation of power utilities that will require a complete redesign, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday."
"California Proposition 39 results: 60 percent of voters approve measure to close tax loophole and fund clean energy and energy efficiency projects in public buildings. For a tax measure, California Proposition 39 had surprisingly little organized opposition."
"Almost as soon as the networks had declared victory for President Obama last night, environmental activists announced plans for a White House protest over the fate of a controversial oil pipeline."
"When the United States International Trade Commission decided on Wednesday to uphold tariffs of about 24 to 36 percent on most solar panels imported from China, the case’s proponents claimed a major victory."
"President Obama’s reelection, along with key wins by Senate Democrats, ensures that the federal government will press ahead with efforts to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency and to curb greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change."
President Obama actually mentioned climate change in his victory speech last night.
In addition to defeats of California's GMO-Labelling and Michigan's clean energy measures, voters approved rebuilding a Seattle seawall and a Colorado city's fracking ban and defeated a measure to remove California's Hetch Hetchy dam.
Voters in most cases Tuesday elected candidates supported by environmentalists for their positions on climate change and clean energy. The list of "Climate Heroes 2012" was drawn up by a coalition called "Citizens Determined to Elect Clean Energy Champions." The coalition was led by people like Bill McKibben. Below are results for candidates listed as "Climate Heroes."
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