Thursday, February 17, 2005

The Editorial Page
Sometimes it's difficult to come up with a good topic for the day's posting; other days I'm spoiled for choice. Yesterday's New York Times, which I received after I'd already chosen my topic for the day, included two terrific guest editorials that I want to bring to your attention, with little additional comment.

In the first op-ed, the author offers an impassioned defense of wind power, even in wilderness locations and in spite of local opposition. This is a subject I've covered before (see my posting of 7/20/04), but less eloquently and succinctly.

The second editorial deals with the "Clear Skies" environmental legislation pending in Congress. Gregg Easterbrook writes intelligently on energy and environmental issues, often for New Republic. He suggests that if anyone other than George W. Bush had proposed Clear Skies--a name he and many others dislike--it would be recognized as an improvement over the Byzantine process of enforcing the existing Clean Air Act. He also sees its proposed expansion of the current, regional cap-and-trade systems for limiting sulfur and nitrogen oxide pollutants as a welcome dress rehearsal for greenhouse gas trading, which is already in use in Europe.

I recommend both editorials highly and look forward to seeing what kind of reaction they provoke.

No comments: