Maryland Public Service Commission highlighted the political resistance smart-metering advocates must overcome when it shot down proposals for compulsory smart metering submitted by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE).

As cap-and-trade loses momentum and becomes embroiled in bigger political disputes about the size and role of government, opponents are becoming emboldened to try to block the policy completely.

In sharp contrast to the proposed federal scheme, California is set to auction all or almost all allowances under its emissions trading programme. It’s the cap and refund approach — and it’s gaining support in Congress.

President Obama finally bowed to the inevitable and admitted cap and trade might need to be separated from a more popular green jobs bill in the Senate, a shift that would effectively end prospects for cap and trade in 2010.

The Democratic caucus is losing two veterans, a move that steps up the pressure for cap-and-trade legislation to be passed within the next six months, if it is to be passed at all.

How much are U.S. households prepared to pay to avert the threat of climate change? According to the latest polling data published by the Washington Post, the answer is not very much, probably not much more than $25 per month or $300 per year.

Before you sell the car and embrace a neo-Luddite lifestyle, take a look at the post-war experience of the U.S. and other industrialized economies that suggest higher living standards don’t have to be sacrificed in our attempts to use less energy.

California can teach the rest of the United States about energy efficiency, which will have to make the single most-important contribution if policymakers are serious about limiting greenhouse gas emissions and dampening demand for fossil fuels.

As hopes die for securing a a binding treaty in Copenhagen, climate brokers could still learn useful lessons on how to structure the negotiations.