The oil giant's Arctic drilling plan may have hit a speed bump here in Seattle, but not so in the other Washington. Just yesterday, reports Seattle Pi, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved the company's plans. Shell still needs a few more federal greenlights and permits, but safe to say enviros were apoplectic about the recent decision. (Of course with the price of oil on the downswing, Shell may never act on its Arctic aspirations.)
But here's some good climate news: Vox's David Roberts writes about the climate change conversion of Jerry Taylor, president of libertarian think tank The Niskanen Center. A one-time denier, Taylor is now a vocal supporter of climate change legislation and a carbon tax, and he says there's lots more conservatives who feel the same way. What keeps them in the closet, says Taylor, is fear — of losing jobs, losing face. "Until they see some real reason [to go public], they're going to hold their fire." Is the Earth's destruction a real reason?
