Kulongoski touts cap-and-trade, highway programs

SALEM - Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski in his state-of-the-state address that opened the 2009 Legislature Monday, Jan. 12, called for lawmakers to establish a state cap-and-trade program ahead of federal legislation.

"The state is taking the lead in cutting greenhouse gases - everything from buying electric vehicles to investing in wave energy. But meaningful reductions will require changes in the way we produce and use energy," Kulongoski said.

The Oregon Farm Bureau earlier came out against the cap-and-trade policy, saying the cap provisions threaten agriculture more than the trade provisions offer benefits.

Camille Paglia on global warming

...I have been highly skeptical about the claims for global warming because of their overreliance on speculative computer modeling and because of the woeful patchiness of records for world temperatures before the 20th century.

...We should all be concerned about environmental despoliation and pollution, but the global warming crusade has become a hallucinatory cult. Until I see stronger evidence, I will continue to believe that climate change is primarily driven by solar phenomena and that it is normal for the earth to pass through major cooling and warming phases.