Club Pigou: James Hansen and Carbon Tax Aficionados - Environmental Capital - WSJ

James Hansen, climate scientist and scourge of our carbon-intensive lifestyle, is the subject of a 5,000-word profile in the current issue of the New Yorker magazine.

In it, he rails against the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill as watery slop and is critical of environmental-organizations-turned-Washington-insiders. Here’s Mr. Hansen on environmental groups supporting the Waxman-Markey bill: “This is just stupidity…the fact that some of these organizations have become part of the Washington ‘go along, get along’ establishment is very unfortunate.”
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Mr. Hansen certainly proved ahead of his time with his modeling of global climate change. Is his also ahead of his time with his call for a carbon tax?

House Dems Release Revised Climate [Fraud] Bill as Floor Debate Eyed for Friday - NYTimes.com

House Democratic leaders late last night released a revamped, 1,201-page energy and global warming bill (pdf), clearing the way for floor debate Friday even though it remains uncertain if they will have the votes to pass it.
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Peterson's reluctance has added to the pressure on Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who wants to see the House adopt the climate bill before the start of the Fourth of July recess so that he can turn his full attention after the break to President Obama's health care reform plans.
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Even with the rural electric cooperatives' backing and other changes, it is still far from clear if Pelosi and Waxman have all the votes to pass the legislation. Several Democrats have raised red flags about voting for a bill on the floor that comes with near unanimous GOP opposition, as well as no promise of success in the Senate.
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It is also unclear just how much Obama will personally push for what many consider one of his signature domestic agenda items, especially with public attention so heavily focused on health care. Obama did bring the Energy and Commerce Committee's Democrats to the White House last month before it approved the bill. He also phoned at least one reluctant committee member during the markup -- Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas -- but did not sway his final vote.