Obama’s National Caulking Program: 20+ years to break even? « Green Hell Blog

As Obama’s caulking program hopes to reduce average home heating bills by 32 percent — or about $320 per year in Indiana — it could take more than 20 years for the program to break even.

California retirees lose big but invest in cap-and-trade? « Green Hell Blog

CalPERS, California’s giant state retirement system, has invested $200 million with Vinod Khosla, a venture capitalist who focuses on so-called “cleantech.”

Since the financial success of “cleantech” seems to be heavily dependent on the dubious cap-and-trade bill now in the U.S. Senate, it seems that CalPERS is risking a lot of retiree money on a piece of legislation that may never pass and, if it does, may very well be an economic disaster — even for the rentseekers it is designed to enrich.

Record cold weather hits the Smokies

On top of the old Smokys, the nighttime low temperatures have been downright cold.

National Park Service spokesman Bob Miller said the thermometer atop Mount LeConte (leh-KONT') recorded 33 degrees Wednesday morning. The mountaintop had dropped to 35 degrees on Saturday.

The previous record low temperature on LeConte in July was 38 degrees, which occurred in both 1988 and 1993.

Climate Action Vs. Health Care Reform: Is it One or the Other? : TreeHugger

Indeed, things have gotten undeniably more tangled with both health care reform and a climate bill in the fray--and with Waxman-Markey passing by such a slim margin, and already experiencing a month long delay in the Senate, it's passage there is about as far from a sure thing as can be. And with an apparent inclination towards speaking up for health care, there's a strong possibility that Obama could let the climate bill could fall by the wayside this fall when the Senate picks it up again. Which could happen if he feels supporting it could endanger passing health care reform--the bill that's more likely to garner wider public support.