House Spkr Pelosi departs on Global Warming Mission

Jumping Nan Flash, she's a gas, gas, gas!

It's official - Madam Speaker is now winging her way halfway around the world vowing to work with the administration, not provoke it on Global Warming. Now there's some hot air for you.

Pelosi, a California Democrat, and seven other House members left Saturday for meetings with scientists and politicians in Greenland, Germany and Belgium on ways to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The band of merry cranksters joining Madam Speaker on this issue of utmost importance is:
Democratic Reps. Edmund Markey, Earl Blumenauer, Emanuel Cleaver, and Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, and Hilda Solis; and Republicans David Hobson and John Larson.

A stop on their itinerary: Swiss Camp.
Konrad Steffen is so excited about Saturday's planned Greenland visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a delegation of as many as 16 congressional colleagues, he's going to take a shower. Or at least use the bucket that serves as a shower at Swiss Camp in Greenland.

Two helicopters will bring as many as eight legislators each, the first arriving at 8:30 p.m. Saturday carrying Pelosi, Markey and others, and the second 90 minutes later. For some period, all 16 will overlap at Swiss Camp, which normally tops out at 14 residents.

By 10:30 p.m., the lawmakers will be gone again. The delegation will spend the night in Ilulissat, have Sunday lunch with the president of the home-rule government of Greenland, tour the fjords, and fly back to Washington, D.C., Steffen said.

Steffen said he plans to discuss sea-level rise with Pelosi, Markey and their colleagues. His continuous measurements since 1990 have shown the Greenland ice sheet to be responding faster to global warming than estimated.

(Hey Konrad, you ever think your estimates might be wrong there, bud?)

A little background info for you to read, as you ponder Global Warming advocate Madam Speaker firing up the choppers, the limos, the press busses and the security vehicles to go tour the fjords.... all offset of course.

Pelosi set up a new House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming and appointed Rep. Edward Markey as its chairman. The committee cannot write legislation, but was created to study and offer recommendations on how to deal with global warming.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee recently approved a bill to obligate the administration to send senior diplomats to international meetings on climate change "with instructions to secure binding commitments for reform," according to a committee statement.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is pushing a nonbinding resolution that would press the administration to work on several diplomatic fronts to combat global warming.

The new head of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Barbara Boxer, is a strong advocate of battling climate change. She replaced Republican Sen. James Inhofe, who has called global warming a hoax.

Just about as big a hoax as the carbon offsets Madam Speaker purchased out of her own pocket:

Because of the significance of this trip, the air travel will be carbon offset through the Pacific Forest Trust - a forest conservation and stewardship project that will permanently reduce approximately 500,000 tons of CO2 emissions over a 100-year period. The Speaker will personally pay for this effort.

Big whoop. Who is Pacific Forest Trust? Good question. Looks like one big eco-circle jerk to me. Whoever they are, they are right there telling Madam Speaker what to do!

PFT President Laurie Wayburn was invited to participate in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Climate Change and Energy Independence Roundtable panel discussion in San Francisco February 21. The panel was comprised of a select group of distinguished Bay Area political, business, scientific and environmental leaders including, among others, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, PG&E CEO Peter King, SF Public Utilities Commission General Manager Susan Leal, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and representatives from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Wayburn informed the Speaker that forests are both part of the climate change problem and part of the solution. She explained that forest loss accounts for roughly 25% of worldwide CO2 emissions today and has contributed as much as 40% in the past. To help mitigate global warming, Wayburn told Pelosi the U.S. could reduce net CO2 emissions by up to 25 billion tons in the next 50 years by decreasing forest loss, restoring converted forests and increasing carbon stocks in existing forests. She urged Pelosi and Congress to include forest conservation and sustainable forest management in any future federal climate change legislation.

And they seem mighty chummy with the Speaker.
A redwood grove was planted in San Francisco's Presidio in recognition of the life's work of Dr. Edgar Wayburn and his late wife Peggy, Representative Nancy Pelosi spoke at the dedication and is seen here giving Edgar a hug. Ed is wearing a Joe Fedora that Stefan and Sally presented him at his hundredth birthday. Looking on is Ed's daughter and Stefan's friend Laurie Wayburn. Laurie is president and co-founder of the Pacific Forest Trust.
10-11-06

Imagine this - I just read in the Pacific Trust Annual report that they have moved their offices to the Presidio (one of the most beautiful spots in SF) all to "enhance accessibility" for their "partners and supporters". No doubt on the gov't dime, too. You had to know that there was a government grant in the woodpile and their biggest line item on their financials is their foundation$. Read a very lame-o annual report here. And join me in wondering why the accounting notes weren't provided.

Confused about this latest Y2K-like fiddle faddle? For the best breakdown I've ever read on the Carbon Offset game, read this.

You wonder why everyone is so quick to pony up for the carbon offsets on their way to the Gulfstream? Tax benefits vary - 40% in England - where Al Gore has conveniently set up his little deal. And 20% here in the States -BUT! Dinah says check with your financial consultant before undertaking any type of flim-flam investment for the proper accounting treatment.