[courtesy of Blog for America]

President Bush has been trying to get his oil company buddies into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for years and he's still trying.  The trouble is: it ain't gonna solve the production problem and it ain't gonna fix the cost problem.  From Reuters:

The Bush administration says the United States would be less addicted to foreign oil and fuel prices would be lower if Congress had only opened up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

But that claim doesn't reflect the long lead time to develop the refuge's huge oil reserves, which would not be available for several more years and initial volumes would still be small if Congress in 2002 had approved the administration's plan to drill in ANWR, energy experts say.

Danny
Communications Director

by Linda Seltzer [courtesy of Blog for America]

While the main purpose of the upcoming Democratic Convention is to elect a nominee, there is also the task of writing the platform.  I believe that the DFA should concentrate effort into the climate change section of the Democratic Platform.  Perhaps we in the DFA can arrive at a formal committee of people to draft private text to be used in the platform.   A well-researched and well-written document has the best chance of getting accepted.  The question for everyone is: what would you like to see in a DFA position paper on climate change?  Perhaps there are some energy experts out there reading this.  I would like to see support for telecommuting and flexible hours as part of the platform.  These actions require no funding, no research money and no waiting for futuristic technology.  They can be implemented now and would alleviate the current situation of people idling in traffic lines at rush hour.  The only change needed is a change in outdated customs and modes of thinking.  

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

This is the aforementioned video by the DWP workers, warning of a impending crisis. The power and water systems are so degraded and undermanned that Los Angeles' reliable power and clean water are at risk. This video mixes in local news reports, interviews with workers and energy experts to warn of the tenuous situation.

Watch it and pass it around to your friends and family. Use the email to a friend button on the bottom, and/or click on menu to grab the direct link to the video within the player itself.