The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (bought and paid for by the coal industry) was stumping its "clean coal" message in Huntington, West Virginia last week. If you aren't already skeptical about the notion of so-called clean coal, then check out this less-than-hopeful message from clean coal spindoctor Cathy Coffey:

We believe that technology within the next 10 to 15 years will be developed and tested so that we will be able to produce near-zero emission-free electricity from coal." (My emphasis).

The message is carefully crafted and the "10 to 15 years will be developed and tested" message is subtle enough to be passed right over. The clean coal message might even leave you feeling a little hopeful.

The US Department of the Interior has just announced that is has listed the Polar Bear as a "Threatened Species" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Here's a copy of the news release, analysis to follow shortly on what this means for oil exploration in Alaska:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The DeSmogBlog team is proud to introduce our newest blogger!

Please welcome Explorer Todd Carmichael, who on November 9th, 2008 will attempt to become the first American Explorer ever to complete a solo and unaided trek from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole.

Todd is an amazing individual and one that cares deeply about the state of the planet, especially the issue of climate change. Over the coming months Todd will be writing on DeSmog and his special section we're calling "Expedition Earth, Mission 2008: the South Pole," about preparations for his expedition and also on climate change issues and solutions.

Any guess who the largest gas guzzler is in the world?

According to the World Resources Institute, here are the world's top consumers of motor gasoline per capita broken down by region. All units are in liters per person.

The Bush Whitehouse continues to stonewall around the critically important Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).

I recently received a long-overdue response to a freedom of information request about the mission. After waiting six months, thirteen documents were located – and all were withheld from release.

So why did the Whitehouse even have "predecisional draft documents that include...deliberative comments" about the DSCOVR mission? Does this indicate the Bush administration had a direct hand in killing this project?