They may seem like two disparate topics: climate change and an archaic Senate procedural rule. But they have more in common than you might think. Thanks to the Senate filibuster rule, essentially any piece of legislation needs 60 votes, a super-majority, if it hopes to pass.

Photo: Michael Graham Richard

The Little Car that Could
The Toyota Prius hybrid has been sold in the U.S.

Container ship photo: Daniel Ramirez; airliner photo: Bob MacInnes

Two things which I think are worth keeping front and center when discussing

Photo via DC Kaleidoscope

You probably haven't seen many Amoco gas stations on the side of the road for a while. That's because BP merged with the 'American Oil Co.' in the 90s, the British company's logo and namesake took over. As a result, all Amoco stations were converted to BP stations, leaving Amoco stations nowhere to be found.

I've taken to writing with some frequency about the mainstream media's failure to cover climate change. Among the many reasons I do so is, well, because of the mainstream media's persistent and rather abhorrent failure to cover climate change. Make sense? Thought so. And while I did dole out some blame to the media for helping to kill the climate bill, I feel that the subject warrants a post of its own.

Image Credit: Survival

It seems that even though "Avatar" is finally out of theaters, its environmental message and memorable imagery have taken root.

Photo via Celsias

A total of 10 petitions, including one from the US Chamber of Commerce, were sent to the EPA challenging its 2009 ruling that it can regulate greenhouse gases as a harmful pollutant under the Clean Air Act.

Image via a Green Living

You'd be forgiven for thinking that AB 32, California's climate change law, was truly controversial. Republican candidates running for office this year have taken to publicly bashing it, calling it a job killer and worse.

Nissan Leaf battery. Photo: Nissan

Matching the Chevy Volt
As predicted here, Nissan has decided to match GM and offer a 8-year/100k miles warranty on the battery pack of its LEAF electric car.

Jamie Hinton, Chief of the Magnolia Springs Volunteer Fire Dept, considers the barges. Image courtesy of Philippe Cousteau.

With the well capped and BP's promise of a "static kill" in the coming days, a sense of optimism, while tempered, seems to be rising in some of the communities of the Gulf.