WonkLine: March 15, 2010

Posted by Wonk Room Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:22:00 GMT

From the Wonk Room.

As a powerful storm that killed eight people and knocked out power for hundreds of thousands continues to drench the Northeast, Tomas, a Category Four cyclone, is ripping through Fiji, and Tropical Storm 90Q, the “second known tropical cyclone to form in the cooler South Atlantic Ocean,” is circling off the Argentina coast.

The $379 billion cost of “developing Canada’s controversial tar sands between now and 2025 could be used to decarbonize the western economy,” according to a new report from the Co-operative and WWF.

Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) “secured a $750,000 earmark for a coal gasification technology company that has given him $14,250 this election cycle” and Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-OH) “won a $300,000 earmark for a syngas technology company that has contributed $3,000 to his re-election campaign.”