BEHIND THE
NEWS
NORWEGIAN POLITICS (BTNN) - BACK ISSUES
2009 |
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N337 |
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Biowars III |
- Possibly 3.5% Blending Mandate in 2010
- 5% in 2011 if Certification Is in Place
- Much Confusion about Certification Systems
- Disagreement about Update Climate Deal on Biofuel
- Non-Socialists Claim Deal Was Broken
- Unlikely since Norway Can't Implement Certification Alone
- False Beliefs that Certification Will Protect Food
- Conservatives Feel Less Committed to Entire Deal
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N336 |
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Biowars II |
- Original Proposal from Finance Minister Halvorsen
- Entire Opposition Praised Biofuels as Environment Friendly
- Ignored International Reports about Land Use Problems
- Used Assessments from Norwegian Greens Instead
- Mistaken Belief that Standards Can Protect Food
- Encouragement of 2nd Generation also Likely a Fallacy
- Open Red-Green Conflict in Parliament
- Opposition May Speculate in Government Break-Up
- Possibly Double-Edged Sword
- Shows PM Opposition Unwilling to Support Cost Efficiency
- Democratic Scandal that Parliament Majority Was Overruled?
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N335 |
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Biowars I |
- Road Tax Exemption for Biodiesel Removed
- Seen as Set-Back for Norwegian Biofuel Industry
- Political Storm from Opposition, Media, Industry, Greens
- Smaller Government Partners Overruled by Labour
- Heavy Labour Losses on Opinion Surveys
- Which Consequences for LoVe E&P?
- Decision Right, but Late and Poorly Argued
- Both Factions Trail Research on Biofuels
- Opposition Ignores Cost Efficiency
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N334 |
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Still Hurdles for Green Certificates |
- New Understanding with Sweden on Green Certificates
- Guideline for further Negotiations Only
- Some Progress Since Last Year's Understanding
- Many Issues Left for Further Negotiations
- Technology Neutrality Assumed to Open for Hydro Power
- PM Says Financial Burden to be Shared 50:50
- Means Norwegian Consumers Pay Double
- Greens Promise to Fight Hydro Power
- Want to Use Regulatory Policy
- Restrictive Policy Probably Incompatible with Agreement
- Red-Green Cover-Up of Disagreement
- Problem Left to Soria Moria II
- New Political Hurdle along Green/Growth Axis
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N333 |
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Red-Green Victory, Opposite Swing |
- Red-Green Parliament Majority
- Non-Socialist Majority in Votes
- Conservatives, Labour Winners
- Four Greens Down from 28% to 21.7%
- Deeper Green Decline in Northern Norway
- Two Greenest Lose most
- Liberals Below 4%
- Liberal Leader Sponheim Resigns
- No Mandate to Keep E&P Acreage Closed
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N332 |
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Withering Democracy |
- Liberals, Progress Party Guarantee Non-Cooperation
- Liberals Won't Make Budget Deals with "Yes to LoVe" Parties
- Both Disenfranchise their Own Voters
- Conservative/Centrist Front on Culture Policies
- Greens Actively Promoting Minority Power
- Creativity Impaired by Deals on Climate, Pensions, Tax
- Parties' Egotism Undermining Democracy
- Labour May Be Given Power Monopoly
- Pitfalls of Parliamentarianism
- Can Parliamentarianism Be Re-Invented?
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N331 |
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Government Outlook |
- What Government after the Election?
- Many Options under Non-Socialist Majority
- Non-Socialist Split Leaves Initiative to Stoltenberg
- If Stoltenberg Wants, Clean Labour Government Likely
- Non-Socialists Can always Sack Red-Greens, if they Want
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N330 |
Friday, 31 July 2009
A Domestic Forest Quota Market? |
- Allow Oil Industry to Offset against Carbon Tax
- Better than Existing Proposal about "Climate Fund"
- Should Satisfy all Parties
- Removal possible when Forest Quotas Are Generally Accepted
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N329 |
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Progress on Forest Quotas |
- Centre Party Wants Forests in Cap-and-Trade
- Conservatives Want to Investigate
- Labour, Christians: Forest Management for Climate
- Liberals, Socialist Left Party: Mostly for Bio Energy
- Forests Should Be in Cap-and-Trade to Improve Cost Efficiency
- Petroleum Industry already Pays for Forests, but to Others
- Conservatives (1989) Connected Petroleum and Forests
- Why Are Greens so Hostile?
- Greenpeace's Fallacies
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N328 |
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Efficient Climate Innovation |
- Climate Friendly Innovation Necessary
- Main Rule is R&D Support at Par with all other Innovation
- Stronger Effort Justified Until Climate Costs are Fully Internalized
- Policies Should Still Be Cost Effective
- Regulations, Subsidies, only in Case of Market Failure
- Commission Establishes Strict Decision Gates
- Many Existing Programs Redundant and Damaging
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N327 |
Monday, 29 June 2009
Efficient Climate Policy II |
- Commission Warns Against "Doing More at Home"
- If Politically Necessary, Increase Uniform Price by Extra Tax Only
- Government Should Present Price Forecasts for Guidance
- In Principle No Subsidies for Renewables
- Narrow Exceptions for Documented Market Failure
- Strong Global R&D Effort Main Supplementary Strategy
- Commission Forgets about Carbon Sinks
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N326 |
Monday, 29 June 2009
Efficient Climate Policy I |
- MoF Commission on Environment and Decision-Making
- Recommends Cost Efficient Climate Mitigation
- Uniform Effective Carbon Price across all Sources
- EU's Cap-and-Trade Price should be Used by All
- Only Proven Market Failure Can Justify Selective Programs
- Domestic Targets Counter-Productive
- Verdict over Current Policies and Green Symbol Policy
- Recommendations Should Be Heeded by Politicians, Industry
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N325 |
Monday, 13 April 2009
Wind or Water |
- Why Do Greens Prefer Wind to Hydro Power?
- Hydro Normally Better for Environment
- Prestige Because of History of "Saving Rivers"?
- A Perception of Hydro Power as "Big Business"?
- Norway Protects more Hydro than Other Nordic Countries
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N324 |
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Protected to Death |
- Government Scraps Last Major Hydro-Electric Project
- Vefsna in Nordland, Northern Norway to Be Protected
- Political Promise from Soria Moria
- New Victory for Socialist Left Party
- Angry Reactions from Northern Norway
- "Region to Be Protected to Death"
- "Socialist Left Party Must Be Expelled"
- Connected to Oil & Gas, Forestry, Agriculture, Fisheries
- Progress Party, Conservatives Pledge to Reverse
- Voting against Labour best Way to Get Labour
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N323 |
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Towards Stoltenberg Solo |
- Centrists Continue to Put Pressure on Conservatives
- Christians Oppose Market Solutions, Tax Cuts
- Which Government in September?
- Third Axis Obstacle for Labour/Christian Alliance
- Who Will Survive in a Biaxial Political Environment?
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N322 |
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
The Green/Growth Axis |
- The Biaxial Political Map
- Green/Growth as the Second Axis
- Ideology, Reality Perception, or Preferences?
- What Is in the Non-Green End?
- The Need to Clarify and Commit to a Growth Ideology
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N321 |
Monday, 26 January 2009
Recycling Bondevik |
- Conservatives: Broad Coalition Unrealistic
- Clear Preference for "Recycled Bondevik"
- Increasing Distance to Progress Party
- May Represent an Upside in Time of Financial Crisis
- But Risks Related to "Isolation" of Progress Party
- Party Leader Balancing; Says "Door is Still Open"
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