E2 Round-up: Arctic seeps potent greenhouse gas, as Dems revolt against energy agenda

It is not certain that methane emissions from the area, known as the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, are actually increasing because past data is non-existent apparently. 

What scientists can say for sure “is that the methane levels there are extremely high,” according to the Discover blog 80 beats. The scientists found methane emissions equal estimates of methane emissions from all the worlds oceans.

“The Arctic is warming faster than any other part of the planet, and scientists fear that methane emissions could rise even more dramatically in a feedback loop: As the atmosphere warms, the permafrost that has locked in methane gas in wetlands and beneath continental shelves melts, releasing more methane, which then warms the planet more,” the LA Times reports.

Back to the back-and-forth about climate change: The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts by coal-state Dems to keep EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for two years. It’s just part of a broader revolt, according the Journal, to Obama’s energy agenda. Other Democrats, like New York’s Chuck Schumer, are complaining that stimulus money is benefitting wind turbine manufacturers in China.

The Washington Post reports that environmentalists are worried the effort led by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) to block EPA, at least temporarily, could pick up steam.

“It is unclear how far Rockefeller’s bill will go. Even if it passed, it could face a presidential veto. But environmentalists are worried that the measure could attract moderate Democrats, who are worried, in turn, about driving up the prices of fossil fuels such as oil and coal,” the Post reports.