1) Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on Tuesday fired back at recent charges from the oil and gas industry that the administration isn't promoting domestic energy development. His comments came after he announced that his agency has scheduled 38 onshore oil and gas lease sales for 2010. Salazar maintained that the previous administration took "shortcuts" and that the agency is now working to improve the leasing process so it doesn't take as long -- one of the key complaints of the oil and gas industry. (Reuters)

2) "California officials on Tuesday issued the nation's first blueprint for a broad-based cap-and-trade plan," which would target the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 600 power plants, refineries and other large factories. The plan, which aims to reduce emissions by 15 percent below today's levels by 2020, is missing key details, including how many emission allowances to auction off and how to spend the revenue (Los Angeles Times). California joins a number of other states moving ahead with regional cap-and-trade systems. (New York Times)

3) Looking to bolster their argument against climate legislation, senior Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are asking a federal court in California to unseal documents in a 2005 conviction surrounding a California pollution credit trading program. Reps. Joe Barton of Texas and Greg Walden of Oregon say the wire fraud case is evidence of the dangers of a nationwide cap-and-trade system. (The Hill)

4) China's climate change envoy, Yu Qingtai, "blamed a 'lack of good faith' on the part of developed countries for hampering talks on a treaty to fight global warming less than two weeks before the start of the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen." (Bloomberg News)

5) A new poll shows that the number of Republicans who believe global warming is happening has dropped sharply in the last few years, suggesting an "increasing political polarization around the issue." Today, 54 percent of Republicans believe global warming is happening, compared to 76 percent three and a half years ago. The number has dropped among Independents too -- 86 to 71 percent. The drop was less steep among Democrats: 92 to 86 percent. (Washington Post)

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