Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln spoke about conservation at the National Wildlife Federation event in Denver this week. Since Lincoln is one of the cosponsors of the "Gang of 10" energy bill -- a compromise that includes both investment in renewables and some offshore drilling -- we caught up with her afterward to talk about energy policy:

Van Jones was at the Democratic National Convention this week to talk about green jobs, justice, and the economic growth potential in a new, green economy. I caught him for a few minutes to talk about the message he's bringing to the convention, and about whether he'd take a job in an Obama administration. Green Jobs Czar, perhaps?

We also caught up with a number of leaders in the environmental community to talk about what the next administration needs to do on climate. More videos below the fold.

Here are some photos I took from the crowd at Mile High Stadium on Thursday night for Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention:

According to the Washington Post, Republican officials are considering delaying their convention in St. Paul because of Tropical Storm Gustav, which might hit the Gulf Coast as a full-force hurricane next week.

If it does reach land during their convention, it would hit a sore spot for Republicans, whose current representative in the White House has been blamed for mishandling the response to Hurricane Katrina almost exactly three years ago.

And there's another possible environmental faux pas -- they've already evacuated the offshore oil rigs due to the threat, which puts in question the safety and reliability of drilling, which the party has been pumping up of late as the solution to high gas prices. Here's the nugget from the Post:

Staging a convention during a major natural disaster would be a public relations challenge for either political party. But GOP officials say the burden could be especially heavy for their party, whose reputation was tarred by the Bush administration's bungling of Katrina and its aftermath in 2005.

A hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico could also cast unwelcome attention on the offshore oil rigs that McCain has championed as a solution to rising gasoline prices -- they are now being evacuated in the face of the coming storm.

Barack Obama.

Photo: Alex Brandon / AP

Thursday's much anticipated acceptance speech by Barack Obama was less like a political event than a rock concert. Except you've never seen people quite this excited at a rock concert. Obama took the stage before 75,000 fans waving flags, stomping, and screaming. Among the many issues he addressed in his long, winding oration, he pledged to confront the duel challenges of climate change and energy independence.

"For the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East," he said.

He criticized McCain's congressional record on energy. "Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and by the way John McCain has been there for 26 of them," said Obama. "In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investment in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Sen. McCain took office."

Obama also criticized the push for more domestic drilling, which McCain has signed onto. "Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close."

As for Obama's own energy plan, he first touted not-so-green energies -- coal, nuclear, natural gas -- before moving on to promoting renewables.

"As president, I will tap our natural-gas reserves, invest in clean-coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies retool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars," he said. "And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels -- an investment that will lead to new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced."

He moved on to broader remarks about building a better tomorrow, from education to health care to Iraq.

"I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future."

Full text of the speech is below the fold:

Al Gore.

Al Gore, one of the headline speakers this evening at Mile High Stadium, spoke at length about the challenges of climate change and energy. "We are facing a planetary emergency, which is not like anything we have experienced in the history of humankind," he said.

Gore emphasized that there's a common answer to the triple threats of climate change, the economic crisis, and the energy crunch. "The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fossil fuels," he said. "We need to invest in innovation ... I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out to tackle that."

While he praised John McCain's past efforts on climate change, Gore said the Republican candidate has "now apparently allowed his party to browbeat him into abandoning mandatory caps on planet-warming carbon." He accused McCain of "promoting the same policies" as the Bush administration. "I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous."

"The carbon-based industries have a 50-year lease on the Republican Party and they're drilling it for all its worth," Gore said, arguing that the industries control GOP policies "lock, stock, and barrel after barrel."

Gore said Obama's wisdom and experience have "taught him something that career politicians often overlook -- that inconvenient truths must be acknowledged if we are to have wise governance." Gore expressed confidence that Obama would provide "solutions for the climate crisis."

Gore also mulled over his own loss in the presidential election eight years. In 2000, he said, many in the country thought that the election didn't matter, that the candidates were virtually the same. But now, he said, "I doubt anyone would say it didn't matter." If he had been president, "We would not be denying the climate crisis; we'd be solving the climate crisis."

Here's a transcript of Gore's speech.

David and I are in Invesco Field, among tens of thousands of delegates, reporters, and Denver residents awaiting Barack Obama's acceptance speech tonight. We're glad to be inside -- outside the line snakes more than a mile out from the stadium. They're expecting more than 75,000 attendees tonight, and the security line is a giant mess, according to folks we know still waiting outside.

So far we've seen a whole list of party higher-ups, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean. Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem. Wil.i.am, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Wonder are also slated to perform.

It also happens to be the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and his daughter, Rev. Bernice King, and son, Martin Luther III, just addressed the crowd. People in the stands seem absolutely giddy in anticipation, waving flags and pounding their feet on the bleachers.

We got an advance copy of the speech, and I'll post key excerpts shortly. But heads up -- watch for the shout-outs to "clean coal," natural gas, and nuclear power. They come before he mentions wind and solar. Anyway, there will be several minutes devoted to energy issues in his big speech. We'll have more shortly.

Before that, we'll have some coverage of Al Gore's speech. And after Obama, Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of the Northland Church in central Florida and a leader of the evangelical environmental movement, will give the benediction.

We interviewed former Energy Secretary Federico Peña shortly after his Tuesday night convention speech on energy, the economy, and security. Peña was secretary of transportation from 1993 to 1997, then secretary of energy from 1997 to 1998, under President Bill Clinton:

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell (D-Mich.) spoke yesterday at an event sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation -- "I Fish, I Hunt, I Vote Conservation" -- where he talked up conservation efforts and the common ground Democrats have with sportsmen.

We tried to get Dingell, who is notoriously tight-lipped, to tell us about his plans for climate and energy legislation. But it was to little avail -- all we could get was, "Chairman Dingell wants a very good bill." Watch it:

Yesterday, I talked to Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming, about what to expect from the Democrats on energy legislation when Congress goes back into session next month. We also discussed the Dems' plans for climate and energy legislation next year:

Joe Biden.

Photo: Ted S. Warren / AP

After formally receiving the nomination as Barack Obama's running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden took the stage. His speech focused on his middle-class roots and the lessons he learned from his parents, and transitioned into emphasizing a call to revitalize the "American dream."

While emphasizing his friendship with John McCain, he criticized the Arizona senator as wrong on everything "from Amtrak to veterans." (See our bit on McCain's Amtrak record here.) He criticized McCain for failing to support renewable energy in the Senate, while advocating policies that will increase tax breaks for the oil industry. "John voted again and again against renewable energy -- wind, solar, biofuels. That's not change, that's more of the same."

An Obama-Biden administration, he said, will make "alternative energy a national priority ... creating 5 million new jobs, and finally breaking us from the grip of foreign oil."

Watch the speech:

Former presidential candidate and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) on McCain's changing policies: "Candidate McCain criticizes the climate change bill that Sen. McCain wrote ... talk about being for it before you're against it. Before he debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself."

Bill Clinton took the stage this evening to thunderous applause and chants of "Bill, Bill, Bill." "I'm here, first, to support Barack Obama," he began. "And I'm here to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden."

He then touched on the tough battle between his wife, Hillary Clinton, and Obama: "That campaign created so much heat, it increased global warming."

But he then moved to a more conciliatory tone. "Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States," he said, several times, an attempt to downplay the allegations that he and Hillary Clinton made in the Democratic primary, which the McCain campaign is now repeating.

He listed the issues Obama's ready to take on, including the battle against global warming, and the need reduce nuclear and military threats. Obama will find "economically beneficial ways to fight global warming ... and when Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, create new jobs ..." he said.

Bill Clinton on the primary: "That campaign created so much heat, it increased global warming."

UPDATE: Clinton knocked it out of the park -- his speech was just as good, in its way, as Hillary's. Full-throated support for Obama, his characteristic historical context-setting, and as a bonus, several mentions of global warming as one of the signal international challenges facing the next president.

I stopped by a press conference yesterday for Vestas, the wind energy company, where state leaders were hailing the company's recent investment in Colorado. Vestas has plans for four major manufacturing plants in Colorado where they will build the components of wind turbines like blades to towers. They estimate that the plants will create 2,500 jobs and generate $600 million in investment. Gov. Bill Ritter (D) and Reps. Mark Udall and Ed Perlmutter were on hand for the event, as were representatives from Vestas and the American Wind Energy Association.

I caught up with AWEA executive director Randall Swisher after the event to talk about the legislative moves needed to help advance the wind industry (hint: tax extensions!).

I also got in one question for Mark Udall, who's represented the state in the House for a decade. He's now running for the Senate seat that Wayne Allard (R) is vacating:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is giving a speech on energy issues right now. But I can't hear anything! He's so ... quiet. The guy next to me just said, "Man, whoever's talking sucks." I don't know if it does in fact suck, since I can't really hear, but what I can make out seems on-message.

I've heard so far something about how "the past eight years have been a toxic mix of oil and war." The energy problem is "immediate, overwhelming." Jimmy Carter believed in conservation and alternative fuels." And "we must defend America of face the threat of destruction" that is relying on hostile nations for oil. And that's about it. I'll add some video later if I can find it ... perhaps folks watching at home can provide more insight as to what he just said.

Ah, here's video:

A few photos I've snapped here in Denver this week:

As David has noted, the thing to know about being in Denver right now is that it's a madhouse. There are more people and events here than one could possibly imagine. And things are spread out all over the city. I logged six miles on the bike I borrowed from Freewheelin just running around downtown trying to get Grist's convention credentials on the first day.

There's too much to take in. Every street corner has three people vending homemade Obama paraphernalia. Truckloads of police officers speed past regularly, and it's not really clear where they're headed. Everyone who's anyone in the Democratic Party is here (or at least everyone who thinks they're someone). And as David and I mentioned before, there's advertising for clean coal, natural gas, and oil everywhere you look.

There have been a number of press events on energy, including one yesterday held by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other representatives. "Barack Obama will lead the way to a new energy economy," proclaimed Pelosi to a crowd gathered outside the train station yesterday. The obligatory band of pro-drilling protesters attempted to drown them out, shouting "drill, drill, drill!" over the speakers and waving McCain signs.

What's been most surprising, though, is how much the issues of climate and energy have been raised at the convention. There are plenty of events sponsored by outside groups and companies, but even within the official convention, it's been talked about more than any issue, I'd venture -- even more than Iraq. Most speakers have mentioned it at least in passing. And last night, though the theme was "the economy," sound energy policy as a means of addressing the nation's economic problems came up over and over again. Virginia Senate candidate Mark Warner and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer made it central to their speeches, with Schweitzer absolutely galvanizing the house with his speech on the subject.

Many people are familiar with the children's book Goodnight Moon. They might not be familiar with Goodnight Bush, the unauthorized parody hailing the coming end of the Bush presidency.

In it, authors Erich Origen and Gan Golan, both of California, ponder the many things the Bush administration's rule could have said "goodnight" to. "Good night earth? ... Good night old growth trees?" it asks. I found the pair selling their books here in Denver, and asked Origen what Bush administration policies he'd like to say "goodnight" to with a new president.

At a reception sponsored by the "Clean Tech for Obama" group yesterday, we had a chance to talk to Dan Reicher, director of Climate and Energy Initiatives for Google.org, who filled us in on the company's big investment in geothermal energy, and other renewable initiatives they have underway.