Offset press: The idea of selling “carbon credits” tied to coastal restoration in Louisiana is alive still. On Wednesday, the American Carbon Registry and Entergy Corp. announced plans to move forward with a peer-review of a carbon offset methodology. Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has pushed the idea of selling carbon credits in the emerging cap-and-trade markets for work to restore the badly eroding Mississippi River delta. Louisiana could sell “carbon credits” to companies that invest in building up and restoring the Louisiana coast, which some scientists say would serve as a carbon sponge and keep the planet cooler. The American Carbon Registry says it will hold a public comment period for a new carbon offset methodology produced with money from Entergy. The companies say they want to quantify how restoration work might combat climate change.
Laboring over the numbers: The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted figure in more than six years, the Labor Department says. The four-week average, which smooths out fluctuations, dropped to 379,000. That’s the second-lowest such figure in more than three years. Hiring improved in the second half of 2011. In December, employers added 200,000 jobs. That marked the sixth straight month in which the economy added at least 100,000 jobs. And the unemployment rate fell to 8.5%, a three-year low. For all of 2011, the economy added 1.6 million jobs. That was up sharply from 940,000 in 2010. Economists say they expect roughly 1.9 million more jobs to be added this year, according to a survey by The Associated Press, which has the full story here.
A tough cell: AT&T plans to sharply raise prices on data plans for new smartphone and tablet customers next week, calling the move a response to an explosion in wireless usage, Reuters reports. The No. 2 U.S. carrier dropped a controversial $39 billion bid for Deutsche Telekom’s U.S. wireless unit T-Mobile last month, bowing to fierce regulatory opposition; the move leaves AT&T yet trying to find an alternative to address its shortage of wireless airwaves. From Jan. 22, AT&T customers will pay $20 for a 300-megabyte monthly data plan, up from $15 for 200 MB currently. Users with higher requirements can also opt for $30 for 3 gigabytes—versus $25 for 2 GB previously—or $50 for 5 GB, up from $45 for 4 GB. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel estimates that data usage is increasing 40% every year, spurring the company to offer more upfront. The new prices affect only new customers; existing customers can stick with their current plans or upgrade as needed, AT&T says.
Today’s poll question: Baton Rouge Police Chief Dewayne White is raising doubts about the effectiveness of the crime camera program used across the parish. Do you think the cameras are effective tools in preventing and fighting crime?
