It's relatively quiet now here at t 2nd floor lobby of the DC Convention Center, but 15 mins. ago it was controlled chaos. At tabling central, dozens and dozens of climate activists young and old(er) swarmed tables from all kinds of organizations: We Campaign, Green for All, Sierra--and of course 1Sky.

I'd been led to expect big things from my first night at a Power Shift conference--and I gotta say, it didn't disappoint! Having been to my share of progressive conferences in the past, I can say that this was an entirely different animal. Thanks to the sheer size of the crowd and its energy, the excitement in the air was contagious. (Check out the slide show at the end of this post!)

In general, the climate community has been thrilled with Obama lately. Tuesday night, he , and later this week, he released a that takes into account. For the most part we are thrilled and we will be working hard alongside the President to achieve a strong climate bill this year.

Unfortunately, one of the most important details of Obama's plan is not up to snuff: science-based targets for reducing carbon pollution.

This week, President Obama presented his budgetary plan for the United States stating that our government must “invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education." Obama's energy policy marks a sea change away from the archaic energy regulations of George W. Bush. Think Progress' reports on the details of Obama's energy plan:

I can’t believe this weekend is already here! We’ve been talking about it for weeks, and now, in a matter of HOURS, 11,000 people are descending upon Washington, D.C. for to unite the movement and make our voices heard in Congress .

Wow.

More anti-coal campaigning news: the Oscar-winning Coen brothers directed the from the (h/t to ):