Climate deal in Cancun unlikely
Meeting in Rio de Janiero, environment ministers from India, China, Brazil and South Africa do not expect an upcoming climate change meeting in Mexico to produce an agreement. Source: Reuters
Archive for the ‘Government’ Category
David Sandalow Talks World Energy Agreements
US Assistant Energy Secretary David Sandalow discusses the move to a clean energy economy and how success could involve a joint international effort. During the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting last week, Sandalow and other global leaders worked on ideas to continue a clean energy revolution that he says is already underway. Source: Clean Skies News
EPA Proposal Means Tougher Rules for Coal Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new clean air rule that would tighten pollution caps for nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from power plants across the United States, but this could then raise electricity costs for consumers. Clean Skies News talks to environmental experts and a homeowner about the potential effects of the EPA’s proposed Transport Rule, which would require 31 states and the District of Columbia to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and fine particle pollution in other states. Source: Clean Skies News
Low Interest Loans for Green Homes?
Green retrofits to homes can be expensive. But a newly-proposed piece of legislation could lend homeowners a helping hand, by offering low-interest loans – but a major mortgage lender is trying to stop the bill. Clean Skies News takes a look at the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) bill. Source: Clean Skies News
5,000 new green jobs on offer
Up to 5,000 new jobs could be created in the U.S. after President Obama, under pressure to spur job growth, offered two solar energy companies nearly $2 billion in loan guarantees. In his weekly radio and Web address, Obama coupled his announcement with an acknowledgment that efforts to recover from the recession are slow. “It’s going to take months, even years, to dig our way out and it’s going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort,” he said. Source: Reuters
Finger-pointing in oil spill
At the congressional hearing into the Louisiana oil disaster, top officials from BP, which owns the well; Transocean, owner and operator of the rig; and Halliburton, which cemented around the well; all pointed the finger at each other. Source: FT/Lex
Cape Wind Project Moves Forward
After nine years, countless reviews and two administrations, the the Cape Wind Project finally gets the green light from the White House. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the plan for the country’s first offshore windfarm that has divided the people of Massachusetts, but the fight is still not over. Source: Clean Skies News
Ethanol Tax Credit Bill gets Bipartisan Support
In an unusual alliance, Democrat and Republican representatives are co-sponsoring a bill that extends tax credits for US ethanol producers. Clean Skies News’ Dan Goldstein also reports how an associated import tariff on Brazilian ethanol is avoided via a Caribbean tax loophole. Source: Clean Skies News
Preparing for the Smart Grid
Electricity usage is rising as energy resources are dwindling and the increasing use of electric vehicles will exacerbate this conflict. As the nation emerges from recession, Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the key to managing energy demand more efficiently could lie in a new digital smart grid. Source: Clean Skies News
DOE Grant for Carbon Capture & Storage Technology
Clean Skies News talks to NRG Energy’s David Crane, who gives an update on the company’s post-combustion carbon capture and sequestration project, which was just awarded $135 million by the Department of Energy. He also discusses the future for older coal power plants. Source: Clean Skies News
