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Oil-Free Transportation on the Horizon?

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Congress has paved the way to an oil-free transportation system, according to the report, Driving Our Way to Energy Independence, from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). ILSR has been advocating for small scale, local-based economy using bio-based fuels and other products since 1974. Although widely criticized for not going far enough, The Energy Independence and Security Act, passed by Congress in December 2007, could still tip the balance toward a renewable fuels infrastructure. "The Act’s vehicle efficiency mandate will force car companies to hybridize most of their new vehicles which makes it possible for plug-in hybrids to use electricity as their primary fuel," explains David Morris, ILSR Vice President. "The biofuels mandate will result in the production of sufficient biofuels to meet nearly 100 percent of the fuel needed to run the backup engine." Driving Our Way to Energy Independence envisions a 75-25 split between miles driven on electricity and biofuels, noting, "Once drivers have the ability to fill up with electricity, they will, because an electric powered mile costs only 3 cents, while a gasoline powered mile costs over 15 cents." "An electric-biofuel transportation system is nearly oil free," says Morris, "since only 2 percent of the nation’s […]

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Our Turn: Green PACs Growing

Political Action Committees (PACs) – pools of money formed to support the election of certain candidates and to influence the political agenda – have been employed to support the environmental agenda for some time now. The Sierra Club, for example, has used a PAC for many years to get environmentally-oriented candidates elected and to un-seat those that vote against the environment. This year, it plans to raise $1.5- $2 million to support its pro-renewable energy, anti-nuke agenda. For this election year, the New York League of Conservation Voters launched The Climate Action PAC to support candidates committed to agressively tackling climate change. The group is targeting NY state legislative seats in 2008 and local races throughout the state – including New York City – in 2009. "Climate change is the biggest issue of our time and the most important thing we can do to fight it is to elect the right leaders," says Marcia Bystryn, executive director of the Climate Action PAC. "By mobilizing dollars and voters, the Climate Action PAC will demonstrate that New York’s elected officials can no longer afford to give lip service to global warming. If politicians pursue an aggressive climate change agenda, we will give […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup March 26, 2008

Automotive X Prize Purse Set at $10 Million Electric Vehicles, Diesels Take Spotlight at New York Auto Show NREL Thin-Film Solar Cell Achieves Record Efficiency Vermont Approves a Wide-Ranging Clean Energy Bill New Guidelines Launched for Green Home Remodeling Automotive X Prize Purse Set at $10 Million The X Prize Foundation officially launched the Automotive X Prize last week and announced Progressive Insurance as its title sponsor for the prize purse, which will be set at $10 million. The Progressive Automotive X Prize is an international competition that challenges competitors to design, build, and bring to market a car that exceeds 100 miles per gallon, or its energy equivalent fuel efficiency, while meeting market requirements for size, capability, affordability, and safety. To date, more than 60 teams from nine countries have signed up to compete for the prize. Applications to compete for the prize will be taken until mid-year, at which time the applicants will go through a qualification process to confirm that their cars are production-capable and consumer-friendly. The competition will be divided into two vehicle classes: mainstream and alternative. Mainstream vehicles must carry four or more passengers, have four or more wheels, and travel 200 miles or more […]

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