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DOE Routinely Misses Efficiency Standards Deadlines

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows the Department of Energy (DOE) has missed all 34 statutory rulemaking deadlines for setting minimum energy efficiency standards. The report, “Long-Standing Problems with the Department of Energy’s Program for Setting Efficiency Standards Continue to Result in Foregone Energy Savings” was requested by Reps. John D. Dingell, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rick Boucher, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality and Ed Markey, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Efficiency standards on consumer products are set by DOE rulemaking. For the 20 product categories with statutory deadlines, GAO found that 11 of the 34 rules were completed late and 23 have not been completed at all. DOE’s delays range from less than a year to 15 years. Rulemakings have been completed for only refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers and freezers, small furnaces, and clothes washers. There are 17 consumer product categories that DOE has yet to finish. According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, delays in setting standards for the top four energy-consuming categories will ultimately cost our nation a minimum of $28 billion in foregone energy savings, which is equal to the annual primary energy consumption of […]

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Green Trust Fund Orders Electric Cars, Trucks for Atlanta

Seeking to invest in environmental technologies, a trust fund based in Atlanta, Georgia has placed an initial order for 40 electric cars and trucks from ZAP (ZAAP.OB). The trust fund is setting up a dealership with ZAP to distribute the XEBRA (pronounced “zebra”) electric car and truck in the Atlanta area. James Tucker, Executive Trustee, says ” We have interest from all over the Atlanta area — from city fleets, planned communities, law enforcement, major corporations, colleges — we expect orders for 2000 ZAP vehicles in the initial phase of our marketing.” XEBRA is a “city-car” – an electric car priced around $10,000 that comes in a 4-door sedan or pickup truck with a convertible dump/flat bed. It plugs into a standard 110-volt outlet for a full charge in up to six hours and a 50 percent charge in 1.5 hours, and also has an optional solar charging panel. Fueling is estimated to cost 1-3 cents per mile, or about one-fifth that of gas vehicles. The American Lung Association in 2005 listed Atlanta as having the ninth worst air pollution in the country. Studies show that electric cars can reduce automotive emissions by more than 90 percent, even including the […]

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Carbon Sequestration Bill Introduced

US Senators Ken Salazar and Jim Webb introduced the “National Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity Assessment Act of 2007,” cosponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, introduced a companion bill in the House. The bill authorizes the U.S. Geological Service (USGS), in cooperation with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Nation’s ability to store carbon in appropriate geologic features and other natural basins. This inventory would provide data on storage locations, estimates for the volume of carbon dioxide storage capabilities and other factors. It would require the USGS to develop an official methodology for the assessment. When finished, this methodology will be reviewed by a panel of experts and the public, to ensure its accuracy. The carbon sequestration bill authorizes the federal government to spend up to $20 million on the inventory process. Congress would still need to appropriate the funds. Senator Salazar said, “Carbon sequestration technology is key to a clean energy future. However, in order to accelerate this technology safely and effectively, we must first have a comprehensive view of our Nation’s capabilities to implement it. Without uniform […]

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