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U.S. House Passes Hydrogen Prize Bill

By an overwhelming vote of 416 to 6, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006. The legislation, introduced by Research Subcommittee Chairman Bob Inglis (R-SC), would establish a national prize competition to encourage the development of breakthrough technologies that would enable a hydrogen economy. The Science Committee reported the bill out of Committee by voice vote last week. Inglis said, “The bill’s rapid movement through the House shows that momentum is gathering toward a national commitment to the hydrogen economy. This is no science project. A hydrogen future is closer than we think.” “Hydrogen may be the Holy Grail of transportation fuels,” said Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). “It is clean, it is abundant, and it can be produced here at home. If we are able to overcome the technical barriers that currently block its wide-spread, practical use, the potential payoff will be huge: cleaner air, less global warming, and most importantly, an economy that is not held hostage by foreign regimes or volatile oil markets. There’s no guarantee we’ll get there, but by summoning our nation’s best and brightest to the challenge, the H-Prize will greatly increase our chances of success.” The H-Prize, […]

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ABN Amro Gets Environmental Award, But Backs Destructive Project

A full page advertisement in today’s Washington Post exposes Dutch banking giant ABN Amro’s environmental hypocrisy for bidding to fund one of the most environmentally and socially destructive projects in history. The ad comes the day before ABN Amro is scheduled to accept the World Environment Center’s 2006 Gold Medal Award for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. Purchased by Rainforest Action Network, Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch, the ad calls on ABN Amro to live up to its reputation as a global leader in sustainability and withdraw its bid to finance the highly controversial Sakhalin II oil and gas project, the biggest oil and gas exploration project in history. The bank was a leader in the development and institution of the Equator Principles, the first ever framework for incorporating social and environmental practices in private bank lending. Due to the impacts to several endangered species, including the world’s 100 remaining Western Grey Whales, as well as the negative impacts on the local fishing community, Sakhalin II violates these principles. “Sakhalin II’s radical resource extraction is exactly the type of project that the Equator Principles were designed to prevent,” said Ilyse Hogue, director of Rainforest Action Network’s Global Finance […]

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ConocoPhillips Shareholders Take Historic Alaska Vote

History was made today in Houston when more than 25.8% percent of ConocoPhillips shareholders voted in favor of a resolution asking the company to recognize – and eventually stay out of – sensitive areas within the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, particularly areas near Teshekpuk Lake. The resolution, filed by Green Century Capital Management as part of the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Arctic Wilderness Campaign, was the first-ever shareholder resolution filed regarding Alaska’s western Arctic. The 25.8% vote in favor of the resolution represents the highest vote ever given by shareholders on a question of wilderness preservation. “Today’s vote sends an unmistakable message to ConocoPhillips about the importance of Teshekpuk Lake and about the company’s broader environmental policies,” said Athan Manuel, of the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Arctic Wilderness Campaign. “More and more Americans – and shareholders – are beginning to realize how important it is to protect these one of a kind areas.” Teshekpuk provides critical migratory bird habitat, and is central to the lives of local Native populations who use the area for subsistence fishing and hunting. The resolution calls on ConocoPhillips to consider the potential environmental damage that would result from drilling for oil and gas in the […]

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Elephant Pharmacy Goes Alternative

By ALEX DAVIDSON, May 10, 2006 Elephant Pharmacy wants to transform how consumers view retail pharmacies. Elephant Pharmacy is positioning itself to challenge established chains such as Walgreen Co. and Rite Aid Corp. by pairing traditional aspects of pharmacies with alternative remedies, such as providing in-house acupuncturists and nutritionists, and substituting potato chips on aisle five with organic fruits and vegetables. Elephant is hoping its offerings and trained personnel will get baby boomers and mothers in their 30s to flock to its stores, hang out and, ideally, take a class. The company, which is based in Berkeley, Calif., and operates two stores in the Bay Area, was founded in 2001. It is being guided through its adolescence by a combination of investors, executives with experience building stores that were bought by Whole Foods Market Inc. Curiously enough, it’s also getting help from drug-store chain CVS Corp., which was one of several venture-capital investors in Elephant’s second round of financing in 2004. CVS has a seat on Elephant Pharmacy’s five-person board, which offers the chain a peek at innovations and industry trends outside the main stream. What remains to be seen is whether the Californian combination of yoga mats, red wine […]

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ADM Selects Cedar Rapids for Second Large Ethanol Plant

Archer Daniels Midland Company has selected Cedar Rapids, Iowa as the second location for its ethanol capacity expansion. The Company will build a dry corn milling plant with an initial annual capacity of 275 million gallons adjacent to the existing corn processing plant. The company recently announced it would build its first 275 million gallon plant in Columbus, Nebraska. Construction on the Cedar Rapids expansion, expected to be complete in the second half of 2008, is subject to applicable governmental approvals. Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is one of the world’s largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa. ADM is also a leader in the production of soybean oil and meal, ethanol, corn sweeteners and flour. Website: [sorry this link is no longer available]     

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