1. Home
  2. Articles posted by: Rona Fried (Page 2027)

Energy Bill Marches On

by Bob Bellemare, July 1, 2005 Almost two years after the massive blackout and four years after the California debacle, an energy bill has emerged once again in the Senate. The bill is intended to avert similar disasters in the future as well as to address rising fuel costs and the growing concern over future energy supplies. But like most federal policy debates on extremely controversial measures, the end result is usually incremental changes that create corresponding results. The bill is estimated to cost $16 billion, about double the cost of a House version of the legislation. The bill must now go back to the House where modifications are sure to be made. The magnitude of those changes will determine the ultimate fate of the bill?a quick death, which has been the track record of previous bills, or rapid approval during August, the desired timeline set by President Bush. “This legislation is a step forward in helping our nation meet its energy challenges. It does not go as far as I would have like, or other would have liked, to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, to improve vehicle fuel efficiency or to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But it makes […]

Read More

Stanford Scientists Call for Hydrogen 'Apollo Program'

What if all the vehicles now on the road in the United States were suddenly powered by hydrogen fuel cells? Stanford researchers say in a June 24 article in the journal Science that such a conversion would improve air quality, health and climate — especially if wind were used to generate the electricity needed to split water and make hydrogen in a non-polluting process. “Converting all the current vehicles to fuel cell vehicles powered by wind would save 3,000 to 6,000 lives in the United States annually, and it could be done at a fuel cost that’s comparable to the cost of gasoline, and less than the cost of gasoline when you consider the health effects of gasoline,” said Jacobson, who has no financial interest in any wind or hydrogen endeavor but whose commitment to clean air is manifest in his choice of car (a Toyota Prius), house (it’s solar-powered) and career (atmospheric scientist). Sponsored by the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford and by NASA, the Science study compared emissions that would be produced in five cases-if all vehicles on the road were powered by 1) conventional internal-combustion engines, 2) a combination of electricity and internal combustion of […]

Read More

From Farm to Fork – How Much Oil Did You Eat Today?

Every day millions of American consumers purchase food from grocery store chains without giving much thought to the oil and energy resources involved in chemical-intensive industrial agriculture and long distance food transportation. To promote health, sustainability, and Fair Trade, and to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and non-renewable energy sources, the Organic Consumer’s Association has launched an education campaign, “Breaking the Chains: Buy Local, Organic and Fair Made.” Agriculture accounts for 17 percent of all the energy used in the U.S. Petroleum-derived agricultural chemicals such as synthetic fertilizers (12 billion pounds per year), pesticides and herbicides (a billion pounds per year), account for more than half of all on-farm energy use. According to the Earth Policy Institute, the U.S. food system, from actual food production (synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, etc.), energy for irrigation, transportation, to refrigeration packaging & preparation, uses enough energy equal to supply all of France’s annual energy needs. Food today travels farther than ever, with the average item of food traveling an average of 1,600 miles from farm to fork. Processed foods, on average travel 3,600 miles from farm to fork. According to Brian Halweil of Worldwatch Institute, a typical meal bought from a conventional supermarket chain […]

Read More

Whole Foods Ranks in Top 100 U.S. Retailers

Whole Foods Market Inc.(NASDAQ: WFMI) is now ranked as the 60th largest U.S. retailer. WFMI is the world’s largest natural and organic foods grocer, and was ranked based on 2004 revenue of nearly $3.9 billion. Whole Foods Chairman and CEO John Mackey “is pushing the right buttons for the organic crowd, foodies, urban tastes and, best of all, developers who want his stores as anchor[s] to draw other tenants,” according to the latest issue of Stores magazine, published by the National Retail Federation. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) tops the list with $288.2 billion in revenue last year. No. 2 is The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) at $73.1 billion, followed by Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) with $56.4 billion. According to Rick Gallagher, publisher of Stores, “Stores are looking for unique ways to expand their product lines in an effort to differentiate themselves. Retailers are no longer just competing with other stores in their segment, they are competing with everyone, making the environment extremely challenging.”

Read More

Two Mutual Funds Acquire 5.6% Stake in UQM

UQM TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (Amex: UQM), a developer of alternative energy technologies, announced that two mutual funds managed by an institutional investor together have purchased 1,365,188 shares of the Company’s common stock in a private placement transaction. Net cash proceeds to the Company from the transaction were approximately $3,900,000. The common stock offered by UQM Technologies, Inc. to the accredited investors in the private placement has been sold in reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (“Securities Act”). The common stock has not been registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and the common stock may not be offered or sold absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This press release does not and will not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is prohibited. A registration statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 30 days for the resale of the common stock. UQM Technologies, Inc. is a developer and manufacturer of power dense, high efficiency electric […]

Read More