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Monsanto's Latest Salvo:Soybean Without Trans Fat

Monsanto, leading the charge toward the world’s conversion to genetically modified food, has found a new market for its products. Starting January 1, 2006, food manufacturers will be required to disclose their use of trans fats in foods, a process that changes the character of oils and has been linked to a variety of human diseases. Monsanto says its new soybean can reduce or eliminate trans fats in processed soy oil, one of most common ingredients in a wide range of food products. U.S. consumption of soybean oil exceeds 18 million pounds annually, according to Monsanto officials.They say the legume is Roundup Ready – able to withstand application of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide – even though it has not been genetically modified.Bob Scowcroft, executive director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, CA., says, “It’s a consumer beware situation since Roundup Ready is a trademarked trait.” Christopher Horner, a Monsanto spokesperson explains the bean is bred by conventional means using soybeans that are already Roundup Ready. He points to the fact that 80-plus percent of soybeans in U.S. are Roundup Ready. Monsanto’s new bean has less than 3 percent linolenic acid, compared with 8 percent in other soybeans. The […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup:January 5, 2005

News and Events DOE Announces Appointment of Dan Arvizu as New NREL Director California Sets New Efficiency Standards for Appliances New Jersey Commits $745 Million to Efficiency, Renewable Energy EPA Makes its Largest Green Power Purchase to Date California and Oregon Organizations Install Large Solar Plants Minnesota to Host First U.S. Power Plant Fueled with Poultry Litter Site NewsDOE Launches New Web Site With Energy-Saving Tips Energy ConnectionsU.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased Moderately in 2003 News and EventsDOE Announces Appointment of Dan Arvizu as New NREL DirectorSecretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced yesterday the appointment of Dan Arvizu as director of DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. Formerly senior vice president and chief technology officer for CH2M Hill, Dr. Arvizu succeeds Vice Admiral Richard Truly, who announced his retirement last June. Midwest Research Institute (MRI) also appointed Dr. Arvizu as senior vice president. MRI, headquartered in Kansas City, has operated and managed NREL for DOE since the lab first opened in 1977, and has teamed with Battelle to run the lab since 1998.“Dan shares our view about the importance of getting our technology out of the lab and into the marketplace, and he is an excellent choice […]

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World Bank Chooses Wind Power for DC Headquarters

WASHINGTON, DC, January 5, 2004 (ENS) – The World Bank will purchase renewable energy for all of its electricity usage at its Washington, DC office from WindCurrent, a Maryland based company that sells wind power to the mid-Atlantic power grid. This purchase will represent enough electricity to power almost 8,000 average homes for a year, and is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 10,000 cars for a year or planting roughly 15,000 acres of trees, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) figures. Produced using conventional electricity sources, including coal and gas, this would have generated an estimated almost 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The Bank will purchase 85,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually of renewable energy certificates (RECs) which are allocated for each unit of power from a renewable energy power plant such as a wind farm. “Wind power creates none of the hazardous emissions or mercury pollution that is associated with producing electricity from burning coal,” said Jim Maguire, the founder of WindCurrent, a Baltimore company. “The World Bank is serving as a role model for other organizations who want to be environmentally responsible.” As a result of this investment, wind power from […]

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DOE Declares Fuel Cell Breakthrough

The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) announced a major milestone in the development of fuel-cell technology. Delphi Corp. has reached a power density level in its fuel-cell program that will greatly reduce the cost of the technology and make fuel cells competitive in the commercial market. The breakthrough means fuel cells can now conceivably meet the government’s energy-production target of $400 per kilowatt hour — about one tenth of the cost of energy produced by current fuel cell models. The auto industry has committed itself to commercially developing fuel cells as an alternative to gasoline engines; however, the carmakers insist quality and cost goals must first be met before fuel cells can gain the large market share needed to have an actual impact on smog levels.

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