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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… The U.S. Senate unveiled climate change legislation this week and plans to begin debating the bill later in the month. The EPA proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions under the clean air act, in case Congress fails to pass climate change legislation. The U.S. chamber of commerce is loosing members as a result of its hardline stance against climate change legislation. And G20 nations agreed to cut subsidies for fossil fuels by the year 2020. Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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G20 Nations Commit to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies California Accelerates Pursuit of Clean Energy HUD Grants $300 million in Recovery Act Funds for Green Housing DOE: $106M for Energy Efficiency in 9 States ARRA Helps Fund Transmission Line for Montana Wind Power USDA: $62.5M for Clean Energy DOE to Test AeroSys Products to Ensure Standards Compliance G20 Nations Commit to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies The 20 leaders of the world’s top industrialized nations, as well as key countries with developing economies, agreed to phase out their subsidies for fossil fuels. In a concluding statement from the Group of 20 (G20) Summit-held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 24 and 25-the nations’ leaders agreed to "phase out and rationalize over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies." The G20 leaders also called for targeted support for poor people that would be impacted by higher prices for fossil fuels. The leaders noted that "inefficient" fossil-fuel subsidies "encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources, and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change." According to President Obama, the agreement will ultimately phase out nearly $300 billion in global subsidies for fossil fuels. And as […]
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UN climate negotiations start next week and peak in early December at the widely anticipated Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. Sept 21-25: UN Climate Summit, NYC Sept 24-25: G20 Summit, Pittsburgh Sept 28 – Oct. 9: UN climate negotiations, Bangkok Nov 2-6: UN climate negotiations, Barcelona Dec 7-18: UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen Three in Favor, One Against Will the world finally come to a concrete accord this year that aggressively tackles climate change? We see three reasons why the answer will be YES, and one reason why it could still be NO. First, at last year’s Bali conference, industrial countries agreed to financially assist developing nations to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. This helps eliminate the major sticking point in achieving a worldwide accord – the wedge between advanced and developing countries on who caused the problem and who should foot the bill to deal with it. Where China falls on the advanced vs developing scale isn’t clear yet and the price tag has yet to be worked out. An estimated €100 billion will be required – half from government and half from the private sector. The private sector stands to benefit both ways; government funds would largely […]
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EPA Finalizes GHG Reporting Requirements for Large Emitters U.S. Treasury, DOE: $550M for Renewable Energy Projects DOT, EPA Propose Fuel Economy, GHG Reduction Policies DOE Loans $5.9B to Ford, $528.7M to Fisker for Efficient Vehicles, Plug-Ins DOT: Supports Clean Energy at 43 Transit Agencies DOE: $36M to PA. for Energy Efficiency Projects DOE: $144M for Smart Grid Training EPA Finalizes GHG Reporting Requirements for Large Emitters The U.S. EPA finalized its reporting system for large emitters of greenhouse gases on Tuesday. When the program takes effect on January 1, 2010, it will apply to roughly 10,000 facilities, covering about 85% of the nation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Only the following facilities will be required to report annual GHG emissions: fossil fuel suppliers, industrial suppliers of greenhouse gases (such as bottled CO2), motor vehicle and engine manufacturers, and facilities that emit GHG equal to or greater than the equivalent of 25,000 metric tons of CO2. The new reporting system will provide a better understanding of where GHG are coming from and will guide development of policies and programs to reduce emissions. It will also allow businesses to track their emissions, compare them with similar facilities, and identify cost-effective ways to reduce […]
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DOE: $454M for "Retrofit Ramp-Ups" in Energy Efficiency DOE: $354M for Efficiency Projects in 22 States "H-Prize:" $1M for Improved Hydrogen Storage DOE: $14.6M to Develop Water Power Technologies DOE Recognizes Midwest Industrial Efficiency Leaders DOE, EPA, Announce Green Power Leadership Awards New Reports Emphasize the Monetary, Security Costs of Climate Change DOE to Offer $454M for Energy Efficiency ‘Retrofit Ramp-Ups’ To jump-start a shift toward greater energy efficiency across the US, DOE unveiled a new "Retrofit Ramp-Up" program, funded by $450 million in Recovery Act funds. The two-pronged effort aims to catalyze a nationwide energy efficiency upgrade that could save $100 million annually in utility bills for households and businesses. The goal of Retrofit Ramp-Up is to roll out energy efficiency to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in a variety of U.S. communities. The program kicks off with a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks comments on two portions of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. The first and largest portion will offer up to $390 million for whole-neighborhood building retrofits. These will be competitively-selected projects that demonstrate a sustainable business model for providing cost-effective energy upgrades for a large percentage of the residential, […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) joined together to propose new fuel economy standards for vehicles sold in the U.S. The EPA also announced it will reconsider the national smog standards released under the Bush administration to ensure they are scientifically sound. The Department of the Interior launched the first-ever coordinated strategy to address impacts of climate change on America’s land, water and cultural resources. California boosted its renewable portfolio standard to 33%, but not without a struggle between the Governor and the legislature. Plus, the state is approaching its net metering cap for residential and commercial solar systems. The Montreal Protocol for protection of the ozone layer achieved a historic mark this week. Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is about 15 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… Green jobs advocate Van Jones resigned from the Obama administration. A report by the United Kingdom’s Institute for Public Policy Research examines the possibility of personal carbon trading. Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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Scientists Fear Methane Emissions from Oceans, Tundra Reports Find Huge Potential to Cut US Energy Use EPA Sets Stricter Standards for Energy Star TVs DOE Finalizes $535M Loan Guarantee for Solyndra Tiny Algae Loom Large in Biofuel Pilots US, Australian Advanced Geothermal Projects Face Setbacks USDA Awards $13M for Rural Clean Energy Projects Scientists Fear Methane Emissions from Oceans & Tundra due to Warming Warming of the Arctic ocean over the last 30 years has triggered the release of methane from seabed sediments, according to U.K. researchers. During a recent Arctic survey, scientists from the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS) found more than 250 plumes of methane gas bubbles rising from the seabed in one area, at depths of about 500 to 1600 feet. The scientists believe the methane is being released from methane hydrates, which are becoming unstable in the warming conditions. Methane hydrate is an ice-like substance composed of water and methane that is stable in conditions of high pressure and low temperature – huge amounts of methane hydrate are expected to be present in the seabed sediment. The researchers say that most of the methane currently being released from the seabed is dissolved in the seawater before […]
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The Green Week in Review is a podcast, hosted by SustainableBusiness.com News Editor Bart King. It’s posted every Friday morning and is 15-20 minutes long. You can listen to it through your browser or download it to a portable MP3 player. Sign up for our General News RSS Feed and it will be automatically downloaded to your computer’s media player each week. In this week’s show… Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), the third largest utility in the U.S., cut ties with a coal industry group fighting against clean energy legislation. Georgia EPD issued draft pollution permits for a new coal-fired power plant (link to GA Tech study). California regulators proposed the adoption of a unique feed-in tariff to boost renewable energy supply A California mine for rare earth materials hopes to avert a supply crunch in the clean tech industry. A visionary project called Solar Roadways was awarded a contract from the Department of Transportation to build a prototype road "paved" with photovoltaic solar panels. Plus, a summary of the week’s top cleantech headlines. ++++ Email comments or questions to bart@sustainablebusiness.com
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We usually think of mining as bad for the environment, but in this case, the situation is more complex. The US imports 100% of the quartz crystal needed for PV panels used to generate solar energy, 91% of the platinum for fuel cells, 100% of the indium for LED lighting technologies, and 100% of the rare earth minerals for advanced batteries. As Craig Canine, author of the article below says, "The US and other developed countries risk trading their addiction to oil for a new form of energy dependence." Rather than depending on the Mid East, we could rely on China, which is the OPEC of rare earth minerals. In each Administration, the antiquated Mining Law of 1872 comes under review, as it is now in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources. Congress enacted the law after the Gold Rush, and gave the land and its minerals away for free to encourage settlement of the American West. In 1920, Congress passed the Mineral Leasing Act, which required corporations to lease the land and pay royalties on for oil, gas, coal and certain other minerals – providing a financial return to the public for the production of publicly-owned […]
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