Barack Obama: A Mediocre Energy President

Barack Obama: A Mediocre Energy President

Critique of the Obama presidency’s energy policies. This post makes the painfully accurate point that the Obama administration has essentially given the big Wall Street bankers a free pass and has bailed them out and shielded them from having to bear the consequences of their greed driven risky investments; while at the same time he is attacking the domestic US oil industry.

Government Agencies Required to Go 95% Green on All Purchases

Government Agencies Required to Go 95% Green on All Purchases

Two days ago, the Federal Acquisition Regulations Council released an interim rule on green procurement, requiring that the head of each agency ensure that 95 percent of new contract actions are for products and services that are energy efficient, water efficient, bio-based, environmentally preferable or non-ozone depleting, adhering to criteria set out by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department. The agencies also must aim to procure items that contain recycled content and are nontoxic.

U.S. High-Speed Rail: Time to Hop Aboard or Be Left Behind

U.S. High-Speed Rail: Time to Hop Aboard or Be Left Behind

In recent months, several conservative governors have rejected federal funds to begin constructing high-speed rail lines in their states. But a high-speed rail advocate argues that such ideologically driven actions are folly, as other U.S. states and countries around the world are moving swiftly to embrace a technology that is essential for competitive 21st-century economies.

DOE Announces New Biofuel Grant Programs for $30 Million for Research to Advance the Next Generation of Biofuels

DOE Announces New Biofuel Grant Programs for $30 Million for Research to Advance the Next Generation of Biofuels

GRANT ALERT: The DOE is accepting applications for small-scale process integration projects supporting the development of advanced biofuels that will be able to replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure.

Senators Seek ‘Buy American’ / ‘Hire American’ Provision For Clean Energy Projects in Stimulus Plan

Senators Seek ‘Buy American’ / ‘Hire American’ Provision For Clean Energy Projects in Stimulus Plan

In the wake of a new report revealing that a clean-energy grant program in the stimulus has paid out more than $1 billion to foreign manufacturers, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jon Tester (D-MT) urged the Obama administration Wednesday to suspend the program indefinitely until the law can be fixed so that funds only flow to projects that will create jobs in the United States.

CO2 Capture and Storage Gains a Growing Foothold

CO2 Capture and Storage Gains a Growing Foothold

The drive to extract and store CO2 from coal-fired power plants is gaining momentum, with the Obama administration backing the technology and the world’s first capture and sequestration project now operating in the U.S. Two questions loom: Will carbon capture and storage be affordable? And will it be safe? by David Biello, Editor of Scientific […]

Climate Change: The Crisis That Will Define the 21st Century Economically and Politically

Climate Change: The Crisis That Will Define the 21st Century Economically and Politically

The debate surrounding global climate change has been a very hot button issue for the past few years. In most cases the average person doesn’t know enough about the science behind this issue to make an informed decision. The fact is that climate change will become a major issue within the next two decades and will have a host of environmental as well as economic impacts in the United States. Climate change will play a major role in the way our economy functions as well as the way our legislators make decisions.

Copenhagen: The Gap Between Climate Rhetoric and Reality

As the UN conference moves through its second and decisive week, the calls for strong global action to deal with climate change do not appear to be penetrating inside Copenhagen’s Bella Center.

DOE Awards $24M in Wind Energy Research Grants

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced grant awards for up to $24 million, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to three university-led wind energy research facilities that have been selected to support university research and development programs to improve land-based and offshore wind turbine performance and reliability and to provide career educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in wind energy technologies. The three universities are: Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Maine and University of Minnesota.