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  • A federal mandate for renewable electricity could ensure U.S. competitiveness with China on clean fuels and create thousands of home-grown jobs by wooing manufacturers that have been turned off by America's unsteady support for the industry, according to a new study commissioned by an alliance of 19 energy firms and trade groups.

    "China is absolutely killing us," said Don Furman, a senior vice president for wind energy company Iberdrola Renewables, a member of the RES alliance.

    "America owned this industry 20 years ago," he told reporters. "And we have given it away because we haven't had a coherent national policy supporting renewables."

    A renewable electricity standard (RES) would force utilities to get more renewable power on the grid.

  • All it took was one sentence in President Obama’s State of the Union Address last week, and an oft-maligned energy source was back on the map.

    “To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives,” the president said. “And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country.”

    A few days later, the White House budget was released and called for an increase in government loan guarantees for nuclear reactors from $18.5 billion to $54.5 billion.

  • Farm state lawmakers and agribusiness have been hammering the EPA since it announced a plan last year for evaluating biofuels by their lifecycle emissions — including indirect land use changes.

    It appeared then that corn-based ethanol wouldn’t make the cut. The proposed rules, based on the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, required renewable fuels’ lifecycle emissions to be at least 20 percent less than gasoline's. An early EPA review calculated that, with greenhouse gases from indirect land-use changes included, most corn ethanol wasn't much better than regular gas.

    The EPA has now finalized the renewable fuel standard, and agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today that corn ethanol will qualify after all.

    “EPA has found that it is indeed 20 percent less greenhouse gas emitting than gasoline,” Jackson said. “Based on what we know now, including indirect land use analysis, there is no basis to exclude these fuels.”

    What changed in less than a year?

Today's Climate

February 8, 2010

Support Down for Australia's Rudd, CO2 Scheme: Poll (Reuters)

Support for Australia's PM Kevin Rudd and an carbon emissions trading plan backed by his government is slipping ahead of elections this year, but Rudd's Labor remains clearly ahead, a poll showed on Monday.

Malcolm Turnbull Says He Will Cross Floor in ETS Vote (The Australian)

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia's former Liberal leader, declared today he will cross the floor and vote with Labor in support of an emissions trading scheme.

UK Lawmakers Call for Stricter CO2 Caps, Market Intervention (Bloomberg)

Europe needs stricter limits on greenhouse gases and the power to intervene in markets as its cap-and-trade program fails to encourage low-carbon investments, UK lawmakers said today in a report.

BP Faces Investor Revolt Over Canadian Oil Sands Project (Telegraph)

BP has become the second energy major to face a potential shareholder revolt over its investment in Canada's oil sands, after a group of clients has urged the company not to commit $10 billion to its Sunrise oil sands development.

In Virginia, Offshore Drilling a Bipartisan Goal (Los Angeles Times)

Virginia's new Republican governor, Robert McDonnell, is 'eager' to open up the state's coast to offshore drilling, and the state's Democratic senators are urging the Obama administration to begin selling leases next year.

Before Blast, Few Safety Problems as Energy Project Rose at Abandoned Mine Site (New York Times)

A review of public records has shown no safety problems at the Kleen Energy Systems site before the explosion on Sunday that killed at least five people. But the natural gas project had faced hurdles through the years, including concerns about harm to the Connecticut River.

Pachauri Raises More Eyebrows with Raunchy Environmental Novel (Times Online)

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the IPCC, is raising eyebrows again after publishing a raunchy novel and accepting help in promoting it from BP and the head of India’s biggest gas producer.

Drought in SW Australia Linked to Snowfall in Antarctica (AFP)

A drought that has gripped the southwestern corner of Australia since the 1970s is linked with higher snowfall in East Antarctica, a phenomenon that may be rooted in global warming, scientists reported on Sunday.

"Smart" Power Key as EU Sparks Electric Car Debate (Reuters)

Electric cars must be backed by "smart" power networks if they are to help the world's climate problems, environmentalists warned on Monday as European ministers prepared to debate a strategy for the sector.

Mass. Unveiling Plans to Expand Electric Car Use (Boston Globe)

On Tuesday, officials from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources plan to sign a memorandum of understanding with Nissan North America to explore ways to expand electric car use in the state.

U.S. Solar Market to Double in the Next Year (MIT Technology Review)

In a few years, the U.S. is likely to be the world's largest market for solar power, eclipsing Germany, which has taken the lead as a result of strong government incentives.

Arava Power Gets Deals for 15 Mid-Size Solar Fields (Reuters)

Israeli solar energy developer Arava Power said on Sunday it signed long-term contracts with 15 agricultural cooperatives to build mid-size solar fields at an investment of $533 million.

In Utah, Company Aims to Store Energy in Air (AP)

A Utah company plans to dig a series of giant caverns that it hopes to one day fill with compressed air, releasing it to generate electricity by turning a turbine.

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