Today's Climate: December 1, 2008

U.S. Governors Ask Congress To Stop EPA Rules (Wall Street Journal)

Governors of 18 U.S. states on Wednesday urged Congress to stop "harmful" EPA regulation of greenhouse-gas emissions, saying the agency isn't equipped to deal with "the very real potential for economic harm."

Sen. Levin: Climate Bill Must Take Go-Slow Approach with Factories (The Hill)

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) has provided Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) a wish list of items for climate change legislation that includes a minimum 10-year delay before greenhouse gas limits are imposed on industrial facilities. 

Virginia Passes Offshore Drilling Bills (Washington Business Journal)

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell signed legislation that would apportion any state revenue from offshore drilling toward transportation and energy research, but fiscal experts said it's highly uncertain when the state could realize any revenue from such activity. 

Obama's Trade Goal Fights His Clean-Energy Plan at Export Bank (Bloomberg) 

Pres. Obama's goals of boosting U.S. exports and combating climate change are colliding as the U.S. Export-Import Bank expands financing for oil, gas, mining and power-plant projects.

Senate Bill Expands Offshore Wind Incentives to 2020 (Sustainable Business)

U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced legislation that would extend production and investment tax credits for offshore wind power until 2020.

RI Business Group Opposes Wind Power Agreement (AP) 

An organization that represents some of Rhode Island's largest electricity users has come out against a proposed power-purchase agreement between National Grid and the developer of a wind farm in state waters.

China Climate Chief Criticizes U.S. (Wall Street Journal)

China's chief climate official called for the U.S to do more in providing financing and technology in the global fight against climate change, as international negotiators struggle to find a mutually acceptable way of tackling the problem.

China Unsure on Warming Cause, To Stick with CO2 Cuts (Reuters)

China's top climate negotiator said that the cause of global warming was still not clear but the problems it was creating were so serious that the world must anyway act to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Deforestation Conference to Turn Plans to Action (AP)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will open a daylong conference Thursday of some 40 nations to start turning efforts to end deforestation into action.

Developers Lament Loss of Federal Wind Subsidies in Canada (Green Inc.)

The Canadian Wind Energy Association is expressing disappointment with the federal government’s recent decision not to expand the ecoEnergy program — which delivered subsidies to renewable energy developers — in its new budget. 

Solar Prospectors Chase ’Gold Mine’ Deals in China, Israel (Bloomberg)

Solar developers across the globe are rushing to Italy, Israel and China to lock in the world’s highest subsidized electricity rates before they’re cut back.

Shale Gas Could Supply 100 Years of Consumption: Study (Reuters)

The natural gas shale boom in North America has more than doubled discovered gas resources and can supply more than a century of consumption at current rates, an IHS CERA study released Wednesday said.

Utility to Install Solar on Warehouse Roofs (AP)

Southern California Edison is leasing space on roofs of about 50 warehouses in the Inland Empire region east of Los Angeles to generate 250 MW of electricity from solar power.

Czech Renewable Energy Exceeds Grid Safety Limit (Reuters) 

The installed capacity of wind and solar energy projects approved in the Czech Republic is nearly four times what can be safely fed into the country's electricity grid, energy distributors said.