Today's Climate

Renewable Energy Tax Bill Advances in U.S. House (Reuters)

Legislation that would extend about $54 billion of expiring tax credits for renewable energy has passed the House Ways and Means Committee by a vote of 25 to 12.

Farm Bill, Facing Veto, Goes to Bush (NYT)

The Senate on Thursday approved a five-year, $307 billion farm bill with wide bipartisan support, virtually sealing President Bush’s defeat in a battle over agriculture policy.

Coal, Gas Interests Behind Fight Against Cape Wind? (Boston Globe)

A new lobbying firm for the group opposing a wind farm off Cape Cod has filed a federal document reporting that its work is being partially funded and shaped by a global fossil fuel company.

Pickens' Mesa Power Orders GE Wind Turbines (Reuters)

Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has ordered 667 wind turbines from GE as part of the $2 billion first phase of his planned Texas wind farm. The order was the world's largest for a single-site wind power development.

Prius Sales Top 1 Million. Want One? Better Move Fast (Wired)

Toyota has announced that worldwide sales of its Prius hit over 1 million last month -- after sales jumped 67% amid record gas prices.

Coal Plant Pollution Threatens U.S. Parks (Reuters)

US regulators are proposing to weaken air quality laws, which would allow new coal-fired power plants to pollute American parks from Shenandoah in Virginia to the Great Basin in Nevada, a new report has said.

Kyoto Carbon Trade Hits 1 million Tons a Day (Reuters)

The European Climate Exchange (ECX) has announced that its futures trade in carbon emissions credits from developing countries has hit a million tons a day after launching the contracts in March.

Polar Bear Is Made a Protected Species (NYT)

The polar bear will be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the US Interior Department has announced. But the agency has added stipulations that would allow oil exploration to proceed in areas where the bears live.

House Bill To Extend Solar Credits Likely To Die In Senate (Tech Trader Daily, Barron's)

Solar stocks have been rallying on reports that the House will approve a bill that extends the renewable energy tax credit. Even if it passes, it will likely get killed off in the Senate.

West Virginia’s Top Judge Loses Re-election Due to Questionable Ties to Coal Chief (NYT)

West Virginia's top judge, once the clear favorite, will be out a job after being rocked by a scandal over a secret vacation with a top coal exec whose company had a case pending before the court.

World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm in the Works (Reuters)

British utility Scottish & Southern Energy has announced that it will build the world's largest offshore wind farm off Britain's east coast, and has awarded $3 billion in contracts to US engineer Fluor Corp and Germany's Siemens AG.

IBM Replants Chip-Cooling Tech in Solar Farms (Green Tech Blog, CNET)

IBM has developed technology that will let solar cells withstand the heat of more than a 1,000 suns.

Dell Plans Green PC Push (PC Magazine)

Dell has announced that its plans to cut the energy consumption of its desktop and notebook PCs by 25 percent in two years.

Antarctic Ice Bubbles Show CO2, Methane, at 800,000-Year Highs (Bloomberg)

Ancient air bubbles trapped in Antarctica's ice have revealed that levels of CO2 and methane in the Earth's atmosphere are at their highest in 800,000 years, according to two new studies in the journal Nature.

NOAA Chief Urges Creating National Climate Service (AP)

The head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed the creation of a new National Climate Service to "to separate the science from the political furball of policy."

Senate Votes to Halt Strategic Oil Stockpiling (LA Times)

The Senate, jittery about a political backlash over rising gas prices, has voted by a veto-proof majority to halt deliveries to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over President Bush's objections.

After Avalanche, Alaskan City Is Quick to Embrace Green (NYT)

After an avalanche destroyed its transmission towers, the city of Juneau has cut its electricity use by more than 30% in a matter of weeks, instantly establishing itself as a role model for how to go green, and fast.

Drought Forces Barcelona to Ship in Water (AP)

A ship carrying 5 million gallons of drinking water from Tarragona has docked in Barcelona's port, as part of an unprecedented effort to avoid water restrictions in the country after being hit by the worst springtime drought on record.

BrightSource Energy Lands $115 million for Solar 'Power Tower' (Green Tech Blog, CNET)

BrightSource Energy has raised $115 million from Google.org and a slew of other investors. It's a hefty vote of confidence for its solar power tower technology that converts heat to electricity.

McCain's Answers (Gristmill)

John McCain's campaign has issued a detailed Q&A on his climate change platform.

Britain Having Warmest May since 1772 (UPI)

Wildfires and flash floods accompanied the warmest weather recorded in Britain for the first week of the month of May since 1772, weather records show.

World CO2 levels Highest for 650,000 Years (Guardian)

CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million, up 40% since the industrial revolution and the highest for at least the last 650,000 years, according to scientists at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii.

Nissan Plans Electric Car in U.S. by ’10 (NYT)

Nissan has pledged to bring a full electric car to American and Japanese markets by 2010, raising the stakes in the race for electric car stardom.

Democratic Candidates Play Up Clean Coal (Reuters)

Both Clinton and Obama keep talking up the unproven merits of clean coal, as they try to woo voters in the coal states of W. Virginia and Kentucky.

Anti-Wind McCain Delivers Climate Remarks at Foreign Wind Company (Climate Progress)

McCain had to go to a Danish wind turbine manufacturer to give his big climate speech yesterday -- namely because US lawmakers, including McCain, have choked domestic growth in the sector by repeatedly blocking efforts to extend a vital tax credit.

Next in Congress on Energy: Little but Rhetoric (Politico)

By all outward appearances, the US Senate will engage in a fierce debate this week over a legislative response to the energy challenge. But never mind all the rhetoric, the Senate is already done for the year.

Wind Turbines to Power Australian Desal Plant (Sydney Morning Herald)

The NSW government has agreed to a 20-year energy supply deal to ensure that wind turbines will power 100% of Sydney's desalination plant.

Kohl's East Coast Locations Going Solar (Solar Industry)

Kohl's Department Stores has announced it's converting more than 50 of its New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland stores to solar power, representing nearly 80% of its locations in these three states.

What Should Obama Do in West Virginia and Kentucky? (Gristmill)

Kentucky and W. Virginia, the next primaries, are two of the largest coal states. Obama's tactic should be to tell the truth: as president, he would stop the expansion of dirty coal.

Energy Package before Senate Includes ANWR Drilling Provisions (Fairbanks News-Miner)

The US Senate is set to consider competing energy packages today or Tuesday, including a GOP proposal that would allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

HelioVolt Claims CIGS Solar Efficiency Mark (Green Tech Blog, CNET)

Solar upstart HelioVolt will announce today that it has reached 12.2 percent efficiency with its CIGS solar cells, setting another mark in the race against competitors and silicon.

Analysis: Kansas Coal Debate Far from Over (Topeka Capital-Journal)

The KS legislative session may be over, but the state's coal saga isn't. Another veto from Gov. Sebelius awaits legislators. And the issue will be one of the biggest in this year's elections, when all legislative seats are on the ballot.

Israel Gets First Look at Prototype of Revolutionary Electric Car (AP)

Israelis got a first demonstration yesterday of Renault's new electric sedan that developers hope will revolutionize transportation in the country and serve as a pilot for the rest of the world.

Oil Powered Norway Gradually Turns into the Wind (AFP)

Wind-mapping shows that Norway is among the world's most ideal locations for wind power. Yet the Scandinavian country, a leading oil and gas exporter, lags far behind others in taking advantage of this natural resource.

Obama Launches TV Ad in Kentucky Touting "Clean Coal" (Lexington Herald-Leader)

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has launched a TV ad in Kentucky that highlights his experience in pushing for a Senate bill to provide $200 million for dirty coal-to-liquid technology.

Solar Industry Needs Workers (San Francisco Chronicle)

California's fast-growing solar industry now employs between 16,500 and 17,500 people and may hire another 5,000 in the next year, according to a new survey.

Full Steam Ahead: Raser Begins Work on Geothermal Power Plant (Deseret News)

Raser has broken ground on Utah's first new geothermal facility in over two decades -- and the first in the nation to use technology that allows energy to be captured from sites with temps lower than typical geothermal facilities.

Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit (NYT)

As the price of gas climbs to $4 a gallon, public transportation systems across the nation are experiencing large increases in ridership.

Fire Managers Predict Bad Year for Blazes (Reuters)

US fire managers are forecasting a grim year for blazes in drought-plagued Western states, just weeks after a premature start to the Southwest's wildfire season.

Spain's Renovables Buys GE Wind Turbines (Reuters)

Spanish renewable energy giant Iberdrola Renovables has announced it has ordered 200 1.5 megawatt wind turbines from GE, worth around $660 million.

'Tallest' Wind Farm Plan Unveiled (BBC)

Plans have been unveiled in Wales to turn one of the largest wind farms in the UK into one of the tallest, by replacing 103, 149-foot-tall turbines with 42, 400-foot-tall ones.

Green Groups Urge Upholding U.S. Tar Sands Fuel Ban (Globe and Mail)

Twenty-six US and Canadian green groups have urged the US Senate to keep in place a rule banning the feds from buying fuel from Alberta's dirty tar sands, as momentum to rescind the ban builds in Congress.

U.S. Consumers the Least 'Green,' Survey Says (Green Tech Blog, CNET)

U.S. consumers have the least "green" habits in the world in terms of energy use, transportation, travel and goods, while consumers in Brazil, India and China are the most green, according to a new survey by National Geographic and GlobeScan.

Another Sunny Year for Solar Power (Worldwatch Institute)

Global production of photovoltaic solar cells increased 51 percent in 2007 to 3,733 megawatts. Germany passed Japan as the world's top PV manufacturer, and remains the #1 installer, accounting for almost half of the global market.

Energy Secretary on Killing FutureGen: 'I Did it in Order to Save it from Itself' (AP)

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said that he scrapped plans for FutureGen -- the ill-fated "clean coal" plant that was planned for Illinois -- because it wasn't economically or politically sustainable, during testimony before Congress.

Voluntary Carbon Trade Grows 240% (Carbon Positive)

The value of trade in the voluntary carbon market grew by 240 per cent in 2007 to $331 million, with 65 million tons of emissions traded, according to a new report by Carbon Finance and Ecosystem Marketplace.

China: Beijing Olympics "Basically" Carbon Neutral (Reuters)

The Beijing Olympics are expected to generate 1.18 million tons of carbon. Still, the games will be "basically" carbon neutral after accounting for energy saving measures and an afforestation program, a Chinese official has claimed.