May 3-4, 2008

Corn Ethanol Loses More Support (Wall Street Journal)

As food prices soar, two dozen GOP senators have asked the EPA to ease the requirements mandated by Congress to turn more corn into motor fuel.

Legislature May Sue Sebelius over Coal (Topeka Capital-Journal)

The Kansas House Republican leadership has introduced a resolution urging a lawsuit against Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' administration for stopping the development of two new coal plants.

Green Group Backs Obama over Gas Tax Stance (The Hill)

Friends of the Earth Action have endorsed Obama for president, citing his stance against a summertime break from the federal gas tax and his contenders' support of the "sham" proposal.

Fighting Global Warming Block by Block (Washington Post)

Across the US, communities are factoring in global warming in development plans. And that's dragged to light a little-noticed reality: Most of the measures to reduce America's CO2 emissions will be enacted outside the nation's capital.

High Gas Prices See Americans Ditch SUVs (The Independent)

American consumers are trading in their SUVs so fast that for the first time, one in five cars sold in the US is now a compact or subcompact.

Kleiner Perkins Raises Big Money to Fuel Clean Tech (The Mercury News)

Venture capital powerhouse Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has announced a new Green Growth Fund that will pour $500 million into clean-tech start-ups over the next two to four years.

Can Rockefeller Heirs Turn Exxon Greener? (New York Times)

The heirs of John D. Rockefeller, the man who formed the Standard Oil Trust, are publicly challenging the company’s current boss to split the roles of chairman and chief executive and invest more in clean energy.

A Price Drop for Solar Panels (MIT Technology Review)

The silicon shortage that has kept solar electricity expensive is ending. That could lead to a sharp drop in prices over the next couple of years, making solar electricity comparable to power from the grid.

Duke Energy Says Ind. Coal Gasification Plant Will Cost More (Chicago Tribune)

Duke Energy has said its coal gasification power plant under construction in Indiana will cost $365 million more than previously expected -- raising the cost to $2.35 billion.