Showing posts with label alternative energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alternative energy. Show all posts
2/17/2010
Global Weirding, US Addiction to Oil
clip: "China, of course, understands that, which is why it is investing heavily in clean-tech, efficiency and high-speed rail. It sees the future trends and is betting on them. Indeed, I suspect China is quietly laughing at us right now. And Iran, Russia, Venezuela and the whole OPEC gang are high-fiving each other. Nothing better serves their interests than to see Americans becoming confused about climate change, and, therefore, less inclined to move toward clean-tech and, therefore, more certain to remain addicted to oil. Yes, sir, it is morning in Saudi Arabia."
article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/opinion/17friedman.html
article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/opinion/17friedman.html
2/13/2010
Energy Crisis vs US Involvement
February 13, 2010 Op-Ed Columnist
Watching China Run By BOB HERBERT
It was primarily a symbolic gesture. Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.
“A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter, “this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people, harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”
Ronald Reagan had the panels taken down.
We missed the boat then, and lord knows we’re missing it now. Two weeks ago, as I was getting ready to take off for Palo Alto, Calif., to cover a conference on the importance of energy and infrastructure for the next American economy, The Times’s Keith Bradsher was writing from Tianjin, China, about how the Chinese were sprinting past everybody else in the world, including the United States, in the race to develop clean energy.
That we are allowing this to happen is beyond stupid. China is a poor country with nothing comparable to the tremendous research, industrial and economic resources that the U.S. has been blessed with. Yet they’re blowing us away — at least for the moment — in the race to the future.
Our esteemed leaders in Washington can’t figure out how to do anything more difficult than line up for a group photo. Put Americans back to work? You must be kidding. Health care? We’ve been working on it for three-quarters of a century. Infrastructure? Don’t ask.
But, as Mr. Bradsher tells us, “China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines and is poised to expand even further this year.”
China also has become the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels and is pushing hard on other clean energy advances. As Mr. Bradsher wrote: “These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China.”
We’re in the throes of an awful and seemingly endless employment crisis, and China is the country moving full speed ahead on the development of the world’s most important new industries. I’d like one of the Washington suits to step away from the photo-op and explain the logic of that to me.
The truth, of course, is that there is no reason at all for this to be happening. The United States, in many ways, is very well prepared to move ahead on clean energy. It could and should be the world’s leader. Many, if not most, of the innovations in this area were developed right here. But much of that know-how, as we are seeing in China (and have been seeing in Germany and other places), is being implemented overseas.
The conference that I attended in Palo Alto spotlighted the need to move to a low-carbon economy in the U.S. and exemplified some of the resources available to make it happen. It was sponsored by the Brookings Institution and Lazard, the investment banking advisory firm. The participants included the leaders of — and major investors in — companies that are making great strides in the alternative energy industry. But much of their business is done overseas because right now in America’s wacky, dysfunctional public sector there is no clear vision of a viable clean-energy economy, and, thus, no clue about how to get there.
The network of world-class universities and advanced research institutions in the U.S. is by far the most impressive in the world: think Harvard and Stanford and Berkeley and M.I.T. and on and on. If you add to that the venture capital community in the U.S. with its vast experience and the willingness of investors to take risks, and the sheer entrepreneurial talent of the American business community, you end up with an array of resources fully capable of moving the U.S. into a low-carbon, high-growth and extraordinarily productive economy that would be the envy of the world.
But for that to happen — as Bruce Katz, a Brookings executive who was one of the organizers of the conference, pointed out — America’s corporate, civic and political leaders will have to “articulate what’s really at stake here.”
And what’s at stake is the future of the American economy. The low-carbon era is coming. We can be dragged into that newer, greener world by leading countries like China; or we can take up the challenge and become the world’s leader ourselves.
Watching China Run By BOB HERBERT
It was primarily a symbolic gesture. Way back in 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis, Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. They were used to heat water for some White House staffers.
“A generation from now,” said Mr. Carter, “this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people, harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil.”
Ronald Reagan had the panels taken down.
We missed the boat then, and lord knows we’re missing it now. Two weeks ago, as I was getting ready to take off for Palo Alto, Calif., to cover a conference on the importance of energy and infrastructure for the next American economy, The Times’s Keith Bradsher was writing from Tianjin, China, about how the Chinese were sprinting past everybody else in the world, including the United States, in the race to develop clean energy.
That we are allowing this to happen is beyond stupid. China is a poor country with nothing comparable to the tremendous research, industrial and economic resources that the U.S. has been blessed with. Yet they’re blowing us away — at least for the moment — in the race to the future.
Our esteemed leaders in Washington can’t figure out how to do anything more difficult than line up for a group photo. Put Americans back to work? You must be kidding. Health care? We’ve been working on it for three-quarters of a century. Infrastructure? Don’t ask.
But, as Mr. Bradsher tells us, “China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines and is poised to expand even further this year.”
China also has become the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels and is pushing hard on other clean energy advances. As Mr. Bradsher wrote: “These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that the West may someday trade its dependence on oil from the Mideast for a reliance on solar panels, wind turbines and other gear manufactured in China.”
We’re in the throes of an awful and seemingly endless employment crisis, and China is the country moving full speed ahead on the development of the world’s most important new industries. I’d like one of the Washington suits to step away from the photo-op and explain the logic of that to me.
The truth, of course, is that there is no reason at all for this to be happening. The United States, in many ways, is very well prepared to move ahead on clean energy. It could and should be the world’s leader. Many, if not most, of the innovations in this area were developed right here. But much of that know-how, as we are seeing in China (and have been seeing in Germany and other places), is being implemented overseas.
The conference that I attended in Palo Alto spotlighted the need to move to a low-carbon economy in the U.S. and exemplified some of the resources available to make it happen. It was sponsored by the Brookings Institution and Lazard, the investment banking advisory firm. The participants included the leaders of — and major investors in — companies that are making great strides in the alternative energy industry. But much of their business is done overseas because right now in America’s wacky, dysfunctional public sector there is no clear vision of a viable clean-energy economy, and, thus, no clue about how to get there.
The network of world-class universities and advanced research institutions in the U.S. is by far the most impressive in the world: think Harvard and Stanford and Berkeley and M.I.T. and on and on. If you add to that the venture capital community in the U.S. with its vast experience and the willingness of investors to take risks, and the sheer entrepreneurial talent of the American business community, you end up with an array of resources fully capable of moving the U.S. into a low-carbon, high-growth and extraordinarily productive economy that would be the envy of the world.
But for that to happen — as Bruce Katz, a Brookings executive who was one of the organizers of the conference, pointed out — America’s corporate, civic and political leaders will have to “articulate what’s really at stake here.”
And what’s at stake is the future of the American economy. The low-carbon era is coming. We can be dragged into that newer, greener world by leading countries like China; or we can take up the challenge and become the world’s leader ourselves.
12/29/2009
Coal-Free in Kentucky
http://www.grist.org/article/copenhagen-at-home-coal-free-future-begins-in-kentucky
12/13/2009
11/24/2009
Meet Stan, the Energy Guy
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Renewable-Energy/2006-10-01/Meet-Stan-Ovshinsky-the-Energy-Genius.aspx
11/22/2009
Collective Living in Transition Times
http://transition-times.com/2009/10/29/collective-living-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/
10/15/2009
Sustainability Master Plan , Fayetteville
Sustainable Sandhills eBlast
October 14, 2009
www.sustainablesandhills.org · PO Box 144 · Fayetteville · NC 28302 · 910-484-9098
City of Fayetteville Sustainability Master Plan Adopted!
The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department, with help from their consultant Greenworks Partners and Sustainable Sandhills, engaged key citizens and stakeholders in creating a comprehensive and visionary Sustainability Master Plan to guide the City’s efforts over the coming years. The plan was adopted – UNANIMOUSLY – by the City Council on October 12, 2009!
The final and adopted Sustainability Master Plan can be downloaded from the city’s website. The Master Plan includes a set of seven Guiding Principles:
1. Promote national energy independence, reduce carbon emissions and contribute to a healthier environment.
2. Increase competitiveness and produce economic benefits.
3. Promote regional cooperation.
4. Preserve neighborhoods and maintain housing affordability.
5. Develop healthier communities and social equity.
6. Lead by example.
7. Utilize performance metrics and ensure accountability.
The Master Plan is organized into 4 sections, each with its own specific goals and a list of current efforts and future proposed efforts.
1. Environment and Natural Resources Air, climate, energy, water, solid waste
2. Planning Green buildings, land use & open space
3. Community Health, economic development, social equity, education
4. City Agencies (internal operations) City and Public Works Commission facilities & operations
The Master Plan will further the Greater Fayetteville Futures II vision of the Greater Fayetteville community becoming one of the top 10 places to live in the Southeast.
Congratulations to City staff (especially the City’s Environmental Services Department), Liz Burdock from Greenworks Partners, the residents and stakeholders whose input created the Master Plan, and to the City Council for adopting this plan.
October 14, 2009
www.sustainablesandhills.org · PO Box 144 · Fayetteville · NC 28302 · 910-484-9098
City of Fayetteville Sustainability Master Plan Adopted!
The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department, with help from their consultant Greenworks Partners and Sustainable Sandhills, engaged key citizens and stakeholders in creating a comprehensive and visionary Sustainability Master Plan to guide the City’s efforts over the coming years. The plan was adopted – UNANIMOUSLY – by the City Council on October 12, 2009!
The final and adopted Sustainability Master Plan can be downloaded from the city’s website. The Master Plan includes a set of seven Guiding Principles:
1. Promote national energy independence, reduce carbon emissions and contribute to a healthier environment.
2. Increase competitiveness and produce economic benefits.
3. Promote regional cooperation.
4. Preserve neighborhoods and maintain housing affordability.
5. Develop healthier communities and social equity.
6. Lead by example.
7. Utilize performance metrics and ensure accountability.
The Master Plan is organized into 4 sections, each with its own specific goals and a list of current efforts and future proposed efforts.
1. Environment and Natural Resources Air, climate, energy, water, solid waste
2. Planning Green buildings, land use & open space
3. Community Health, economic development, social equity, education
4. City Agencies (internal operations) City and Public Works Commission facilities & operations
The Master Plan will further the Greater Fayetteville Futures II vision of the Greater Fayetteville community becoming one of the top 10 places to live in the Southeast.
Congratulations to City staff (especially the City’s Environmental Services Department), Liz Burdock from Greenworks Partners, the residents and stakeholders whose input created the Master Plan, and to the City Council for adopting this plan.
10/14/2009
Farm Up the Street Is On the Tour!
Almost twenty sites so far • FREE!!! • Self guided tour
Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, & Moore Counties
Come out and join us to see firsthand what ordinary people with ordinary homes are doing with “GREEN DESIGN.” We’ll also highlight what each of us can do on a daily basis to “LIVE GREEN.” Talk with vendors one-on-one at tour sites about all sorts of green technologies, and visit some of our areas greenest businesses. We’ve got everything from a straw bale house to an inside look at Fort Bragg’s sustainability initiatives to Raft Swamp Farms, a completely organic farm right here in our region!
Don’t miss it! Want to go green but don’t know how? ... Let us give you a 'green'print!
for more info: www.sustainablesandhills.org • 910-484-9098
Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, & Moore Counties
Come out and join us to see firsthand what ordinary people with ordinary homes are doing with “GREEN DESIGN.” We’ll also highlight what each of us can do on a daily basis to “LIVE GREEN.” Talk with vendors one-on-one at tour sites about all sorts of green technologies, and visit some of our areas greenest businesses. We’ve got everything from a straw bale house to an inside look at Fort Bragg’s sustainability initiatives to Raft Swamp Farms, a completely organic farm right here in our region!
Don’t miss it! Want to go green but don’t know how? ... Let us give you a 'green'print!
for more info: www.sustainablesandhills.org • 910-484-9098
9/29/2009
9/24/2009
In-depth Article on Peak Oil
http://www.truthout.org/092209W?n describes current energy sources and their continuing scarcity; meanwhile, alternative energies lag far behind. A recipe for more environmental degradation and global energy wars. Please insist that our local governments are discussing these issues and developing some sensible plans to get us thru the next very difficult decades.
9/14/2009
9/03/2009
Duke Energy Leaving the Dark Side
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-02-duke-energy-quits-scandal-ridden-american-coalition-for-clean-co/
8/18/2009
8/13/2009
Conservation Insider Bulletin, Aug. 7
Conservation Insider Bulletin
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 7, 2009
More complete legislative updates will be provided in future editions, but here's where some major environmental items stand as of today's CIB press time.
Budget Approved: More than a month late and pleasing no one, the General Assembly finally approved a budget. The combination of major program cuts and significant tax increases, in response to plummeting revenues caused by the deep recession, left a sour mood in all camps. In the process, critical environmental programs took their share of hard knocks. Within the context of these very rough times, Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources, reports what has to be taken as the good news. The Office of Environmental Education was not eliminated, despite a Senate recommendation to do so. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a $50 million appropriation—not enough to make up for what was raided by the governor to cover last year's shortfalls, but much better than nothing. Finally, the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund got $2 million. Overall, spending in the categories of "natural and economic resources" took $61.2 million in cuts compared to last year's budget.
An Ill Wind: The Senate this week approved a version of SB 106 "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains. This unfortunate turn has pitted scenic preservationists against advocates of renewable energy development. Clean energy advocates point out that the two perspectives don't have to be taken as in fundamental conflict, and that a reasonable accommodation can both preserve scenic mountain vistas and make use of a clean, reliable energy source. The Senate-passed version of the bill fails to meet that test. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee. This seems to indicate that the measure will be reviewed with deliberation, and improvements will be sought. Final action will likely come in 2010.
Positive Energy: Not all the energy-related news was bad. Two important energy-related items have received late legislative approval. The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Judicial Watch: Roadless Rule Restored
There's good news for our national forests from the federal courts this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (out in California) has reinstated the 2001 "roadless rule" enacted by the Clinton administration just before he left office. The court's ruling tosses out a 2005 decision by the U.S. Forest Service under the Bush administration, which had reversed the Clinton rule.
The restored Roadless Rule blocks most commercial logging, mining, and other development from 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. These roadless areas are de facto wilderness, often including areas of our remaining old growth forest, including areas in North Carolina.
The court's decision should provide regular rule underpinning to secure the Obama administration's temporary moratorium on further development in these important wilderness areas. U.S. Interior Secretary Tom Vilsack had taken personal review of all development proposals in these areas under a directive to the Forest Service on May 28 of this year.
The Other Side: Big Coal Pays for Fake Lobbying Letters
Sometimes the machinations of the forces opposing action on climate change impress even the hardened cynics. One such case was revealed this week with news that the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy" was bankrolling a PR firm which sent blatantly fabricated letters opposing climate change legislation to members of Congress.
The "Clean Coal Energy" group, of course, is just a front group for the coal industry itself. Nothing new there. The PR firm it hired, Bonner & Associates, was generating "astroturf" (artificial 'grassroots' lobbying) letters to swing voters in Congress. Ho-hum, old story.
But here's the kicker. These letters weren't just goosed up by Bonner; they were made up. The letterheads of real groups, like a Hispanic network group and a Virginia NAACP chapter, were used to fake letters purportedly coming from those groups, in opposition to climate change action.
According to news reports, the newspaper Charlottesville(Va.) Daily Progress "broke" news of the scandal in the case of the fake letters sent to first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA5). Since then, other similar fakes have been found to representatives from Pennsylvania. The PR firm apparently sought to target recently elected Democrats from swing districts in states where the coal industry has political clout.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has had a field day reporting on the scandal this week, including an interview with Perriello. Among her points, she noted that the "shocked, shocked" reaction from the "Clean Coal Energy" group ignored a previous history of similar scams involving the Bonner firm. According to Maddow's research, the "Clean Coal" group even knew about the fake letters before the House voted on ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) in late June, but failed to reveal the scam.
Debate in Congress over recent weeks has focused primarily on health care reform efforts—but some scandals are just too juicy to be entirely suppressed. Lettergate may prove to be one of these.
Education & Resources: eRulemaking Site Upgrades Public Access
The EPA announced this week that its eRulemaking Program has launched a "significant upgrade" to www.regulations.gov, the site which provides "one-stop, public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government." The 8/3/09 EPA news release specifically touted "improved search capabilities, new navigation tools, and easier access to areas for the public to provide comments on proposed regulations." The EPA acts as managing agency partner for the inter-agency eRulemaking Program.
This is no doubt news eagerly awaited by the burgeoning Green Cybergeek Community, of which there may be more members than I might have thought a couple of years ago. It will probably even be useful for the rest of us who periodically need to check the content or status of a federal rulemaking proposal.
And the odds are, you heard it here first. Another scoop for CIB. Eat out your hearts, mainstream media.
Published weekly for the Conservation Council of North Carolina
Conservation News to Peruse & Use
Editor: Dan Besse, cib@conservationcouncilnc.org
August 7, 2009
More complete legislative updates will be provided in future editions, but here's where some major environmental items stand as of today's CIB press time.
Budget Approved: More than a month late and pleasing no one, the General Assembly finally approved a budget. The combination of major program cuts and significant tax increases, in response to plummeting revenues caused by the deep recession, left a sour mood in all camps. In the process, critical environmental programs took their share of hard knocks. Within the context of these very rough times, Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural and Economic Resources, reports what has to be taken as the good news. The Office of Environmental Education was not eliminated, despite a Senate recommendation to do so. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund received a $50 million appropriation—not enough to make up for what was raided by the governor to cover last year's shortfalls, but much better than nothing. Finally, the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund got $2 million. Overall, spending in the categories of "natural and economic resources" took $61.2 million in cuts compared to last year's budget.
An Ill Wind: The Senate this week approved a version of SB 106 "Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities", which would effectively ban commercial wind generation in the mountains. This unfortunate turn has pitted scenic preservationists against advocates of renewable energy development. Clean energy advocates point out that the two perspectives don't have to be taken as in fundamental conflict, and that a reasonable accommodation can both preserve scenic mountain vistas and make use of a clean, reliable energy source. The Senate-passed version of the bill fails to meet that test. Fortunately, the House referred the legislation to the House Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, to be followed by review in the House Finance Committee. This seems to indicate that the measure will be reviewed with deliberation, and improvements will be sought. Final action will likely come in 2010.
Positive Energy: Not all the energy-related news was bad. Two important energy-related items have received late legislative approval. The state's renewable energy tax credit (HB 512) was extended until 2016; and local governments were authorized to establish revolving loan funds for energy improvements (HB 1389). HB 1389 will authorize municipalities and counties to use federal stimulus and other funds to finance loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These two bills will help to keep clean energy development moving in our state during a very tough economic period.
Judicial Watch: Roadless Rule Restored
There's good news for our national forests from the federal courts this week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (out in California) has reinstated the 2001 "roadless rule" enacted by the Clinton administration just before he left office. The court's ruling tosses out a 2005 decision by the U.S. Forest Service under the Bush administration, which had reversed the Clinton rule.
The restored Roadless Rule blocks most commercial logging, mining, and other development from 58.5 million acres of roadless areas in the national forests. These roadless areas are de facto wilderness, often including areas of our remaining old growth forest, including areas in North Carolina.
The court's decision should provide regular rule underpinning to secure the Obama administration's temporary moratorium on further development in these important wilderness areas. U.S. Interior Secretary Tom Vilsack had taken personal review of all development proposals in these areas under a directive to the Forest Service on May 28 of this year.
The Other Side: Big Coal Pays for Fake Lobbying Letters
Sometimes the machinations of the forces opposing action on climate change impress even the hardened cynics. One such case was revealed this week with news that the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy" was bankrolling a PR firm which sent blatantly fabricated letters opposing climate change legislation to members of Congress.
The "Clean Coal Energy" group, of course, is just a front group for the coal industry itself. Nothing new there. The PR firm it hired, Bonner & Associates, was generating "astroturf" (artificial 'grassroots' lobbying) letters to swing voters in Congress. Ho-hum, old story.
But here's the kicker. These letters weren't just goosed up by Bonner; they were made up. The letterheads of real groups, like a Hispanic network group and a Virginia NAACP chapter, were used to fake letters purportedly coming from those groups, in opposition to climate change action.
According to news reports, the newspaper Charlottesville(Va.) Daily Progress "broke" news of the scandal in the case of the fake letters sent to first-term U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA5). Since then, other similar fakes have been found to representatives from Pennsylvania. The PR firm apparently sought to target recently elected Democrats from swing districts in states where the coal industry has political clout.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow has had a field day reporting on the scandal this week, including an interview with Perriello. Among her points, she noted that the "shocked, shocked" reaction from the "Clean Coal Energy" group ignored a previous history of similar scams involving the Bonner firm. According to Maddow's research, the "Clean Coal" group even knew about the fake letters before the House voted on ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) in late June, but failed to reveal the scam.
Debate in Congress over recent weeks has focused primarily on health care reform efforts—but some scandals are just too juicy to be entirely suppressed. Lettergate may prove to be one of these.
Education & Resources: eRulemaking Site Upgrades Public Access
The EPA announced this week that its eRulemaking Program has launched a "significant upgrade" to www.regulations.gov, the site which provides "one-stop, public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government." The 8/3/09 EPA news release specifically touted "improved search capabilities, new navigation tools, and easier access to areas for the public to provide comments on proposed regulations." The EPA acts as managing agency partner for the inter-agency eRulemaking Program.
This is no doubt news eagerly awaited by the burgeoning Green Cybergeek Community, of which there may be more members than I might have thought a couple of years ago. It will probably even be useful for the rest of us who periodically need to check the content or status of a federal rulemaking proposal.
And the odds are, you heard it here first. Another scoop for CIB. Eat out your hearts, mainstream media.
7/24/2009
6/25/2009
6/19/2009
6/09/2009
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