In the State of the Union Address and other appearances this week, President Obama is endorsing a proposal that would extend the advanced energy manufacturing tax credit. The Security in Energy and Manufacturing (SEAM) Act, authored by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), is a job-creating clean energy tax cut, which has delivered nearly $125 million to seven Ohio manufacturers to …
Consumer Energy Alliance Opposes California LCFS
The ethanol industry has an unlikely ally in its opposition to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard that bans the use of corn ethanol in that state. A diverse multi-state coalition that is primarily concerned with the rule’s impact on oil and gas is also opposed. The Consumer Energy Alliance, a coalition of over 170 energy consumer groups and 300,000 …
How to Turn Oil into Salt
The idea of turning oil into salt may sound like something that should be done in a science lab but Dr. Gal Luft says it’s something that Congress can do with a simple piece of legislation. Luft, who is executive director of the Institute for Analysis of Global Security, explained his analogy between oil and salt at the 6th Annual …
Obama Calls for End to Oil Subsidies
In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama voiced strong support for renewable energy and an end to oil subsidies. “We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That’s long enough,” the president said. “It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that’s …
USDA Launches Clean Energy Website
The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week launched a new energy website to provide quick access to the agency’s energy efficiency and renewable energy data. The website, usda.gov/energy, provides access to all USDA energy resources, including: agricultural, forestry, economic, and social data. This is done in part through a set of new complementary web-based tools: the USDA Renewable Energy Investment …
BBI International and NEAtech Form Joint Venture
BBI International and NEAtech have formed a joint venture, called BBI Consulting Services, to offer bioenergy consulting to thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, as well as state and federal departments in the United States. BBI International originally started as a bioenergy consulting firm in 1995 and has since grown into a media and events company focused on growing the …
Natural Power Makes WindManager Available in U.S.
Natural Power, an international renewable energy consultancy, says their product, WindManager, a wind farm portfolio information system designed to increase profitability of wind farm operations is now available in the United States. WindManager is a turbine independent system based on latest international standards such as IEC 61400-25 and RDS-PP. The system is scalable from a single wind farm to large …
GROWMARK Streamlines Energy Delivery
GROWMARK and FS Energy have given a whole new meaning to energy efficiency with the wireless Energy Business System (wEBS) which has streamlined their fuel delivery system. GROWMARK Information Management Solutions director Keith Milburn says wEBS was developed as a fuel billing solution that makes the record keeping process easier by providing instantaneous information such as fuel type, tank sizes, …
Iowa Corn Caucus Grades Candidates on Energy
The Iowa Corn Caucus released its report card for presidential candidates today, giving grades for different policy areas related to agriculture, including energy and biofuels, and an overall grade for each candidate. The highest overall grade went to Newt Gingrich, who scored straight As on every single policy issue. Second in the class was Rick Santorum, who received straight As …
USDA Announces Biomass to Energy Project Funding
USDA has announced funding for a series of projects to convert biomass to energy through USDA’s Rural Energy for America program (REAP). The announcement this week concludes 2011 biomass project funding assistance for a total of 52 projects with just over $31 million in grant and loan note guarantees through program. Among the companies receiving funding is NC-CHP Owner I, …