Senator Reid Introduces Limited Energy Bill

Joanna Schroeder

With the climate bill in flux in the Senate, there are new concerns surfacing that climate legislation is dead in the water, stalling political efforts to revive the economy though the development of clean tech jobs. In response, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) responded last week by proposing a new piece of limited energy legislation that would limit offshore …

Electricity, Energy, Legislation, Opinion, politics

Ethanol in Senate Ag Hearing Spotlight

Cindy Zimmerman

Ethanol took the spotlight in a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday on the Farm Bill’s energy and rural development programs. Testimony at the hearing came from USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager, Growth Energy Co-chairman General Wesley Clark, National Alliance of Forest Owners president Dave Tenny, and New York dairy producer Eric Zuber. The discussion ranged from increasing the …

Energy, Ethanol, Government, Growth Energy

25x’25 Shows Progress Toward Renewable Energy Goal

Cindy Zimmerman

The nation is moving slowly but surely toward greater energy independence, according to a new progress report from 25x’25. Renewable energy produced in the United States between 2004 and 2009 grew by about 23 percent, according to the report, Meeting the 25x’25 Goal: A Progress Report. The 32-page analysis details advances made by the renewable energy sector since the Alliance …

Energy, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Solar, Wind

Book Review – No Impact Man

Joanna Schroeder

So you’re a bit frustrated with the state of the climate and pretty concerned with our fossil fuel use. So what do you do? You become the No Impact Man. Colin Beavan, a writer from New York who was struggling with how to deal with climate change, decided that he, along with his wife, two year old daughter and dog, …

book reviews, Energy, Environment, global warming

Pickens Encourages Investment in American Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

“When do we stop investing in OPEC and start investing in America?” That’s the question that oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens asked at a House Ways and Means committee hearing Wednesday on “Energy Tax Incentives Driving the Green Job Economy.” Pickens told the panel that he’s for “anything that’s American” when it comes to energy -including wind, coal, solar, hydro, …

Energy, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Geothermal, Government, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Propane, Solar, Wind

Opposition Mounts Against Cape Wind Project

Joanna Schroeder

Less than two weeks ago, Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri released the “Great Expectations” wind energy report as commissioned by the Governors’ Wind Energy Coalition. The two governors met with Obama to share their findings, one of which is strong support for coastal, deep water and offshore wind energy technology, research and investment. The …

Electricity, Energy, News, Opinion, Wind

Fortune Brainstorm Green Biofuels Session

Cindy Zimmerman

Three CEOs of companies working toward next-generation biofuels will take the stage at Fortune Magazine’s Brainstorm Green conference in California next week. Joining the conversation on “Beyond Corn Ethanol?” will be Jeff Broin of POET, William Roe of Coskata and Jonathan Wolfson with Solazyme. Broin will also take part in another discussion on “Renewable Energy – Hype and Reality” with …

conferences, Energy, Ethanol, POET

Ethanol Bob Tweeting President’s Energy Speech

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Bob Dinneen is on location at the site of President Obama’s speech this morning on energy initiatives for the United States. The event is being held in a hanger at Andrews Air Force Base with the backdrop of a Navy Green Hornet jet that will fly on biofuels on Earth Day. The president is …

biofuels, Energy, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Government, RFA

Newest Cash Crop – Clean Energy

Joanna Schroeder

Farmers and small business have found a crop to make them more money – clean energy. This according to a recent report from the Environmental Lay & Policy Center (ELPC) which just released “Farm Energy Success Stories” that demonstrate how a farm or small rural business adopted clean energy technologies and cut energy costs. Examples cited in the report include …

biomass, Electricity, Energy, Geothermal, Solar, Wind