Vice President Joe Biden might be known a bit for saying some crazy things, but his latest pronouncement… that some green jobs could pay as much as $50 an hour (see this CNN story)… is some good news to the ears of a nation that is trying to shake the unemployment blues while moving to a renewable energy economy. CBS …
Scientists Question California Climate Plan
Over 100 of the nation’s top scientists are questioning the approach taken by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which singles out biofuels for “indirect effects,” claiming that petroleum products result in lower carbon emissions. Scientists affiliated with research labs such as the National Academy of Sciences, UC-Berkeley, Sandia National Labs, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and MIT sent a letter …
Bill Would Expand Use of Wood Waste for Ethanol
Legislation that would allow producers to make cellulosic ethanol out of waste wood from federal forest land was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) are co-sponsoring the Renewable Biofuels Facilitation Act, legislation that would fix a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that …
USDA Support for Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels. Vilsack also says USDA is working with …
Obama’s Budget Calls for $15 billion for Renewables
After alluding to putting $15 billion in renewable energy development during his State of the Union Address (see my post from last Tuesday night), Pres. Barack Obama has officially called for the money in his first budget. From his statement posted on the White House Web page: Because our future depends on our ability to break free from oil that’s …
Obama Calls for $15 Billion for Alternative Energy Development
Just moments ago, Pres. Barack Obama, in his first State of the Union Address, laid out his plan he believes will lead to the recovery of the U.S. economy. And alternative energy could wind up being a big winner as part of the plan. Obama said that while “we have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new …
Obama Nominates EPA Deputy
President Barack Obama on Monday announced his intention to nominate Jon Cannon for Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a position that will play an important role in implementing the Renewable Fuels Standard. Cannon is currently a professor of environmental law as well as the director of the Environmental and Land Use Law Program at the University of Virginia. …
Governors Urge Immediate Biofuels Action
The Governors’ Biofuels Coalition is calling on President Obama to tap the job growth potential of the biofuels industry. According to the 35 member coalition, the nation’s biofuels industry is poised to provide immediate job growth, generate economic activity and prepare the nation for the next increase in world oil prices and they are urging the president to capitalize on …