America's LargestCurrently browsing:U.S. Politics
Fuel of the Future: Smaller, Safer Nuclear Power
All life on Earth depends on nuclear power. The Sun is a giant fusion furnace, and what energy on Earth doesn’t come in one way or another from the Sun comes from radioactive decay at Earth’s core. If it wasn’t for nuclear reactions, Earth would be a cold, lifeless rock. Long decried as unsafe or [...]
Read More »Fuel of the Future: Bio-Butanol from Wood as Renewable Gasoline
We have known for centuries how valuable trees are: they help us breathe, provide us with wood for shelter and can even be turned into a variety of products, like paper. But now, some investors are developing ways to turn trees into bio-butanol to help wean America off its usage of petroleum.
According to a Reuters [...]
New Tools Boost Energy Conservation, But Will Growing Demand Wipe Out Savings?
We recently looked at the nation’s aging electrical grid and the challenges involved in upgrading it to meet America’s surging power needs, now and into the future.
That post was based on a series presented on National Public Radio in April. The 10-part series also considered these questions: If we used electricity more prudently, could we [...]
Cap-and-Trade Bill Passes House by Thin Margin
A sharply divided House of Representatives narrowly passed the controversial Waxman-Markey climate change bill Friday. An early vote on the bill had been pushed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who had first vowed to get it passed before the Fourth of July recess, then moved the vote to Friday.
The bill passed by the [...]
Court Rules in Favor of Federal Power Regulators in NE; Preview of Jurisdiction Fight Over Electrical Grid?
A U.S. Appeals Court ruled that New England states cannot determine the pricing their own citizens pay for electricity, Forbes reported last week. The electrical rates for Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine are set according to estimates of their near-future power needs—the higher the estimated need, the greater the price, in [...]
Read More »Green Jobs Update: Where Are they and What do They Pay?
A significant portion of the Obama stimulus package has been earmarked for clean energy development. Along with the obvious goals of reducing fossil fuel dependence and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions, it’s hoped that millions of new jobs will be created in green industries. How much money will go where and how much good can [...]
Read More »New Commodities Regulations Could Stop “Insider Trading” Practices of Big Investors
Politicians are continuing to eye commodities markets, seeking a way to regulate a marketplace that has a profound effect on the world economy.
Commodities trading is regulated by the Commodities Future Trading Commission. Many legislators have been discussing ways to tighten commodities regulations and the Obama administration is very supportive of these efforts.
The CFTC oversees commodities [...]
Federal Funds Heading to Iowa to Support Big Alternative Energy Plans
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this week that Iowa will receive $16 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy development, the Chicago Tribune reported. It’s part of the Administration’s dual push for alternative energy and economic stimulus, and Iowa merely happens to be one of the first states to receive funds—many others will as well. [...]
Read More »Carbon Credits Trading Could be Vulnerable to Speculators
The phrase “cap-and-trade” has entered our daily lexicon. How it works is simple: companies that emit carbon dioxide will have a permit limiting how many greenhouse gasses said company can emit. But since some companies and industries are more capable of efficiently limiting greenhouse gasses, this would create a surplus of permits. Companies with extra [...]
Read More »Pelosi Gambles on Emissions Bill, Schedules House Vote for Tomorrow
The website politico.com reported yesterday on a daring move by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that could turn into the biggest victory or the biggest defeat of her six-month run as what the article called Obama’s “legislative ramrod.”
Pelosi had first said she would pass the controversial Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill before the start of the [...]
Gov’t Study: New Energy Bill Will Raise Energy Costs Just $175 Per Year
The New York Times Greenwire reported on Monday that climate legislation pending in the House is predicted to cost an average of about $175 per household per year by 2020, according to a just-released study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The price tag would be somewhat larger for wealthier Americans, while the poorest could [...]
Read More »Airline Industry Calls for Limits to Oil Speculation
Flying the friendly skies isn’t always so friendly, as anyone who has ever bought a plane ticket knows. This is especially true when it comes to cost; tickets to fly are often times astronomical and prohibitive.
The people who know this best work in the airline industry. And they’re feeling the brunt these days. People are [...]
Updating the Power Grid: Many Challenges to Tackle
The nation’s electricity grid is a marvel of dependability, but it’s badly outdated and beginning to show signs of wear. The grid is having trouble coping with increasing demand and is unprepared to adapt to new alternative energy sources. The federal stimulus package includes $11 billion for improvements to the grid. But bringing it up [...]
Read More »New Energy Bill Would Establish Reserves of Refined Petroleum Products
The Washington Post reported Thursday on an expansive new energy bill which has already been approved by a Senate committee and is now working its way through Congress. Among other measures, the bill, if it becomes law, will allow new offshore drilling, require utilities to generate 15% of their electric power from renewable sources by [...]
Read More »Federal Stimulus Funds for Weatherizing Arrive in Long Island
Out with the good air, in with the bad air…wait, that’s not right.
No, it’s not. However, it’s exactly what happens in many homes, especially older, more poorly insulated ones: warm air escapes in winter, drawing in cold air and raising heating bills. In the summer, the opposite happens. In either case, the homeowner spends more [...]
Clean Coal Gets Big Boost from Obama Admin’s Financial Commitment
In terms of greenhouse emissions, coal is one of the dirtiest sources of energy around. However, coal can be a clean source of energy, though technically, “clean coal” should probably be called “cleaned up after itself” coal, since the main source of its cleanliness is that its primary pollutant is safely buried away before it [...]
Read More »Calls for More Regulation of Energy Derivitives Trading Intensify
Due to the effects of the ongoing recession, demand for oil has dropped. At the same time, inventory supplies of oil have increased. Under the traditional laws of supply and demand, the price of oil should be plummeting. However, it’s doing the opposite.
The reason, many people say, is because of excessive oil speculation. And, because [...]
Obama Admin Ready to Put Limits on Oil Speculation
The Obama administration has taken steps to limit oil speculation as part of its overhaul of the financial system in the wake of 2008’s financial meltdown, the McClatchy Company reported yesterday. While some of the administration’s plans will require legislation, and so are a work in progress, other steps can be taken immediately by executive [...]
Read More »Water Scarcity Major Obstacle to Oil Shale Development in the West
Water has long a valuable treasure in the American West: everyone wants it, and there’s never enough. The history of the West has been shaped by water’s availability, from the drought-related collapse of the Anasazi Indian civilization before the first Europeans came to the Americas, to the current tension between western states over water for [...]
Read More »Google Says Major Renewable Energy Adancements Could be Around the Corner
Reuters reported this week that search engine giant Google is expecting to be able to produce renewable energy at a price cheaper than coal within just a few years.
Bill Weihl, Google’s director of Energy Strategy, said, “In three years, we could have multiple megawatts of plants out there.” Google has cast the move as a [...]
