Boosting biofuels; bothering enviros

Steven Mufson has a good piece in today's WaPo (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303804.html?sub=AR) that nicely summarizes the policy debate on mandates for increased biofuels use in the tr...

Posted Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 8:02 am | Filed in: Alternatives, Energy Security, Energy Supply, Legislation, Oil Dependence, Renewables, Transportation

SOTU keeps energy/climate legislation alive(?)

The great Washington pastime of reading between the lines of the President's State of the Union address is in full swing.  If the POTUS had last night said "I support the Waxman-Markey bill and ask the Senate to pass it" -- that ...

Posted Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 7:15 am | Filed in: Energy Security, Environment, Oil Dependence, Renewables

Batty or balanced? Spelunker still in the fight against wind farm

Time for an update on one of our favorite civil suits!  Diligent readers of these postings with strong memories may recall the case brought by a 72 year-old retired spelunker against a West Virginia wind farm.   At issue:  whe...

Posted Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 7:36 am | Filed in: Electricity, Environment, Renewables, Wind

Does the Natural Gas Bubble Need to be Popped?

Natural gas is being touted by some at Copenhagen as a relatively low-carbon “bridge” fuel, a life-line to take us through the next few decades until we can depend entirely on renewable and nuclear energy. Proponents, which in...

Posted Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 9:13 am | Filed in: Electricity, Environment, Natural Gas, Renewables, Transportation

Distributed generation: Now that’s bright thinking

Electricity consumption in the United States is forecast to rise over 20 percent by 2030.  Energy efficiency improvements and new generating capacity—from natural gas, coal, and renewable sources in particular—will help addre...

Posted Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 10:50 am | Filed in: Alternatives, Energy Demand, Renewables, Solar

Government Subsidies for Energy: Are We Spending Them Wisely

Late last week, the Environmental Law Institute issued a report entitled “Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008.”  The report sought to identify and quantify government subsidies to the energy in...

Posted Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 8:11 am | Filed in: Alternatives, Renewables

Renewable Energy Needs a Renewed Electricity Grid

In a further development to California’s push for even more aggressive renewable energy proposals, Governor Schwarzenegger said yesterday that he would veto legislation passed last week that would limit the amount of renewable p...

Posted Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 7:46 am | Filed in: Electric Utilities, Renewables