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Svinicki nomination at the Senate
The White House finds itself in the role of supporting a Republican for reappointment to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory CommissionThe pretzel politics of life in Washington took on new twists this month. The White House nominated sitting NRC Commissioner Kristine Svinicki for another term over the objections of Senate Majority Leader Harry... [read more]
Continuing the Dialogue with the White House
Takeaways from White House energy and climate adviser Heather Zichal’s appearance at Monday’s hydraulic fracturing workshop in Washington, D.C., hosted by API:Outreach – The oil and natural gas industry agrees with the Zichal and the administration that constructive dialog on energy issues is, well, constructive. Zichal:“I give [API... [read more]
The GOP Debate: Don't Bet on Yucca Mountain
The Obama administration's controversial decision to zero-fund (and effectively cancel) the Yucca Mountain spent fuel repository - in violation of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act - was generally regarded as a decision which would only be reversed by a subsequent administration. (One can argue about whether the 1987 amendment to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act mandating Yucca mountain was a good or fair idea, but it still is the law, bad law as it may be.) [read more]
Obama Facing Tough Balancing Act as EPA Advances Greenhouse Gas Regulations
Facing environmental suits and court-imposed obligations, the Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to issue new rules to regulate climate destabilizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants and oil refineries, setting the Obama Administration up for a tough balancing act.“We are following through on our commitment to... [read more]
Holdren dishes out energy advice
Common sense prevails until he broadly endorses MIT’s nuclear study John Holdren, President Obama’s Science Advisor, returned to MIT, his alma mater (‘65), Oct 27 to deliver a signature speech (slides) on energy R&D, climate change, and energy policy. (Hat tip to Ken Berard at NEI for the slides) If you want to know what energy... [read more]
The Obama White House Goes Solar
The Obama administration has announced plans to install solar panels on the White House. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and Council of Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley made the announcement this morning during a federally-sponsored GreenGov Symposium at George Washington University. [read more]
New clean air rule to help tame coal plant monster
Our guest blogger (via WR) is Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch. Yesterday, the Obama administration proposed a sweeping plan to reduce power plant emissions that cross state lines and kill tens of thousands of Americans every year. The proposed Clean Air Transport Rule replaces the Bush administration’s so-called “clean... [read more]
Fannie and Freddie derail PACE solar financing program
photo: Sonoma County In Thursday’s New York Times, I write about how government-chartered mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are derailing an innovative program called Property Assessed Clean Energy. PACE programs finance the installation of solar panels and energy efficiency upgrades and let homeowners repay the loans through a... [read more]
Gulf Marine Life: Lots of Economic Power, Not Much Political Clout
For five weeks now, we have watched the Deepwater Horizon disaster spew oil and toxic dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico. This isn’t a simple spill on surface water. It is an ongoing, deepwater catastrophe occurring in one of the most productive marine environments in the world. Yet the Obama Administration’s response hasn’t matched... [read more]
Axelrod: Oil spill adds urgency to passing energy and climate bill - Reid: “Weaning ourselves off of oil is a hard fact for us to face."
White House senior advisor David Axelrod has not been viewed as a friend to climate legislation by enviros. Indeed, I’ve been told by multiple sources he is one of the reasons why high-level administration figures so rarely talk about the threat of global warming. Sadly, he is among those who have been duped by bad polling... [read more]
President Obama, Give the Spill Investigation the Right Mandate
I am pleased the Obama Administration has announced that two experienced and fair-minded figures will head up his independent commission to investigate the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. On May 4, we sent a letter to the President urging him to take launch an investigation, and I appreciate that he has responded. Former Senator Bob... [read more]
We need an independent commission to investigate the BP disaster
Presidents Carter and Reagan—after the Three Mile Island near-nuclear meltdown and the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, respectively—appointed independent commissions of high-profile public officials and experts to thoroughly investigate the causes of these events and make recommendations to prevent future tragedies.... [read more]
Three Steps Obama Should Take to Prevent Future Oil Disasters
As tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico continues to unfold in painful and unpredictable ways, Americans are wondering what we can do to prevent another offshore oil disaster in the future. I have just sent a letter to President Obama outlining NRDC’s recommendations for how we can protect marine life and coastal communities from similar... [read more]
Oil Spill Hits Louisiana Shoreline, White House Suspends New Drilling
This is looking like its going to be a complete disaster. Check out this article in the Washington Post about the oil spill hitting the Louisiana shoreline. I think Grist’s Tom Philpott puts in fine words how valuable of an ecosystem is being harmed by this spill: “The Gulf of Mexico is a magnificent resource: a... [read more]
Is Nuclear Green? A Question for Earth Day
Forty years ago, we chose this day in April to express our concern for the state of the planet. At the time, people were worried about air pollution, water pollution and the threat that the “population explosion” was going to overrun the planet’s resources. Where energy was concerned, we worried instead about fouling... [read more]
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Baby You Can Drive My (Electric) Car
Posted May 11, 2012 by Scott Edward Anderson
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Siemens develops ABS plastic alternative
Posted May 9, 2012 by Doris de Guzman
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Reduce CO2 and Slow Global Warming?
Posted April 30, 2012 by Willem Post
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Hidroenergia 2012
May 25, 2012, Wroclaw, Poland
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WGC 2012 - 25th World Gas Conference
June 4, 2012, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Ecwatech 2012
June 4, 2012, Moscow, Russia
The moderated community for energy, policy, and environment professionals
What's New on
Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »
Marc Gunther is a writer, speaker and consultant, who focuses on business and the environment. More »
Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »
Jesse Jenkins is the director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute. More »
Robert Rapier works in the energy industry and writes and speaks about energy and the environment. More »
Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »
Dan Yurman is a nuclear energy blogger and writes regularly for Fuel Cycle Week. More »
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Global JOJOBAWORLD 2012
When: Fri, 2012-05-25 09:00
Hidroenergia 2012
When: Fri, 2012-05-25 09:00
NESCO Town Hall: Security Risk Management Practices for Electric Utilities
When: Wed, 2012-05-30 13:00
Ecwatech 2012
When: Mon, 2012-06-04 09:00
WGC 2012 - 25th World Gas Conference
When: Mon, 2012-06-04 09:00
2nd CSP Optimisation Summit
When: Tue, 2012-06-05 08:00
“Cities will need to be retrofitted, as a whole. There's much work to be done. Vertical farming and other forms of energy/space/agriculture integration will be necessary to further sustain how humans live on this planet.”
“David,Reserves, potential resources and production are not interchangeable, and apocalyptic statements that depend on conflating them are thus fundamentally flawed. Your cogent analysis makes this crucial distinction well. It just needs a bigger audience.”