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Sen. Alexander Pushes For $700B For Nuclear Reactors

May 28th, 2009

‘OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander called Wednesday for doubling the number of nuclear reactors nationwide, a potentially $700 billion proposal that calls for building 100 more over 20 years.’

via Sen. Alexander Pushes For $700B For Nuclear Reactors.

Caps, Trades and Offsets: Can Climate Plan Work? – washingtonpost.com

May 25th, 2009

It sounds like alchemy, an act of bureaucratic magic. Under the climate-change bill just approved by a House committee, the U.S. government would literally make a commodity — as tradable as a Pontiac or a pork belly — out of thin air.

via Caps, Trades and Offsets: Can Climate Plan Work? – washingtonpost.com.

Refiners blast proposed climate bill | Green Business | Reuters

May 23rd, 2009

‘WASHINGTON Reuters – U.S. refiners on Friday blasted landmark climate change legislation that is currently making its way through Congress as an “abject policy failure,” saying it could lead to an increase in imports of refined products such as gasoline and diesel.’

via Refiners blast proposed climate bill | Green Business | Reuters.

China: Rich Nations Must Cut Emissions By 40 Percent

May 22nd, 2009

‘SHANGHAI — Wealthy nations, as history’s biggest polluters, should cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, China says in a policy document on climate change.’

via China: Rich Nations Must Cut Emissions By 40 Percent.

Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate | Reuters

May 21st, 2009

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A measure requiring utilities to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, overcame a legislative hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.

via Renewable power mandate overcomes hurdle in Senate | Green Business | Reuters.

Op-Ed Columnist Krugman on Climate, Waxman-Markley

May 21st, 2009

If we’re going to get real action on climate change any time soon, it will be via some version of legislation proposed by Representatives Henry Waxman and Edward Markey. Their bill would limit greenhouse gases by requiring polluters to receive or buy emission permits, with the number of available permits — the “cap” in “cap and trade” — gradually falling over time.

via Op-Ed Columnist – The Perfect, the Good, the Planet – NYTimes.com.

Obama proposes first regulation of auto emissions | Reuters

May 19th, 2009

WASHINGTON Reuters – President Barack Obama proposed on Tuesday the first U.S. regulation of auto emissions in a bid to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gasses and lower dependence on foreign oil.

via Obama proposes first regulation of auto emissions | Reuters.

US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package

May 17th, 2009

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he will provide $2.4 billion from the economic recovery package to speed up development of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and factories that burn coal.

Chu told a meeting of the National Coal Council on Friday that it's essential that ways are found to capture carbon dioxide from coal-burning power plants and industrial sources. Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

Chu said coal will remain an essential energy source. He said even if coal plants in the United States were shut down, as some environmentalists want, China and India will not turn their back on coal.

via US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package.

US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package

May 17th, 2009

WASHINGTON — Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he will provide $2.4 billion from the economic recovery package to speed up development of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and factories that burn coal.

via US Makes $2.4 Billion Bet On Clean Coal In Stimulus Package.

Dan Kammen's plenary address at the Copenhagen Climate Congress

May 14th, 2009

Dan KammenVideo of Obama campaign advisor and IPCC coordinating lead author Dan Kammen’s plenary address before the Copenhagen Climate Congress (March 11, 2009), where he argues for urgent action to mitigate climate change through several approaches, including energy efficiency, energy grid infrastructure improvements, and setting a price of carbon.