Category: News

A very interesting and controversial study emerged recently, comparing nuclear and solar costs no less.

The study, “Solar and Nuclear Costs – The Historic Crossover”, was prepared by John O. Blackburn and Sam Cunningham for NC Warn, a climate change nonprofit watchdog. The paper, focused on the costs of electricity in North Carolina (US), describes the solar photovoltaic (PV) business, summarizing its history of sharply declining prices, along with the very different path taken in recent years by nuclear power, whose costs have been steadily rising.
To continue reading the article, visit http://blog.cleantechies.com/2010/08/23/nuclear-vs-solar-clash-of-the-numbers/?ewrd=1

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued its fiscal year (FY) 2011 to 2015 strategic plan, which provides a blueprint for advancing EPA’s mission and Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities.

This plan presents five strategic goals for advancing the agency’s environmental and human-health mission, accompanied by five cross-cutting fundamental strategies that seek to adapt the EPA’s work inside and outside of the agency to meet the growing environmental protection needs of the day. The plan will guide the agency to foster a renewed commitment to new possibilities for achieving the vision of a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable environment.

The five-year plan includes new benchmarks that track progress against Administrator Jackson’s seven priorities such as taking action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and adapt to climate change, protecting America’s waters, increasing the use of smart growth and sustainable development strategies in communities, building and maintaining strong state and tribal partnerships, working for environmental justice, and ensuring that chemical health and safety information is available to the public.

The five strategic goals for advancing the agency’s environmental and human-health mission are:

Taking action on climate change and improving air quality
Protecting America’s waters
Cleaning up communities and advancing sustainable development
Ensuring the safety of chemicals and preventing pollution
Enforcing environmental laws

The Administrator has committed the agency to pursuing these priorities in the years ahead to fulfill EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. In addressing these priorities, EPA will continue to affirm the core values of science, transparency and the rule of law. The agency sent notification letters to more than 800 organizations and individuals requesting comment on the draft plan.

Congress requires all federal agencies to develop a strategic plan covering a five year period, which is updated every three years. EPA developed the FY 2011-2015 strategic plan after receiving extensive comments from stakeholders and the public. The plan is prepared in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993.

More information on the strategic plan: http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/plan.htm

Air Force engineers are planning to outdo the 14.2-megawatt solar array spanning 140 acres at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in Nev., which has held the title of the largest renewable-energy project in the Air Force, with plans to build three new solar arrays by 2013 that are as big as or bigger than the Nellis project. In addition to Nellis AFB, Davis Monthan AFB and Luke AFB, both in Arizona, are planning expansive solar arrays.

Davis-Monthan AFB plans to purchase electricity from a 14.5-megawatt photovoltaic solar array to be built and operated by SunEdison on 130 acres of base property. The array is expected to deliver 35 percent of the energy needed to operate base facilities. The solar project initially was reported in June as being as big as 20 megawatts.

Luke AFB has teamed up with Arizona Public Service Company to build a 15-megawatt solar array on 100 acres of base property, which was originally estimated at 17-megawatts. The project could produce enough energy to satisfy 50 percent of the base’s energy needs and save up to $10 million on utility bills over 25 years.

In addition, Air Combat Command and Nellis AFB leaders have plans to construct a 17-megawatt phase-two project in 2012 to add to the 14.2-megawatt array built in 2007.

Read the complete article at EnvironmentalLeader

The policymaking process in the United States relies heavily on society’s desire for action.  This point cannot be underemphasized. Without gaining public support for an issue, the legislature has little political incentive to develop a plan of action.  The two primary ways of generating public support for an issue are 1) through organized groups who are able to educate others about the problem, and 2) through the media.

In the U.S., a policy cycle begins with the creation of a course of action, followed by enactment of a law, and then actions that are designed to carry out that law successfully. Then, when any policy has been in place for a reasonable period of time, it should be re-evaluated to determine if it has achieved the original goals, what the costs were, and what changes, if any, need to be made. This was keenly pointed out by Vig and Kraft in their seminal book, Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-First Century, 2006).

Environmental law – checks and balances

Jurisdiction and the wording of the law are never crystal-clear. Legal challenges help to define boundaries on the reach of the regulatory agencies. A timely example of this policymaking process at work can be seen in the discussion of climate change and energy usage.

Read the complete article at EnvironmentalLeader

STOCKTON, Calif. — Officials who have tried and failed to clean the air in California’s smog-filled San Joaquin Valley have seized on a new strategy: getting millions of drivers to shoulder more of the cost.

Faced with a fine of at least $29 million for exceeding federal ozone limits, the San Joaquin Valley’s air quality regulators are proposing an annual surcharge of $10 to $24 on registration fees for the region’s 2.7 million cars and trucks beginning next year. A decision is expected when the governing board meets on Thursday.

Although the surcharge is not expected to change how much people drive or what cars or trucks they buy, air pollution experts say it is a harbinger of the future. After decades of forcing industry to clean its smokestacks, retool car and truck engines and fine-tune gasoline, regulators are exploring what they can do to force consumers to face up to the pollution they cause.

Read the complete story at NY times

ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2010) — Sixty-three percent of Americans believe that global warming is happening, but many do not understand why, according to a national study conducted by researchers at Yale University.

The report titled “Americans’ Knowledge of Climate Change” found that only 57 percent know what the greenhouse effect is, only 45 percent of Americans understand that carbon dioxide traps heat from the Earth’s surface, and just 50 percent understand that global warming is caused mostly by human activities. Large majorities incorrectly think that the hole in the ozone layer and aerosol spray cans cause global warming. Meanwhile, 75 percent of Americans have never heard of the related problems of ocean acidification or coral bleaching.

The executive summary and full report are available online: http://environment.yale.edu/climate/publications/knowledge-of-climate-change

Public Architecture last month published their first collection of green building material re-use case studies.

Weighing in at 125 pages including glossary, directories and bibliography, the primer covers new construction and building recommissioning projects across multiple sectors and climates.

To download the Design for Reuse Primer, click here.

The Obama administration’s solar building boom continues. On Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar signed the first lease to build a large-scale photovoltaic project on federal land in Nevada.

“Yes, it’s about jobs and finding a new way forward but it’s also about dealing with the crises of our time facing America,” said Salazar during a speech in Los Angeles at the Solar Power International conference, the industry’s big annual get-together. “America’s foreign policy is held hostage by the politics of oil. It is imperative that we grab this new energy future.”

It’s a significant move. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management controls a huge chunk of Nevada, prime territory for big solar power projects due to the state’s intense sunshine and a licensing process that is far less arduous than the one in neighboring California.

Read the complete article at Grist