The Associated Press

By H. Josef Hebert

Published: January 28, 2009

 

Wind power has seen historic growth and the blessing of President Barack Obama - but it's far from recession-proof. The American Wind Energy Association reported Tuesday that the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines grew by 50 percent last year and 55 new manufacturing facilities were built to make turbine components. But the association sees storm clouds ahead.

The Nation

By Liza Featherstone

Published: January 28, 2009

 

"I said, 'I see windmills,' and everyone kind of gave me a strange look." Vicky Sloan, a humanities professor at Clinton Community College, which serves a rural region in upstate New York, is describing a "visualization" session with a touchy-feely outside consultant, forced on the faculty several years ago by the administration. The consultant had asked the professors to close their eyes and picture their institution's future. "It was so Dilbert," interjects Sloan's close friend June Foley, a professor who teaches psychology at the college. "It was!" agrees Sloan, who lives off the grid, in a log cabin, with her own power generator. "But when I closed my eyes, that's what I saw."

Environmental Leader

Published: January 28, 2009

 

This year’s Super Bowl is going green: the NFL has expanded its environmental program which had basic recycling to include food donations, green energy purchase, and tree planting. Though the NFL admits that while these efforts don’t complete negate the Super Bowl’s impact on the environment, it does make a difference, St. Petersburg Times reports (via CleanTechnica).

The USA Today

By Dan Reed

Published: January 28, 2009

 

Chickens can't fly very far. But chickens — or the fatty parts left after processing —could be powering jet flights across the country and around the world in the next few years. Or maybe it'll be algae, essentially pond scum, fueling them. Or jatropha, a smelly and poisonous subtropical plant with nicknames such as "black vomit nut" or "bellyache bush." Or liquid fuel converted from coal or natural gas, using a technology pioneered by Adolph Hitler's Nazi war machine.

WSMV-TV

Published: January 28, 2009

 

Representatives of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Alcoa Aluminum Company and the governor's office gathered on Tuesday at Belmont University for a green energy summit. The group talked about ways to reduce energy and protect the environment. In recent months, electric customers have lashed out against TVA over what they call outrageously high power rates.

The Tennessean

By Trip Pollard

Published: January 28, 2009

 

Tennessee — and the entire country — face serious economic problems that require difficult choices about where to invest and where to cut spending. Transportation investments are among the most important decisions, since they are central to jobs, economic growth, public health and safety, the environment, and our quality of life. We must choose wisely to address current problems and lay the groundwork for long-term, sustainable growth.

The Boston Globe

By Erin Ailworth

Published: January 28, 2009

 

The wind energy industry -- which last year installed a record 8,358 megawatts of new generating capacity -- could face layoffs this year if a lack of financing forces a slowdown in projects, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The new capacity is enough to serve more than 2 million homes.

The Houston Chronicle

By Stewart M. Powell and Hailey R. Branson

Published: January 28, 2009

 

If things go as Houston Rep. Gene Green hopes, the area’s biofuel producers would qualify for some of the $8 billion in federal loan guarantees contained in the proposed $825 billion economic stimulus package facing House action on Wednesday. The White House-backed loan guarantees for renewable energy production are part of a broad effort by the Obama administration to expand alternative energy sources, But the bill does not contain incentives for the biofuels producers in Houston.

Business Week

By Ursula M. Burns

Published: January 27, 2009

 

Please tell me that "green" isn't a fad. I don't know about you, but for the past two years I have been on green overload. Everywhere I turned, read, listened, and watched, the race to say "I am greener than you" has been on for individuals and businesses alike. But that was then. With a struggling economy and oil prices falling fast, I think we will soon see just how real all those green aspirations are.

Business First of Louisville

Published: January 27, 2009

 

The University of Louisville will be home to the state of Kentucky’s Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship. The center will be funded through a $20 million donation from U of L engineering school graduates Henry Conn and his wife, Rebecca Conn. It is the largest private donation made to any public university in Kentucky.

Forbes

By Roger Alford

Published: January 27, 2009

 

The University of Louisville, propelled by a record $20 million financial pledge, will play a key role in Kentucky's push to develop environmentally safe renewable energy, Gov. Steve Beshear announced. Beshear said Monday the university has agreed to operate the soon-to-be-created Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship, a facility intended to help make Kentucky a national leader in research and development of alternative power sources.

National Public Radio

By Christopher Joyce

Published: January 27, 2009

 

President Obama says his $825 billion economic stimulus plan includes tens of billions of dollars to remake the country's electricity industry into a greener enterprise. Obama said Monday that the plan would put 460,000 Americans to work on energy projects and double the amount of alternative energy produced over the next three years. In the short term, the plan would provide funds to "weatherize" 2 million homes by improving things such as insulation and leaky windows. The government also would improve the efficiency of 75 percent of federal buildings.

Reuters

By Andrew Torchia

Published: January 27, 2009

 

China's central government will subsidize purchases of clean-energy vehicles for public fleets in 13 cities to help the automobile industry develop green technology, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The trial scheme will promote the use of electric, hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles by public transport operators, taxi firms and postal and sanitary services in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, Xinhua quoted a finance ministry statement as saying late on Monday.

The Christian Science Monitor

By Mark Calyton

Published: January 27, 2009

 

The economic stimulus package as crafted by the House of Representatives includes $11 billion to modernize America’s electric grid. About $10 billion of that money would go for upgrading the transmission system so that it’s more reliable, efficient, and redundant. The program, part of the stimulus plan’s green initiatives, would also make the grid more interconnected so that traditional and renewable power plants in, say, the Midwest could send their surplus electricity to the East Coast.

The Washington Post

By Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin

Published: January 27, 2009

 

President Obama issued two orders yesterday that could ultimately toughen fuel efficiency requirements for new cars and light trucks in what could prove stiff medicine for a U.S. auto industry already hobbled by financial troubles. With General Motors and Chrysler leaning heavily on billions of dollars of federal loans, Obama is in a strong position to remake the industry with an eye toward cutting U.S. petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Christian Science Monitor

By Mark Clayton

Published: January 27, 2009

 

For all the hope and hoopla surrounding the largest public works program since the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s, the share spent on long-term “green” investments is surprisingly small. Most of the stimulus package goes to temporary measures, such as tax cuts, emergency aid to the states, and the extension of unemployment benefits.

Denver Business Journal

By Cathy Proctor

Published: January 27, 2009

 

Xcel Energy Inc. on Tuesday announced rebates for energy efficiency appliances and projects as part of its effort to cut energy demands by its customers by nearly 125 megawatts and cut natural gas use by more than 7.2 million therms. The Minneapolis-based utility, is Colorado’s largest provider of power and natural gas, serving about 70 percent of the state’s population.

BBC News

By James Coomarasamy

Published: January 27, 2009

 

President Obama has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to look into allowing California to increase fuel efficiency standards for cars. Is this request part of a patchwork of measures that will create a cleaner environment and green jobs? Or - as its critics contend - will it help to create a patchwork of fuel standards that will end up costing even more jobs in America's struggling car industry?

Reuters

By Scott DiSavino

Published: January 27, 2009

 

Five electric utilities in the United States and Canada will host studies of post-combustion carbon dioxide (CO2) capture systems at existing coal-fired power plants, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) said on Tuesday. As global demand for electricity increases and regulators worldwide look to reduce CO2 emissions, post-combustion capture for new and existing coal units could be an important option, EPRI said in a release.

Environment News Service

Published: January 27, 2009

 

The American Trucking Associations today asked Congress to enact a national 65 mile per hour speed limit and govern truck speeds at 65 mph or slower to reduce fuel consumption. Testifying on behalf of ATA before the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, ATA First Vice Chairman Tommy Hodges also asked Congress to support national fuel economy standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks leading to lower emissions through reduced fuel consumption.