Presidential Directive Lays Out U.S. Policy Towards Rapidly Changing Arctic Region
The White House on Monday released a Presidential Directive laying out U.S. policy towards the rapidly changing Arctic region. With the melting of the arctic ice, a whole slew of new issues, ranging from access to new shipping lanes to extraction of natural resources such as oil and natural gas, are being created.
With the list of nations bordering the arctic including the United States, Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Sweden, there is a wide range of disputes that are likely to arise in the future. The Directive lays out some general policies to guide the U.S. approach towards these issues:
1. Meet national security and homeland security needs relevant to the Arctic region;
2. Protect the Arctic environment and conserve its biological resources; READ MORE
Obama: Upgrade Energy, Efficiency, Health Care, Education, Technology, Science, Accountability and Transparency
Part 1:
Part 2:
President-elect Obama expanded on his ambitious proposals today.
Obama’s Change.gov concludes that:
“The plan will save or create 3 million jobs by doubling the production of alternative energy; weatherizing 75% of federal buildings and two million American homes…” computerizing America’s medical records; updating thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities; expanding broadband; and investing in science, research, and technology.” READ MORE
Top 5 Environmental Newsmakers of 2008
Maura Judkis at Fresh Greens put together a list of the “Top 5 Environmental Newsmakers of 2008.” Here are her top 5, along with links to our own coverage of them:
1. Al Gore
2. James Hansen (since we didn’t cover Hansen this year, we’re copying Fresh Greens’ summary)
“Hansen, a leading NASA climate change scientist who first testified in Congress about the dangers of global warming decades ago, made headlines in the spring for two statements. The first was his research that set a goal of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide to prevent Earth from going beyond the tipping point for catastrophic climate events, like rising sea levels. The second was his controversial statement that oil executives should go on trial for crimes against humanity for their involvement in climate change – a charge that was widely derided. Though the idea of trials may have been going too far, Hansen’s scientific findings are respected worldwide.”
4. Sarah Palin
5. Barack Obama
America Enters the ‘Trance’ Phase of ‘Shock and Trance’
Tom Friedman presents another in-depth case for a dramatic increase in the national gasoline tax, or an economy-wide carbon tax, in the NY Times on Sunday.
His basic argument is that with falling gas prices, we’re quickly falling back into a sense of trance, which is the second half of America’s standard “shock and trance” cycle that has shaped American energy policy over the past forty years.
Although President-elect Obama has articulated his concern that we avoid this oft-repeated mistake of following petro-panic with petro-complacency, he has been opposed to new gas or carbon taxes. Friedman says that this is a terminal mistake.
Here are the highlights of Friedman’s argument:
Regarding the current situation, he notes:
“Of course, it’s a blessing that people who have been hammered by the economy are getting a break at the pump. But for our long-term health, getting re-addicted to oil and gas guzzlers is one of the dumbest things we could do.” READ MORE
Tennessee Coal Ash Flood 3x Bigger Than First Thought
The coal ash spill that contaminated nearby neighborhoods and rivers in Roane County, Tennessee is actually three times bigger than initially estimated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The NY Times reports:
Authority officials initially said that about 1.7 million cubic yards of wet coal ash had spilled when the earthen retaining wall of an ash pond breached, but on Thursday they released the results of an aerial survey that showed the actual amount was 5.4 million cubic yards, or enough to flood more than 3,000 acres one foot deep. The amount now said to have been spilled is larger than the amount the Authority initially said was in the pond, 2.6 million cubic yards.
The spill occurred at the Kingston Fossil Plant, one of the authority’s largest electrical generating sites, located on the banks of the Emory River about 40 miles west of Knoxville. The ash ponds were separated from the river only by earthen walls. Environmentalists have long argued that coal ash, which can contaminate groundwater and poison aquatic environments, should be stored in lined landfills. But hundreds of plants around the country, most located near rivers that supply the water they need to operate, have similar ponds and mounds of coal ash on site.
Plant-Based Bioplastics Provide Promising Alternative
Unless you’ve been to the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market or are in the plastics industry, you are probably not familiar with the idea of plant-based plastic bags, cups, and utensils.
Called “bioplastics,” these alternative materials are derived mostly from corn, but can also be based on other plants such as switch-grass, among others. Similar to biofuels, bioplastics are intended to reduce our consumption of oil and to be more environmentally friendly than its petrochemical based competitor. However, also like biofuels, there are some questions regarding their effectiveness in this regard. READ MORE
The Colorado River, and the Civilization Dependent Upon it, Faces Dramatic Threats
Although climate change takes most of the headlines nowadays, the environmental threats we are facing are even more widespread. While climate change will exacerbate many of these problems, there are a number of other external issues that must also be urgently addressed.
One of those environmental disasters that is being worsened by climate change, but which also is being worsened by external events, is the destruction of the Colorado River.
SignOnSanDiego expands on this crisis:
The Colorado River has endured drought, climate changes, pollution, ecological damage from dams and battles by 7 states to draw more water. Now energy companies are sucking up the river’s water to support increased development of oil, natural gas and uranium deposits. Yet, the river must provide drinking water for 1 out of 12 Americans and 15% of our crops. READ MORE
New ‘Very High Speed’ Train Goes 220 mph and Has No Centralized Engine
This month, the French company Alstom Transport is testing its brand new “very high speed” train, the AGV (or Automotrice à Grande Vitesse), on live tracks in Eastern France. Unlike most trains, which have a single engine car in the front or back, the AGV has a series of distributed motors underneath the passenger carriages, which saves space and allows the train to carry 20% more passengers. (Notice in the photo below how little space there is from the nose of the train to the first passenger seats.)
The AGV is being tested over 12 nights this month on the Eastern high-speed line, between the Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine stations, at its ideal speed of 224 mph. In comparison, the American high speed Acela train travels at a top speed of 150 mph.
The test train is outfitted with 4,000 sensors that will look at both the train’s overall mechanical capabilities, as well as the interior passenger compartment. Although significant testing has already been done with computer models and on closed course test tracks, it is impossible to perfectly replicate the environment a train will face on live tracks. READ MORE
Annoying ads with music
Just want to quickly apologize to anyone who has been subjected to the annoying advertisement on our website today that automatically plays music. We’re trying to block it and figure out how to stop the ads from playing music, in general. Please feel free to let us know if this happens again in the future. Thanks, ForceChange
Obama picks a ‘conservationist’ to head Interior Department
Obama has added to his already impressive list of energy and environmentally minded cabinet members by picking Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Col.) to head the Department of the Interior.
Salazar is a first-term senator who has a reputation as being a “staunch conservationist.” He has opposed developing oil shale projects on public lands, and supports the goal of getting 25% of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2025.
It is also speculated that Salazar could be more supportive of the Cape Wind offshore wind farm, which has run into some delays recently. The project requires approval from the Minerals Management Service, which is a part of the Department of the Interior.
Conflict over Sunrise Powerlink transmission line project could be decided this week
The conflict between the need to develop renewable energy resources and the environmental impact of these projects will come to a head this Thursday when the California Public Utilities Commission will decide on a major transmission line project in San Diego County.
Proponents of the project, termed the Sunrise Powerlink, argue that this massive 1000 MW transmission line from Imperial County in the east, through the Anza-Borrego Desert, and into northern San Diego County is essential to adding solar, wind, and geothermal energy to the region’s electricity mix. Opponents argue that the renewable energy slated to be generated in the deserts east of the city is unproven and that the Sunrise Powerlink should take a more environmentally friendly route, if at all.
We will be exploring this issue in more depth as it develops.
[Note: clicking on the above map will expand the graphic.]
Key energy and environmental positions in Obama’s cabinet impress environmentalists
The key energy and environmental positions in President-elect Obama’s cabinet have been identified and are bringing praise from environmentalists.
For Energy secretary, Obama chose physicist Steven Chu. Chu won a Nobel Prize for the “development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light,” and is the director of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Under Chu’s leadership, the lab has focused on alternative energy research and efforts to boost energy efficiency in buildings.
For head of the EPA, Obama picked former New Jersey environmental protection commissioner Lisa Jackson. Jackson previously worked for the EPA for 16 years before she joined the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which she has run since 2006. She also supported efforts to create a cap-and-trade system among Northeastern states. READ MORE
Gore to meet with Obama on Tuesday
Although Al Gore has made it clear that he is not interested in an Obama cabinet position, he will be meeting with the President-elect on Tuesday morning. While it doesn’t appear that Gore will be reconsidering his position, Obama has made it clear that he wants Gore to have a strong voice in shaping climate policy.
With Obama still needing to name a pick for his top energy and environmental cabinet positions, Gore could provide some valuable guidance.
Friedman to Obama: efficiency incentives and mandates are not enough– we need a carbon tax
President-elect Obama, in an interview conducted earlier this week and aired Sunday on Meet the Press, indicated that while he supports a transformation in our energy and environmental policies, he wants to accomplish this through incentives, rather than a carbon tax.
Tom Friedman, in effect, responds to that position in his op-ed in Sunday’s NYT.
Laying out the enormous importance of how the billions from bailouts and stimulus packages are spent, Friedman quotes Andy Karsner, a former assistant secretary of energy: “Remember, this money will not be neutral. We are talking about directing an unprecedented volume of cash at our housing, energy, transportation and infrastructure industries. This cash will either fortify the incumbent players and calcify the energy status quo, or it will facilitate the economic transformation we seek. The stimulus will either be white blood cells that will heal us or malignant cells that will continue to sap our strength.” [emphasis added]
Similar to our mantra on this site, Karsner (and Friedman) are basically saying that our country has been operating under an unsustainable status quo for a long time, and the billions and billions of dollars that we are about to spend will either act to cement that untenable situation, or transform it into something healthy and viable. READ MORE
US emissions increased by 1.4% in 2007 due to extreme weather conditions
Reuters reported on Wednesday that greenhouse gas emissions in the United States increased by 1.4% last year. The increase is attributed to extreme weather conditions which caused consumers to increase usage of heaters and air conditioners, as well as a decrease in hydroelectric power due to the drought in the Western and Southeastern US. Hydroelectric power, while destructive to the surrounding habitat, is virtually emissions free. The loss of hydroelectric power was compensated for by an increase in dirty coal and natural gas power.
