Energy Politics

All three presidential nominees for the upcoming 2008 US elections are promising that they can end America's addition to oil through the research and development of green energy technologies. They claim that developing alternative energies will create jobs and turn the economy around, while helping to stop global warming and the national security issues caused by dependence on foreign oil imports. While their platforms sound appealing, politicians often say what we want to hear in order to get votes... so who do you trust is most likely to follow through on these promises? Are their claims even realistic? We gathered a few YouTube clips of each candidate speaking on the topic. Scroll down to cast your vote and leave your comments. 3 Comments

According to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the recent and rapid increase in large-scale liquid biofuel production in third world countries could marginalize rural women by threatening their livelihoods. Traditionally, small farmers (women in particular) have had limited access to the large-scale plantations that are required for the production of biofuels like bioethanol and biodiesel. These include land and water, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. 13 Comments

Our recent polls on biofuels and solar energy have shed some interesting light on the public's opinion of these energy sources. So far, it looks like a majority people believe solar energy has great potential as an energy source, while opinions about biofuels are split almost 50/50. If you browse through our articles you'll notice many more opinion polls posted at the bottom of each of our articles on topics like tidal energy and more controversial issues like geo-engineering. While all of these polls are great, we thought we'd dedicate a post to finding out just which energy technologies people are most excited about. 26 Comments

I was watching the television on Saturday night and would you believe there was a commercial about alternative energy? I was amazed. Alternative energy education right at home in my living room! As I sat there on the couch staring at what I believed was most likely the next neo-liberal campaign for conservatism, and not a truly educational 30-second bit, I was surprised by the ending comment and commercial sponsor: Chevron. Yes, one of the biggest names in fossil fuels is talking about anything but! 11 Comments

Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, responds to a recent health report about the potential health and pollution risks of e85 ethanol. The report warns of possible cancer and ozone-related health consequences of a large-scale conversion from gasoline to ethanol, comparing the effects of gasoline vehicle emissions with those from ethanol fuel. Lampert argues that the report's negative conclusions are unrealistic and he maintains that the NEVC will continue to support the use of e85 as a fuel source, along with all other fuel alternatives like biodiesel, propane, compressed natural gas, electricity, hydrogen and other yet-to-be defined fuels. No Comments

The Sustainable Energy Blueprint was originally prepared by a number of the member groups of the Sustainable Energy Coalition (not formally affiliated with the Sustainable Energy Network). To date, 190 organizations and businesses - representing 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico - have endorsed the document. It outlines a plausible strategy and timeframe for rapidly expanding the use of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies to enable a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases while simultaneously phasing out nuclear power and ending most energy imports. No Comments

2007 is likely to become a boom year for alternative energy. The rising popularity of alternative energy technologies will attract venture capital funding, legislative incentives and support, and growing investment from the small business sector. A recent survey conducted by the National Venture Capital Association is predicting an overall increase in alternative energy companies and the internet and media sector. Congress is also expected to put high priority attention on the development of renewable energy sources in 2007. 2 Comments

China is gaining speed as a world leader in the development of renewable energy technologies. Its booming population is straining the energy infrastructure and putting ever increasing pressure on the government to allow research into alternative energy solutions. The majority of China's current energy needs are met by non-renewable sources such as coal. The country's lack of natural resources and growing need for fuel and electricity are giving rise to a new Chinese industrial revolution in clean energy. A new energy market is opening in China which will provide alternative energy investors with the opportunity to invest in renewable energy companies there. 3 Comments

A New Zealand company has applied to patent Celsias.com, the world's first online community that allows regions, businesses or community groups to be paid for reducing the carbon emissions from their everyday energy use. Celsias.com is based upon a fast growing global economy that recognizes energy savings, or carbon credits, as a form of currency. "With Celsias.com you can now track, create and trade this new currency on the internet," explains Celsias director, Nick Gerritsen, "it's the first system in the world that allows you to do this all in one place." Celsias.com is expected to go live in early 2007. 3 Comments

2007 is set to be an exciting year for the online alternative energy community. Our technical Guru has just completed preliminary work on our new alternative energy forums. This latest edition to our renewable energy resources completes our planned site upgrades for 2007. Visitors will now have the ability to post topics and discuss renewables and future energy solutions. We welcome new users to register an account and start discussing renewable energy right away! Many of the discussion boards are currently empty and awaiting their first posts. Merry Christmas! No Comments

The Million Campaign Homepage (MCH) is offering one million pixels to groups and organizations involved in furthering peace, liberty, democracy, environmental prosperity, education, health, bread and water, an open and border-less society, a co-operative commonwealth and the principle of 'less is more'. The campaign aims to employ the huge success of Alex Tew's Million Dollar Homepage in order to create an online ecosystem of campaign groups that co-exist together. Originally exclusive to the United Kingdom, the project has now expanded to include Canada and the United States. No Comments

Come December 31st, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is set to effectively ban biodiesel in the state's largest markets. The problem, they say, lies with the fuel's nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and their contribution to the formation of ground-level ozone in Texas' eastern counties. According to the TCEQ, biodiesel does not meet the stricter NOx standards recently imposed on diesel and alternative diesel fuels under new regulations. Efforts to clean up the air, led the TCEQ in November 2005 to adopt Texas low emission diesel standards (TxLED) in an effort to reduce pollutants in the state's smoggiest 110 counties. Texas' biodiesel industry - the largest in the country - suddenly found itself essentially outlawed after the standards went into effect. 19 Comments

Harnessing hydel energy can be an effective way of reducing poverty. China and India have already done that successfully. It is not a fruitful idea to keep discussing as to how much the number of people living below the poverty line has come down during the last five years. Considering that even with the reduced percentage, those suffering from acute poverty are still too many to be left on their own. Now is the time to move on and discuss the best strategy to reduce poverty and help the economy grow at the same time. Article submitted by Arshad H Abbasi. 3 Comments

Growing urbanisation and changes in the pattern of life, give rise to generation of increasing quantities of wastes and it's now becoming another threat to our already degraded environment. However, in recent years, waste-to-energy technologies have been developed to produce clean energy through the combustion of municipal solid waste in specially designed power plants equipped with the most modern pollution control equipment to clean emissions. Yet, solid waste management practices differ for developed and developing nations. In developing countries like Pakistan, institutions charged with the responsibility to make decisions on solid waste management, operate in the enormous information, policy and strategy vacuum and lack therefore the ability to address this looming environmental disaster. 43 Comments

Ocean and Offshore Renewable Energy Policy in the United States After the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This document examines the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was signed into law by President Bush on August 8, 2005. With the enactment of the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Act, ocean renewable energy obtained recognition in a federal statute. Among other things, the Energy Policy Act extends certain financial incentives to ocean renewables that are already accorded to other renewables and authorizes the Secretary of Interior to lease the outer continental shelf for alternative energy uses such as ocean, solar and offshore wind. No Comments

The environmental impact of waste-to-energy technology outweighs the benefits when it comes to a proposed garbage incinerator in Greater Vancouver, according to a leading pollution researcher. The new trash incinerator would be 80 per cent larger than the existing garbage burning facility in Burnaby. The proposal by Montenay Inc. is just one of 23 now being considered by the GVRD as weighs what to do with the 500,000 tonnes of waste that now goes to its soon-to-close Cache Creek regional landfill. Dr. Michael Easton argues building a second, much bigger version of the Burnaby incinerator that Montenay already runs is a bad idea. No Comments

Transcript of President Bush's Oct 12th speech at the Renewable Energy Conference in St. Louis. The president claims that energy is important to himself and also to the nation. He goes on to repeat his assertion that the United States has a severe oil addiction, and that complacency due to low oil prices is dangerous. He touches on the subject of oil supply conflicts and the need to find new energy sources in order to find peace and national security. According to Bush, more government research and funding is necessary in order to develop future sustainable energy technologies. No Comments

An alliance of labor and environmental groups went to Lansing this summer with an important proposal for the Legislature to consider in trying to revitalize Michigan's economy. Too bad lawmakers blew out of town the night before for a long break they'll use to help get themselves re-elected. The Apollo Alliance hosted a news conference anyway, at which its organizers said Michigan can become one of the leading states in developing an alternative-energy industry. But first it must implement incentives to attract investment in biofuels and the manufacturing of vehicles that various alternative energies power. No Comments