The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it plans to issue a final decision on the proposed increase to the allowable ethanol content in fuel by mid 2010, according to a letter sent today to Growth Energy, a biofuels trade group. In March 2009, Growth Energy requested a waiver to allow for the use of up...
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Yesterday, Jose W. Fernandez was sworn into office as the U.S. Department of State’s Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. Fernandez will lead the Bureau that is responsible for overseeing work on international trade and investment policy; international finance, development, and debt policy; economic sanctions and combating terrorist financing; international...
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The Centre for European Policy Studies has released a new set of publications related to climate change or energy policy, which are available for no cost on the CEPS website. Fujiwara, N., 2009 “Flexible Mechanisms in Support of a New Climate Change Regime: The Clean Development Mechanism and beyond“, CEPS Task Force Report, December* The report...
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A new analysis by researchers at the Organisation for Economic C0-Operation and Development and the International Energy Agency explores how model structure, baseline estimates and policy assumptions influence the magnitude of estimated GHG mitigation for various proposed policies across a variety of models. The paper, “National and Sectoral GHG Mitigation Potential: A Comparison Across...
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US Congress: Climate bill for spring 2010; Clean Energy Act introduced (Van Ness Feldman, 23 November 2009) In the US Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, after consultation with five of the six committee chairs with jurisdiction over elements of a cap-and-trade bill, has confirmed that climate legislation will be considered in spring 2010. He...
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Aluminum hydride , also known as alane, is a high capacity hydrogen storage material that may hold the key to developing a whole class of advanced storage materials. Researchers at the Savannah River National Laboratory, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy , have developed a novel closed cycle for producing aluminum...
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While the recent rise in crop prices have relented, the long-term decline in inflation-adjusted crop prices has probably leveled off in the past 10 to 20 years. Crop yields are only one measure of productivity, but they are a key factor fueling changes in inflation-adjusted crop prices. Many factors were behind the 2007-08 increases in...
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In 2006, the United States emitted roughly 7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, measured in CO2 equivalents (the amount of CO2 that would cause an equivalent amount of warming). Eighty percent of domestic emissions consisted of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels in activities such as manufacturing, electricity generation, transportation, agriculture, and...
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Eighteen major energy companies reported a 71-percent decrease in net income relative to the third quarter of 2008, which amounts to a 54-percent decrease relative to the third-quarter average for the four year period ending in 2008. The effects of lower oil and natural gas prices, worldwide refinery throughput, and domestic and European refining margins...
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Cyber attacks can destroy critical infrastructure, disrupt commerce and banking systems, and compromise sensitive defense and military data.  Reported attacks against U.S. government computer systems are rising far more rapidly than most members of the public realize. In testimony to the Commission in May 2008, Colonel Gary McAlum, then chief of staff for the U.S....
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