August 23rd, 2010

ASPEN — For four solid days this past week, the historic Hotel Jerome was packed with academics, Forbes list members, Silicon Valley luminaries, government energy leaders and Hollywood activists attending the 7th annual AREDAY conference which brings business, thought leaders and financiers together to wrestle with how the United States can shift to a renewable energy economy.

This brainy jam session at 8,200 feet above sea level takes place far from Washington, and this year, it seemed farther than ever, kicking off just after Congress had split for the summer holiday, with Senate leader Harry Reid announcing that even his scaled down energy bill would not be taken up until after the holiday. This followed the July anti-climatic squelching of the real deal, the once-ambitious Kerry-Lieberman climate/energy bill. So no climate bill, not even a skinny energy bill, and none expected. See ya in September. No, wait, after the election.

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July 6th, 2010

Efficiency. It’s much discussed. But will Americans really turn down their AC (or the heat), caulk their windows and put their electronics on power strips?
Experts say yes, they will if they can see that meter ticking away, adding needless dollars to their electricity bills. But the ability to gauge our electricity use with “smart” gadgets around the home depends largely on updating the national grid; creating a smart grid that can feed back information.

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June 17th, 2010

The Post Carbon Institute wants Congress to get tougher about a new energy policy and push forward on a bill that would embrace renewable energy, increase green jobs and improve the nation’s energy security.

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May 24th, 2010

Ninety of America’s leading scientists have urged Congressional leaders to be certain that any climate/energy bill or regulation accurately accounts for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from bioenergy sources, including biofuels such as ethanol.

In a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Majority Leader Harry Reid, and key Obama Administration officials, the group says that ignoring the carbon impact of bioenergy can actually lead to increases in greenhouse gas emissions because not all forms of bioenergy produce less carbon dioxide pollution than fossil fuels.

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April 22nd, 2010

On this 40th Earth Day, many activists are reaching out to their constituents, urging them to make life changes, to reduce energy consumption, rethink paper use, install better light bulbs, donate to climate causes. But mostly they want the American public to snap to attention and call the U.S. Senate. Among those wanting to rattling the cages in D.C. is former Vice President and green evangelist Al Gore. If the Senate “steps up and passes strong legislation, success will be within each,” he told supporters of Repower America in an Earth Day email.

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