On global warming, nobody knows the truffle we've seen

Mon Dieu! First the Australians are told that global warming will hurt the hops crops that produce their favorite brewski. Now the French find out that global warming spells bad news for their truffles.

"The black truffle, one of the most exclusive and expensive delicacies on the planet, is under threat from climate change," reports Reuters. "A mysterious species of underground fungi with reported aphrodisiac and therapeutic properties, the aromatic truffles are also highly fragile and cannot withstand more than three weeks without water.    

"But prolonged drought in many of their prime growing regions in Europe and predictions about global warming suggest the future is about as black as the truffles themselves, to the despair of the growers."

The president of the Truffle Growers' Association (no we are not making this up) told Reuters, "The bad harvest years, which used to be the exception, are becoming the norm."

Where will all this stereotypical trouble end -- no more fish and chips for the Brits? Stay tuned.

--Craig Pittman

Foods vs. fuels: who's paying for the fight, who's winning (and who's swiping the grease from behind the restaurant)

This week the Florida Wildlife Federation and the Environmental Defense Fund kicked off a new campaign called the "Faces of Climate Change in Florida," featuring, among others, algal oil producer PetroAlgae and Green Circle BioEnergy, which makes wood pellets that can be burned instead of coal for electricity. They're being showcased in a series of ads like this:

PetroAlgae contends that "the recent food vs. fuels debate has detracted from  legitimate alternative fuels such as algal oil and cellulosic ethanol, among others, that don't compete with the food supply yet still help in the fight against global warming and energy independence."

And who's behind the big foods-versus-fuels controversy? According to a story in Roll Call (subscription required), it's the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which hired a big public relations firm to pump up the controversy.

"GMA has concluded that rising food prices ... create a window to change perceptions about the benefits of bio-fuels and the mandate," the industry group's request-for-proposals stated. They hoped to "build a groundswell in support of freezing or reversing some provisions of the 2007 Energy Bill and for the elimination/reform of ethanol subsidies and import restrictions."

Still, there's enough demand for biofuels -- thanks to the rising cost of gas -- that thieves are stealing grease from behind restaurants, according to the Christian Science Monitor. The legitimate collectors of grease are quite perturbed, says the Monitor, noting that, "One collector, Griffin Industries Inc., has two detectives working cases in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, Missouri, and against an entire grease gang in northern Arkansas."

--Craig Pittman

Polar bears are threatened by global warming, added to endangered list

The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species Wednesday, saying it must be protected because of the decline in Arctic sea ice from global warming, the Associated Press is reporting.

"Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne cited dramatic declines in sea ice over the last three decades and projections of continued losses," the AP says. "These declines, he told a news conference, mean the polar bear is a species likely to be in danger of extinction in the near future."

However, Kempthorne said he would not use the Endangered Species Act as a tool to to force a reduction in greenhouse gases or take any other action to combat climate change. Stay tuned for lawsuits from both environmental groups who want Kempthorne to go further and anti-ESA groups that object to the listing.

--Craig Pittman

Florida solar energy chief says new nuke plants are a bad idea

Last year, Gov. Charlie Crist featured the director of the Florida Solar Energy Center as one of the speakers at his Climate Change Summit. The governor has frequently listed both solar and nuclear power as alternatives to burning coal for power, because they don't produce greenhouse gases.

But now Florida Solar Energy Center Director Jim Fenton says nukes are not the answer. Even though Crist still backs the nuke plants, Fenton contends they're too expensive and take too long to build. Instead, he argues, the state should combat climate change primarily by conserving energy.

In fact, Fenton contends, conservation is better than building ANY alternative power sources -- even solar.

"Can we afford to wait ten years for a nuclear power plant to provide our electricity, even if it produces little to no carbon emissions?" Fenton writes in the latest issue of The Energy Chronicle. "We should focus on using less energy rather than trying to find alternative ways to produce energy. Since 51 percent of Florida's electricity needs come from our homes, we should make our existing homes more energy-efficient rather than building more power plants."

After all, Fenton points out, unlike with the new nuclear plants that have been proposed in Levy County and in Miami-Dade County, "you don’t have to wait 10 years to start seeing the advantages of having an energy-efficient home. Once your home is made more energy-efficient, you’ll start seeing the savings right away."

A spokesman for Progress Energy, which wants to build a new nuke plant in Levy County, says energy efficiency is good but it's not enough all by itself. "We believe the best answer combines several approaches," including nuclear plants, said Buddy Eller of Progress Energy.

--Craig Pittman

NRC chairman sees "an exuberance" about rebound of nukes

Dale Klein, who has been chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission since 2006, said during a visit to Florida this week that there is "an exuberance" about the rebound of interest in nuclear energy. He predicted that no matter who wins the presidential election, nukes are going to be used as a tool in battling global warming.

"No matter who comes in, the cold, hard facts of increasing demand and limited options is going to result in nuclear power staying at the forefront," Klein, whose term as chairman runs until 2011, told the St. Petersburg Times.

The rebound is particularly visible in Florida, where four new nuke plants have been proposed, and where Gov. Charlie Crist is advocating the new nuke plants as part of his climate change crusade.

"Your demand is growing, people are still moving to Florida, and they like to run the air conditioning in the summer," Klein said.

--Asjylyn Loder

Detroit to Schwarzenegger: You're winning, so let's talk

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who sued Detroit to force automakers to produce less polluting vehicles, sat down with executives from six automakers last week to discuss how they could work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The meeting marked "a significant thaw" in the ongoing battle over California's attempt to battle global warming, noted the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Among the ideas they explored, according to the San Diego paper: "Automakers could sponsor more programs to take high-polluting older cars off the roads, help add synchronized traffic signals to limit idling times, incorporate more Global Positioning Systems that steer drivers away from choked traffic and encourage drivers to adopt more 'eco-friendly' habits – from regulating speed to keeping tires inflated."

The meeting -- which included executives from Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Chrysler, BMW and Volkswagen -- came at the request of the auto industry "which appeared to begin laying the groundwork to soften post-Bush regulations," the paper reported. All three presidential candidates have sided with California.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's attempt to impose similar regulations prodding automakers to clean up their products ran afoul of the Legislature this year. Lawmakers said Florida cannot borrow California's clean car standard without their approval.

--Craig Pittman

Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama tout "clean coal" to Ky., W. Va. voters

Global warming is less important to the voters of Kentucky and West Virginia than keeping their coal industry going. So the two Democratic candidates for president are playing down their plans for curtailing carbon emissions and playing up their support for "clean coal," according to a report from Reuters.

"In a bid to draw voters ahead of Democratic primaries in West Virginia on Tuesday and Kentucky on May 20, both candidates are playing up the ascendant role of commercially untested and so far economically nonviable ways of converting America's plentiful coal supplies into electricity without spewing massive quantities of heat-trapping greenhouse gases," the Reuters report says.

"We need some big investments right now in figuring out how to capture and store carbon dioxide from coal," Clinton told a rally in the rural town of Clear Fork on Monday, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Reuters noted, "Obama's campaign has distributed flyers in Kentucky stating that Obama "believes in clean Kentucky coal." The flyers show a picture of giant barges carrying coal down the Ohio River.

--Craig Pittman

Wind energy can produce as much as nukes, says DOE

An Energy Department report being released today concludes that by 2030 wind turbines can generate as much as a 20 percent of the nation's annual electricity needs. That's about the same share of the nation's electricity now produced by nuclear power, the Associated Press reports.

"Wind energy today accounts for only about 1 percent of the nation's electricity," the AP notes, but the DOE report says that in two decades wind could be producing 300,000 megawatts of power.

"The report envisions more than 75,000 new wind turbines, many of them larger than what is in use today, and an expansion of transmission systems to move power from high-wind areas to other parts of the country," the AP story notes.

To read a press release from DOE about the new report, which is being released at 2 p.m., click  here. To read the report in PDF format, click here.

--Craig Pittman

McCain backs cap-and-trade...and nukes too (and takes a swipe at President Bush)

In a speech that shows him distancing himself from President Bush, Republican presidential nominee John McCain today promised to do a lot more to battle global warming than the current administration has. His speech speech at an Oregon wind-turbine factory seemed aimed at appealing to Democrats and independent voters, according to the Associated Press.

McCain called for a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions -- but also said he thinks nuclear energy is a clean alternative that would help reduce carbon, a position that usually gives environmentalists serious heartburn.

McCain's swipe at Bush was far from subtle: " “I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges…  The United States will lead.”

McCain's proposed cap-and-trade is similar to the position taken by Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton -- though not identical, notes an analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

"Sens. Obama and Clinton, also back legislation to cap carbon-dioxide emissions and to allow for trading credits, but they favor an approach that is much tougher on major carbon emitters," the Journal points out.

Goldman Sachs predicts $150-$200 a barrel oil in six months

As the price of oil began steadily climbing two years ago The Fueling Station has consistently predicted that it was unlikely to go back down, contrary to what some analysts were confidently predicting. So, it comes as no surprise that a new report by Goldman Sachs says the price of crude oil could soar to $200 a barrel in as little as six months, as supply continues to struggle to meet demand.

This comes as US light crude passed the $126 mark for the first time.

Oil prices have now risen by 25% in the last four months and 400% since 2001.

I am not an oil expert. But the current problem is not about oil itself, which is why so many of the "experts" have gotten it wrong. It's about the geo-politics of oil. If you pay attention to political events around the globe it's not hard to see why the price of oil is rising. The signals are not hard to find. The volatile situation in the Middle East, as well as corruption and rebel activity in Nigeria, coupled with fast-rising demand from the emerging economies of India and China, falling production in Mexico and Venezuela, and tight refining capacity in the United States, was bound to disrupt the oil industry. Add commodity speculators into that mix, and you have the answer to rising oil prices.

- David Adams