Arnold endorses McCain - with a green commitment

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today endorsed Senator John McCain for president. This is not only a big boost for McCain's revitalized campaign, it may also cement his 'green' credentials (see post on Wednesday)

If elected McCain said the two of them would work on forging a new global agreement aimed at cutting greenhouse emissions linked to climate change. "Governor Schwarzenegger, I commit to you, you and I and all of the others who are concerned about our globe, not just our states....[will] hand our children a cleaner planet."

I spoke to Florida Governor Charlie Crist today after his visit to an ocean wave energy research center at Florida Atlantic University. He told me McCain was the first person to raise the climate change issue with him in a one-on-one chat they had a few years ago in Miami when Crist was still Attorney General.

"He told me it was an emerging issue that I should pay attention to," Crist said. "I remember he said, 'My advice is to study up on it.'"

As most of you already know, Crist endorsed McCain last week, helping lift him to a big victory in the Florida Republican primary on Tuesday.

Click here to read more about the latest endorsement of McCain.

- David Adams

Global warming & how it hits your wallet

Global warming could cost the world up to $20-trillion over two decades for cleaner energy sources, according to a new report from the United Nations.

In the 52-page report, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that global investments of $15 trillion to $20 trillion over the next 20 to 25 years may be required "to place the world on a markedly different and sustainable energy trajectory," according to an Associated Press story.

Today, the global energy industry spends about $300 billion a year in new plants, transmission networks and other new investment, according to U.N. figures, the AP noted.

Ban's report provides an overview of U.N. climate efforts to help the 192-nation General Assembly prepare for a key two-day climate debate in mid-February.

To read the full AP story, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Swimming in green, or drowning in CO2?

The great greening of America gets mixed reviews, according to the inaugural GreenBiz Index, a first-of-its-kind benchmark of “green” released today.

Much-hyped greening is real, but incremental, concluded Joel Makower, author and expert on corporate environmentalism. In the report, “The State of Green Business 2008,” he noted the move toward a carbon tax or carbon cap-and-trade scheme that could reduce greenhouse gases, but said there’s a lot of work remaining. He lauded the auto industry’s foray into plug-in electric hybrids, although the cars remain years away from an appearance on your car dealer’s lot. Corporate truck fleets, like Wal-Mart’s, have committed to shedding gas-guzzlers and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Consumers found all sorts of green claims on store shelves, but remained wary of the earth-friendly pledges. Well building went bust, green building provided a bright spot, with energy-efficient construction expected to double in size to a $4.7-billion market by 2011.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Bush's 2009 Budget May Propose Change to Ethanol Tariff

The Bush administration's next 2009 budget may propose eliminating the US tariff on ethanol imports, US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman suggested Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce, Bodman said the 2009 budget, which will be sent to Congress next Monday, "will start to deal with that question" of whether the 54-cent-a-gallon import tariff should be allowed to expire at the end of this year or whether it should be renewed. "I believe that, the best I can tell, [the US ethanol industry] is pretty close to being able to stand on its own," Bodman was quoted as saying.

This would be big news for Brazil, the world's biggest exporter of ethanol, which hopes elimination of the tariff will help boost investment in ethanol production there. The US ethanol industry has opposed removing the tariff fearing cheaper imports would kill future domestic investment. But those fears might be eased if Congress increases the current Renewable Fuel Standard.

- David Adams

The candidates and climate change

Do you want to know what the US presidential candidates are saying about climate change?

Click here for a radio analysis from PRI's-The World.

p.s. last night I covered Sen McCain's victory rally in Miami. Florida Sen Mel Martinez spoke highly of McCain comparing him to president Bush and suggesting McCain would make a better president for Florida. "He's someone who is very sensitive to Everglades restoration," he pointed out. McCain has also been a supporter of alternative energy solutions, both from the energy security angle and the climate change perspective.

- David Adams

Florida's Dirty Dozen

Clean Air Watch has published a list of what it calls Florida’s “Dirty Dozen” electric power industry sources of global warming pollution.

"In order to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals set forth by Florida Governor Charlie Crist, these “Dirty Dozen” electric power plant units will probably need to be retired or repowered," according to Clean Air Watch.

The “Dirty Dozen” are on average 47 years old – older than the 35-year-old national average of coal-fired power plants, it points out.

Florida is a critical battleground in the fight against global warming, the groups say, because it ranks third in the nation in terms of power plant carbon dioxide emissions.

Click here to read more about the Dirty Dozen, who are in order of greenhouse gas emissions:

Plant Name               Owner                         Fuel Type                        

Scholz 2                     Gulf Power                     coal                            
Scholz 1                     Gulf Power                     coal                            
Suwannee 2                Progress Energy             oil                              
Big Bend ST1              Tampa Electric               coal                            
Crist 4                         Gulf Power                   coal                            
Suwannee 1                 Progress Energy            oil                              
Lansing Smith 2           Gulf Power                   coal                            
Bartow ST2                  Progress Energy            oil                              
Crist 6                         Gulf Power                   coal                            
Lansing Smith 1           Gulf Power                   coal                            
Crist 5                         Gulf Power                   coal                            
Crystal River                 Progress Energy          coal                            

- David Adams

No renewable energy tax incentives in new economic stimulus package - bad for wind sector

The economic stimulus package agreement will not include any incentives for energy and more importantly – an extension of the renewable Production Tax Credit (PTC) set to expire at the end of 2008, according to Frank Maisano, an energy policy expert at Bracewell & Guiliani lawfirm in Washington DC.

While Congress has never let the tax credit lapse, the uncertainty of no extension often has a chilling impact on wind projects moving towards development, according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

"AWEA estimates that the slowdown in the wind industry from a failure to extend the renewable tax incentives will place 75,000 jobs at risk and undercut a singular bright spot in the American economy - the booming renewable electricity sector that is creating tens of thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs annually," Maisano writes in his weekly energy briefing bulletin.

Last year, the wind industry saw more than $20 billion in investment in renewable electricity in the U.S. Without a quick extension of the PTC, investors are already starting to hold back decisions regarding wind and solar power projects that will not come on line until next year, he adds.

 AWEA has a great chart (click here)  that shows the impacts in the years when the PTC expires since 1999.

- David Adams

 

Carbon offsets or smoke & mirrors?

If you think buying carbon offsets is saving the planet, a story in today's Washington Post is waiting to toss a big bucket of cold water all over that notion.

"In November, the Democratic-led House spent about $89,000 on so-called carbon offsets. This purchase was supposed to cancel out greenhouse-gas emissions from House buildings -- including half of the U.S. Capitol -- by triggering an equal reduction in emissions elsewhere," the Post reports.

"Some of the money went to farmers in North Dakota for tilling practices that keep carbon buried in the soil. But some farmers were already doing this, for other reasons, before the House paid a cent. Other funds went to Iowa, where a power plant had been temporarily rejiggered to burn more cleanly. But that test project had ended more than a year before the money arrived."

The story provides an excellent look at why the unregulated U.S. carbon market may be promising a lot more than it's providing. To read it all, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Plan B. How to live in a warming world. The Australian case.

Have you been listening to 'Plan B,' the PBS Marketplace feature series about  'Adapting to a Warmer World.'

The program asks 'What if the investments, lifestyle changes and technologies the world is looking toward to stave off climate change don't work?' It looks at the efforts of engineers, scientists and governments to prepare for living with the consequences.

Today's program looked at what Australia is doing as a possible model to follow.

Click here to listen to the program.

- David Adams (back from a weeklong reporting trip to Cuba)

TECO cuts greenhouse gases

Who's green now? Tampa Electric said Thursday they've met the greenhouse gas reduction commitments made to the Chicago Climate Exchange, cutting emissions 4 percent below the average from 1998 through 2001.

TECO Energy, Tampa Electric's parent company, joined the Chicago Climate Exchange in 2004, a year after the exchange was founded. Members make voluntary but legally binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gases. Companies that meet or exceed their reduction targets sell their "surplus" to participating polluters that couldn't meet their reduction targets.

"We are pleased with this recognition, which reinforces the hard work of our entire team to dramatically improve Tampa Electric's environmental profile, and we're proud of the resulting air quality improvements that benefit our customers and the communities we serve," said president Chuck Black.

Tampa Electric, often vilified by environmentalists for its coal-burning power plants at Big Bend, started a 10-year, $1.2-billion environmental improvement plan in 1998, the company said. Since then, it has cut emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury, as well as pollutants that cause smog and acid rain.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

FL nukes escape drought woes

Nuclear plants throughout the Southeast face possible shut downs as drought depletes their water supply, the Associated Press reports. Since nuclear plants are the cheapest for utility's to run, any shutdown could raise your electricity bill, as utilities are forced to buy higher-priced wholesale power or rely on more expensive fuels like natural gas.

But Florida nuclear customers need not worry, since its nuclear plants rely on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean for their water needs.

"No matter how bad the drought is, water levels in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic aren't going down," said Roger Hannah, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Progress Energy Florida's nuclear plant, Crystal River 3, draws its cooling water from the Gulf of Mexico. The St. Petersburg utility plans a new nuclear plant in Levy County that would do the same, drawing water from the unfinished Cross Florida barge canal and piping it several miles to the plant, and then several miles back out the Gulf of Mexico.

Florida Power & Light's two reactors at St. Lucie draw cooling water from the Atlantic Ocean.

Its two reactors at Turkey Point gets cooling water from a unique network of man-made canals that sprawl over 6,800-acres. The canals rely on rainwater and saltwater from Biscayne Bay to stay at the appropriate levels, said FP&L spokeswoman April Schilpp.

Nuclear plants, like other power plants, uses millions of gallons a day to cool the steam it uses to turn turbines to generate electricity. The cooling water never comes into contact with the "process water" used to generate steam inside the plant or cool the reactors. Instead, the cooling water passes over pipes of steam, cooling and condensing it before the process water returns to the plant.

-Asjylyn Loder

CFLs gaining popularity, but maybe not affection

Compact fluorescent light bulbs, the energy-saving spirals, climbed to 20 percent of the market, according to the Department of Energy. The bulbs use a quarter of the energy of incandescents, and last ten times longer.

Of course, they still have to overcome their rep for making perfectly healthy people look jaundiced. At a recent foray into the Target on Dale Mabry, a clerk made a face at my CFL purchase and tell me, "Oh, those are those weird bulbs." But think of it, I responded. For every dollar you spend in electricity to keep an incandescent bulb lit, the CFLs cost just 25 cents.

Truth be told, I know what she means. I've replaced all but a few bulbs in the house with CFLs. The 19-watt (75-watt equivalent) n:vision home soft white that I bought at Home Depot proved too wan for the bathroom. No good for morning make-up application. So we replaced it with the 19-watt (75-watt equivalent) n:vision home "Daylight" CFL. It takes a few minutes to flicker on, hums a little bit, and casts a cold, blue-ish light. I find myself hoping it burns out long before 10 years.

The n:vision home soft white bulbs work well on our end tables, under ivory-colored shades. The light isn't bad, and the shade moderates it, too. The same holds true for the bedroom reading lamps. For reading, though, I found it took a 75-watt equivalent CFL to replace a 60-watt incandescent.

There are CFL bulbs covered to look similar to incandescents that we put in the ceiling fan. They work fine, but again they don't cast the greatest light for taking care of bills at the dining room table. In the kitchen, we haven't replaced our incandescents yet, in part because the fixture is hard to open, and in part because I want to be able to see what I'm doing any place where I handle knives on a regular basis.

Energy Star offers some suggestions for CFLs here, including using reflector CFLs instead of spirals for task work, something I haven't tried. The New York Times recently did a review of energy-saving bulbs, and offered some very helpful advice on how to use the bulbs, and brands that don't make your family look ghoulish. Read the article here.

Want to tell me about your experience with energy-saving light bulbs? Email me at aloder@sptimes.com.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Good news from France: On track for carbon caps

French greenhouse gas emissions fell sharply in 2006, leaving the country well on course to meet its goals under the UN's Kyoto Protocol, France's ecology minister said Tuesday, according to the AFP.

Carbon emissions were 2.5 percent lower in 2006 compared with 2005, and four percent lower than in 1990, the Kyoto Protocol's benchmark year, French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo told reporters.

A big reason for the drop: Warm fall weather.

"In addition to progress in energy efficiency and emissions reductions by industry, autumn 2006 in France was exceptionally warm -- three degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal -- which saved burning fossil fuels for heating, Borloo said," according to the AFP report.

To read the full story, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Feds fine FPL for security problems at Turkey Point

If you’re guarding a nuclear power plant, your gun better work.

That’s the message federal regulators sent Tuesday to Florida Power & Light. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed a $208,000 fine for four security violations at the utility’s Turkey Point nuclear plant, including security workers who deliberately broke the firing pins on their weapons.

The violations occurred in 2004 and 2005, according to the commission. The commission, a federal agency that oversees the safety of the U.S. nuclear industry, also faulted the Juno Beach utility for failing to promptly report the violations.

Three of the four employees involved worked for Wackenhut, and none of the four work at the plant now, said FP&L spokeswoman April Schilpp. Wackenhut still provides security, and the utility has improved training, she said. The utility has 30 days to appeal the fine, but has no plans to, she said.

“The NRC confirms that at no time was plant security compromised,” Schilpp said. “That’s the important thing.”

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Farm to Fuel announces $25-million awards

The state handed out $25-million in “Farm to Fuel” grants on Tuesday, including $11-million for two biofuel producers that have projects around Tampa Bay. But the money won’t be spent on local projects.

U.S. EnviroFuels received $7-million from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for a $47-million sugar waste-to-ethanol facility in Venus. The company’s plans for an ethanol plant at Port of Tampa has been held up by a legal dispute.

Agri-Source Fuels, which has a biodiesel plant in Dade City, received $4-million for a new, $21-million biodiesel plant in Pensacola.

The state created the Farm to Fuel program to spur investment in biofuel production and research in Florida. The grants included research money for university programs around Florida. Projects include algae-to-biodiesel, citrus-to-ethanol and other emerging biofuel technologies.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

More and more states tackling global warming

"As proposals to cap greenhouse gas emissions stall in Congress, more than half the states are moving aggressively to combat the pollution that causes global warming," USA Today reports in a front-page story today that is woefully short on details.

In 2008, eight states are scheduled to release plans to slash emissions of heat-trapping gases, the story notes, and 17 states -- including Florida -- already have set emissions targets.

"States are deploying an array of strategies to reduce pollution," the story reports. "Among them: capping carbon dioxide emissions of power plants or vehicles and promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy."

To read the USA Today story, click here. (Fair warning: It's not much longer than this blog post.)

--Craig Pittman

EU expert wants a global warming Marshall Plan

The European Union's top ecology expert is recommending Europe adopt a"Marshall Plan" of investment to adapt to global warming and reconstruct itself to "reduce vulnerability for the coming century."

Adapting to climate change means more than just trying to mitigate the alterations that are coming, said    Jacqueline McGlade, the EU's chief environment expert

"It's gradually dawning on everyone that it's no good just building a flood defense a few feet higher," she said. "It's no good building new houses in areas where there will be drought."

Instead, she said, each country may need to spend up to 5 percent of its GDP a year on dealing with the effects of global warming -- for instance, relocating industrial shipping ports because of rising seas.

She also said the EU needs to rethink the use of coal -- something that is unlikely to make British authorities happy. "While at the same time wanting to meet very ambitious (emission reduction) targets, we have the UK announcing a whole new generation of coal plants," said McGlade, a former environmental advisor to the British government.

Now the head of the Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency, McGlade made her comments in an interview to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur ahead of the EU's planned release this week of what she called a "very ambitious climate change and energy package."

To read a longer piece on McGlade's interview, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Tony Blair and Governor Charlie Crist shake hands on climate change in Miami

Florida Governor Charlie Crist and former British prime minister Tony Blair exchanged mutual thanks for their leadership efforts on climate change at a private meeting in Miami Beach Friday.

Crist praised Blair's leadership as "absolutely pioneering." Blair returned the compliment saying that Crist's "bold and innovative" leadership at a state level can help change the rest of the world's perception of America's position on climate change.

We have written on the blog before about the UK-Florida partnership on climate change that was signed last July in Miami. Blair was instrumental in making that happen (click here to read our Oct 22, 2007 story), with the support of The Climate Group, which arranged Friday's meeting.

Before leaving office Blair was one of the world's leading governmental voices on the issue, making it one of Britain's top foreign policy priorities. In the face of the Bush administration's refusal to consider broader federal mandates to tackle global warming, Blair developed a smart and agile policy of courting state governments to take their own grass roots action.

Without criticizing the Bush administration, Blair highlighted the importance of state action on climate change. What Florida is doing "gives a huge boost to people everywhere," he said.
The "strong targets" Florida set last year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by state agencies was "making a big difference to people's perception, not just of Florida's position but the position of America." This was "an enormous source of support to those of us in Europe and elsewhere in the world who believe that the climate change issue is a direct responsibility for all of us to act upon," he added.

Blair appeared to be referring here to the role action by US states can play in encouraging developing countries - China and India - to sign on to the next round of post Kyoto global climate change talks. China and India have so far baulked at signing Kyoto, arguing that if Washington won't, why should they.

"The fact that a state the size and weight and reputation of Florida is prepared to take this action, I can tell you what a difference that makes," Blair said.It wasn't just Floridians who applauded Crist's leadership on the issues, "your many friends in the world are applauding it, and hoping you can sustain it and develop it over time."
This would help "get the right kind of international deal" on climate change, he said. "The prospect of that international deal is greatly enhanced when people are prepared to take this type of bold and innovative leadership at a state level here in the US."

- David Adams (photo courtesy of Alex Gort for The Climate Group)

Another episode of "As the Mercury Climbs"

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that 2007 was the tenth warmest year in history for the U.S. and the fifth warmest worldwide.

The global land surface temperature was the warmest on record, while the global ocean temperature was the 9th warmest since records began being kept in 1880.

"Six of the 10 warmest years on record for the contiguous U.S. have occurred since 1998, part of a three decade period in which mean temperatures for the contiguous U.S. have risen at a rate near 0.6°F per decade," NOAA scientists announced.

To read the full press release, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Warming turns Iditarod to mush

When global warming turns the frozen tundra into melting mush, what's the world's most famous sled-dog race to do?

Move the race route further north, in search of what's left of the snowy Alaskan wilderness.

"Citing rapid urban growth and a warming climate, officials with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said last week they were implementing permanent logistical changes," the Associated Press reported Monday.

"Long gone are the early days of the race begun in 1973 to commemorate the 1925 delivery by sled dogs of lifesaving diphtheria serum to Nome," the AP notes.

For the ceremonial start of the race March 1 in Anchorage, snow will be trucked in and the route shortened by 7 miles, the AP notes. "The actual competitive start of the 1,100-mile race the following day will move 30 miles north to Willow from the historical site in Wasilla," which is now covered with asphalt and urban sprawl, the AP reports.

To read the full AP story, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Chatting with Charlie

For anyone who hasn't already heard Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's views on global warming, coal-fired power plants and Florida's vulnerability to sea level rise, the folks at Grist offer a Q&A with him today headlined "Charlie Crist Superstar." You can read it here.

Or you can read a more in-depth story on Crist's views on climate change, and how he became interested in the subject, here.

-Craig Pittman

Europe growing wary over biofuels - plans to draw line between good and bad biofuel crops.

Biofuels may have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions, but they could also create environmental problems unless implemented with care, according to a new report by Britains's prestigious Royal Society.

The report called for more research into all aspects of biofuel production and use.

The report says the British government should use financial incentives to ensure companies adopt cutting-edge and carbon-efficient technologies.

Advocates say biofuels can help cut greenhouse gas emissions by replacing (or blending with) fossil fuels, especially in the transport sector. Biofuels can also help stretch depleting worldwide fossil fuel resources, helping keep down the rapidly rising cost of gasoline.

But a number of recent scientific studies have shown that the carbon savings from using biofuels compared with petrol and diesel vary hugely, depending on what crop is grown and where, how it is harvested and processed, and other factors.

As this blog has reported, there are also concerns that widespread planting and use of biofuel crops would threaten natural ecosystems and raise food prices.

In another sign of growing concern about the impact of biofuels, European Union officials are planning to  propose a ban on imports of certain biofuels, according to The New York Times.

If approved by European governments, the law would prohibit the importation of fuels derived from crops grown on certain kinds of eco-sensitive land — including forests, wetlands or grasslands.

A draft law to be unveiled next week would also require that biofuels used in Europe are certified as being carbon positive, i.e. are good for the atmosphere and contributing to greenhouse gas reductions.

Currently, most of the crops for biofuels used in Europe consist of rapeseed (commonly known as canola in the United States) grown in parts of Europe. Some palm oil is also imported from Asia, as well as soy and ethanol from Brazil.

The ban would primarily affect palm oil from South East Asia, and possibly imports of soy from Brazil.

Click here for more news from the BBC.
Click here for another report from The New York Times.

- David Adams

Florida business trend is green - outlook for 2008

In its annual outlook for 2008, Florida Trend magazine says “green consciousness” will be a defining factor in 2008.

"For some companies, it’s just a marketing strategy, but others seem motivated more by a sense of responsibility — or recognition that going green can help the bottom line. This year’s Industry Outlook issue kicks off with a look at real “green” leaders around the state. Meanwhile, each of the 13 industry roundups includes a snapshot of green efforts in those economic sectors."

Click here to read the 'green leaders' Industry Outlook, 'Shades of Green.'

(Florida Trend is a sister publication of The St Petersburg Times, publishers of this blog.)

- David Adams

Miami gets into carbon trading

A Miami-based company, MGM International, is emerging as a leader in the new international market to reduce greenhouse gases by trading carbon credits.

Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley has purchased 38 percent of the company, The Miami Herald reports.

MGM founder and CEO, Marco Monroy and his wife Maria Pia Iannariello, will be speaking at a conference this week in Miami (Jan 17-18) about the carbon trading market organized by the UK government and Environmental Finance Publications.

The global market in carbon trading was $30 billion last year - and is growing rapidly. The price per ton of carbon for December 2008 has stabilized, recently trading around $34.

Under the so-called 'cap-and-trade system', governments set a limit each year on how much carbon dioxide there sould be in the atmosphere. A sliding scale set reduction targets over time. Companies are set allowances for their carbon emissions. If a company manages to emit less than its allowance (by investing in emissions reduction technology or improving efficiency) it can sell left-over credits to others who are failing to meet their allowance. i.e. a dirty coal-burning power plant can offset its carbon emissions by buying credits in a company cleaning up emissions from municipal waste dumps.

Click here to read more about MGM.

Click here for more information about the conference.

- David Adams

Surf's up...maybe earlier than we expected

Antarctica isn't getting any hotter. Yet its ice sheet is melting faster than expected, according to a story in today's Washington Post, raising the prospect of more rapid sea level rise.

Researchers discovered "that the rate of ice loss in the affected areas has accelerated over the past 10 years -- as it has on most glaciers and ice sheets around the world," the Post reports.

"Without doubt, Antarctica as a whole is now losing ice yearly, and each year it's losing more," said Eric Rignot, lead author of a paper on the subject that was published online in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The Post says the change in Antarctica "could become considerably more dramatic because the continent's western shelf, an expanse of ice and snow roughly the size of Texas, is largely below sea level and has broad and flat expanses of ice that could move quickly."

But if the Antarctic's land temperature is the same, why would its glaciers melt? "Something must be changing the ocean to trigger such changes," said Rignot, a senior scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We believe it is related to global climate forcing."

To read the full Post story, click here. For a look at the scientific paper, click here. (Fair warning: the scientific paper costs $18 to download.)

--Craig Pittman

GM and Coskata forge new automotive-biofuels alliance

General Motors today announced a partnership with a new Illinois-based biofuels company, Coskata.

Coskata, part of the Vinod Khosla stable of alternative energy companies, says it has developed a highly efficient and cost-effective technology to produce ethanol from different cellulosic feedstocks at less than $1 a gallon (without subsidies).

(Rick Wagoner, chairman of General Motors, center, poses with Bill Roe, president of Coskata, left, and Vinod Khosla, right. (Photo by Associated Press)

The company says its technology has been inspected by experts at the Argonne National Laboratory. It's energy balance (input units of energy versus output units of energy) was estimated as high as 7.7:1, making it as efficient as sugar cane, the most productive source of ethanol.

Coskata also says its process uses less than one gallon of water for each gallon of ethanol, far better than current conventional methods. That is largely due to its bacterial fermentation process, using proprietory technology developed at the University of Oklahoma, that does not require distillation (there most water intensive part of traditional technology).

"We don't claim this is the solution to energy independence, but we do think it can have an impact," said Coskata CEO, Bill Roe, in a conference call with reporters. 

The company says it is building a 40,000 gallon demonstration plant to be completed by late 2008. Full-scale plants are planned for late 2010, early 2011.

Coskata, founded in July 2006, is named after a wildlife refuge in Nantucket. It describes itself as a 'next generation ethanol company,' with the emphasis on non-food cellulosic ethanol crops. The company has been in 'stealth mode' and put up a new website today after the partnership was announced at the Detroit Auto Show.

GM says it will use its new partnership with Coskata to promote the availability of E-85. "We want to rapidly commercialize biofuels in the U.S. so they're available to everyone at a competitive price, and this is a very huge step in that," said Mary Beth Stanek, GM's director of environment, energy and safety policy.

Click here for more news from General Motors.

Crist to visit UK in July for climate change talks

Florida Governor Charlie Crist addressed a meeting of British Western Hemisphere diplomats in Miami today.

“I am grateful for the strong ties between Florida and the United Kingdom,” Governor Crist said. “Their commitment to Florida’s climate change initiatives and tourism industry makes them great friend to our state.  I am proud that Florida is truly the Gateway to the Americas for the rest of the world.”

Governor Crist spoke about the strong economic and personal ties between the United Kingdom and Florida, highlighting the United Kingdom’s commitment to lowering greenhouse-gas emissions. Last July, Governor Crist and the United Kingdom Special Representative for Climate Change John Ashton signed a Florida-U.K. cooperative agreement on the development of alternative energies and the reduction of greenhouse-gas emissions at the Florida Summit on Global Climate Change.

Crist will lead a business investment and trade mission to the United Kingdom this July, focusing on aerospace and aviation, as well as climate change and alternative fuels.

- David Adams
 

 
 

New light bulb legislation

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are growing in popularity, according to an article in The New York Times, "but many people have not embraced their glow."

The article reports that the new energy bill signed by president Bush before Christmas includes a law that requires light bulbs to be more energy efficient.

Click here to read the article.

- David Adams

Dying to be Green - Making your funeral arrangements

Depending on how green you want to be, there are now eco-friendly funeral options being offered - think bio-degradable caskets - or no casket at all.

To learn more click here for a story by my St Pete Times colleague Tamara El-Khoury.

- David Adams

GM's new hydrogen concept car, the Provoq, launches today

GM is set to unveil its new hybrid electric/hydrogen fuel car concept car, the Cadillac Provoq in Las Vegas today at the Consumer Electronics Show.

I'm not sure about the name, but there's no question that GM continues to impress with its determination to find innovative alternatives to gasoline driven vehicles. GM's all-electric Volt got exciting reviews in 2007. GM says the Provoq has a 300 mile range, combining a lithium-ion battery pack capable of 20 miles range, with 280 miles hydrogen tanks. GM is also expected to make a major announcement at the weekend involving its ethanol-powered vehicles. (I'll have more on that on Sunday afternoon.)

Click here for more on the Provoq.

- David Adams

India's $2,500 car

Have you heard about the $2,500 car designed by Tata Motors in India. Sounds like a smart idea, but I suppose one could argue that the last thing the world needs right now is more people driving cars. Will this hurt mass transit investment?

Read two articles about Tata Motors at Forbes.com (click here) and The New York Times (click here).

- David Adams

N.H. to candidates: Where's your energy policy?

The presidential candidates would rather talk about immigration or Iraq -- but the voters in New Hampshire want to know what their energy policy is, says today's New York Times.

“Oil affects everything,” said Paris Wells, who owns an ice cream shop on Main Street in the little town of HIllsborough, N.H. “We need someone in office who’s going to look seriously at alternative power of some form.”

The Times said Wells was spending more than $1,000 a month on heating oil in winter, and noted that he was typical. New Hampshire is more dependent on oil heat than any state except Maine and Vermont, the story pointed out.

"But despite what many here consider a rising crisis regarding dependence on foreign oil, most said the presidential candidates had disappointingly vague approaches to energy policy or, worse, little interest in the subject," the Times reported.

To read the full story, click here.

--Craig Pittman

Low energy light bulbs and mercury warning

New low energy (CFL) light bulbs are causing some disposal concern due to the toxic level of mercury they contain.

Experts say the amount of mercury is so small that it should not be a worry. However, stricter guidelines and warnings are being proposed to deal with disposal of spent and accidentally smashed bulbs.

Click here for more informaton.

- David Adams

New biodiesel plant planned for Miami

Two California companies, Oilsource Holdings and Greenline Industries, say they are planning to produce up to 60 million gallons a year of biodiesel in South Florida.

The companies have formed a joint venture, Biomix Energy Corp. of Miami, and are planning to meet with Miami-Dade and Broward county leaders on potential sites and incentives.

Read more in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

- David Adams

Major growth in new energy investment

Investment in clean energy grew by 41 per cent in 2007, pushing through the $100 billion barrier to reach $117.2 billion, according to New Energy Finance, a UK based alternative energy research firm.

Click here to read more from NewEnergyFinance.com

- David Adams

More analysis on future oil prices - from $50 to $150 a barrel

Clifford Krauss at The New York Times has a good analysis this morning of the past and future trends of oil prices and geopolitical factors. Prepare for more of a see-saw effect, as the price continues to fluctuate dramatically.

Click here to read the story.

- David Adams.

US to open Alaska to new oil exploration as oil price continues to rise.

The Bush administration has announced it will invite bids for new exploration contracts in Alaska - the first such contracts to be offered since 1991. This appears to be a reaction to the still rising price of oil. (see first graphic for history of oil prices, and second graphic illustrates rising global consumption)

Click here for more news of the Alaska contracts, and click here and here, for more on the price of oil ($100.05 a barrel today).

What is causing the price of oil to rise? Click here for BBC analysis.

- David Adams

Oil hits $100 a barrel

Oil hit $100 a barrel for the first time ever in trading today. It is worth recalling that it was $50 a barrel this time last year.

Click here to read more.

- David Adams