Special Report on 'troubled' oceans

The Economist has a special report this week on the crisis facing our oceans.  It makes really depressing reading, summed up in the introductory piece.

The BBC also reports that coral growth on Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the slowest ever.

Other than that, Happy New Year!

New PSC renewable proposal a mixed bag

Florida’s controversial renewable energy targets have moved again.

The latest proposal by the Florida Public Service Commission calls for 20 by 2041, improving upon a proposal in August to reach 20 percent renewable energy by 2050. Environmentalists hoped the commission would propose Gov. Charlie Crist’s target of 20 percent renewable energy by 2020. Utilities opposed Crist’s target, saying it would lead to sharp increases in electric bills.

The latest proposal, released Wednesday, calls for the state to get 6 percent of its electricity from renewable energy resources by 2017, 10 percent by 2025, 15 percent by 2033, and 20 percent by 2041. The commission staff proposal also proposes a controversial cost cap  and the possible inclusion of new nuclear power in a “clean” energy standard, policies supported by utilities and opposed by renewable energy advocates. The commission will consider the proposal on Jan. 9.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

'Carbon Free Girl' racecar driver promotes environmental awareness

Another race car driver has joined the ranks of promoters of environmental awareness.
Her name is Leilani Munter, an up and coming driver considered one of the top female racers in the world.

According to her bio Leilani is a 'vegetarian hippie chick' who has addressed members of Congress on behalf of climate issues. She purchases an acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint. She holds a bachelors degree in Biology specializing in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego.

She was featured on NPR this morning.

She has created Leilani's Eco Dream Team calling on race fans in the US "to spread environmental awareness about sustainable living alternatives, clean energy, alternative fuel vehicles, and environmental legislation."

She has a very cool website with music and a slide show as well as eco-news.
Visit her website: www.carbonfreegirl.com

- David Adams

Flab to fuel? Doc says he ran his SUV on fat from his liposuction patients

Talk about the ultimate in recycling -- a Beverly Hills doctor claimed he was running his Ford Explorer and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator on fuel made from the fat he sucked out of his clinic's patients, according to Forbes.com.

"The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel — and I have more fat than I can use," Dr. Alan Bittner wrote on his website, lipodiesel.com, which has since been taken down. "Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth."

Of course, as Forbes points out, "using fat to fuel cars might be environmentally friendly, but it's definitely illegal in California to use human medical waste to power vehicles, and Bittner is being investigated by the state's public health department." Bittner, who was also accused of allowing unlicensed employees do the actual liposuction work, has now shuttered his clinic and moved to South America.

Wired magazine -- which last year exposed as a hoax a story that a Norwegian businessman wanted to buy the liposuction fat from a Miami hospital for similar purposes -- is questioning whether Bittner was telling the truth about what it called his "thigh-test" fuel.

After all, there is no diesel version of the Lincoln Navigator. "No diesel, no lipodiesel — just a Lincoln with high cholesterol," Wired noted. Still, we're sure Tyler Durden would've approved of the theory.

--Craig Pittman

SUV plants closing as gas-guzzlers' popularity wanes & Big Three stumble

Despite a government bailout, Big Three automakers are shutting down most of their SUV plants, the New York Times ports. The closures "mark the passing of an era when the SUV ruled the roads," the paper notes.

On Tuesday General Motors closed SUV plants in Janesville, Wisc., and Moraine, Ohio. Last Friday GM closed one in Newark, Delaware. The factories built the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMC Yukon, the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen -- hot sellers in the gas-guzzling '90s.

"The fate of the Janesville, Moraine, and Newark plants was sealed this spring, when rising gas prices suddenly made SUVs unpopular," the paper reports. "While the overall new vehicle market has dropped 16 percent so far this year, sales of big SUVs have plummeted 40 percent."

"Their closings leave the Big Three with only one factory each still devoted to making traditional big SUVs — Ford in Kentucky, GM in Texas, and Chrysler in Detroit," the paper notes. As the Associated Press reports, the closing of each factory has also hurt its suppliers, who had to lay off workers as well.

--Craig Pittman

Progress Energy to investigate Saturday accident

Progress Energy said Tuesday that it is investigating the cause of a Saturday accident that seriously injured a ground man for the St. Petersburg utility.

Kenneth Ray Winkle Jr., 36, of Largo was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital with second degree burns after the accident early Saturday afternoon in Safety Harbor, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The accident took place at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday near Meadow Brook Drive and Union St. Two other workers, Allyn Deerwester and Douglas Patterson, told officers that they didn't see what happened, according to the sheriff's office.

The investigation could take several weeks, said Progress Energy spokeswoman Wendy Horne. “It was a severe injury, so we want to make sure we’re thorough.” Horne did not know how long Winkle had been with the company.

Winkle remains in serious condition at Tampa General Hospital, according to hospital spokesman John Dunn.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Natural gas is dropping now, but Putin says era of cheap gas over

Sure the price of natural gas is tumbling now, just like oil. But other factors are soon going to drive the price of natural gas back up, according to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Putin told ministers from the world's major gas-exporting countries Monday hat the era of cheap gas is about over, the BBC reported today.

Putin said the cost of extracting gas was rising sharply, therefore "the era of cheap energy resources, of cheap gas, is of course coming to an end." Notes the Beeb: "As the head of the government of the world's biggest gas exporter, Mr Putin's word carries weight both with producers and consumers."

The group Putin addressed, about a dozen gas producers known as the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, plan to sign a joint charter, the Telegraph reports -- the first step toward becoming better organized.

"Major consumers fear the body will set output quotas, like the oil cartel OPEC,   but Russian officials have denied such plans," the Telegraph reports.

[AP photo of Putin speaking to Gas Exporting Countries Forum]

--Craig Pittman

Greening the Superbowl

The Super Bowl, and all the hoopla that surrounds it, is going super green.

From powering the stadium on renewable energy to donating leftover food to the hungry, the NFL is sponsoring initiatives to offset the environmental impact of the big game.

For more, read the full story by Times staff writer Susan Thurston.

Crystal River nukes want to run 20 more years

There's no early retirement in store for Progress Energy's Crystal River nuclear plant. The St. Petersburg utility announced Friday that it plans to run its nuclear reactor for 20 more years.

Progress Energy asked federal regulators for a 20-year extension of the 40-year license that was granted in 1976.

"The Crystal River Nuclear Plant has operated safely, reliably, and cost-effectively for nearly 33 years and supports our balanced approach to meeting customer demand for safe, dependable and economical power," said Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive of Progress Energy.

The announcement follows by a day Progress Energy's commitment to shuttering Crystal River's two oldest and dirtiest coal plants. The utility said it will close the two coal plants after its $17-billion nuclear project in nearby Levy County comes online in 2020. The replacement of coal with nuclear power is part of Progress Energy's effort to prepare itself for a carbon cap-and-trade system that would force reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The utility is shifting toward no-carbon nuclear and moving away from carbon-heavy coal.

The Crystal River nuclear plant, known as CR3, has a 900-megawatt capacity, employes 500 workers and generates nearly $28-million a year in tax revenue for Citrus County, the company said.

-Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer

Progress Energy to retire coal plants

ST. PETERSBURG – Progress Energy Florida has agreed to retire the oldest two coal-fire units at its Crystal River Energy Complex in Citrus County after completing a new nuclear plant in nearby Levy County.

The energy company, which supplies electricity to Pinellas County and other parts of Florida, said the agreement will help protect the environment. The carbon dioxide emmisions saved by closing the two units will be the equivalent of removing more than 830,000 vehicles from Florida’s roads, the company said.

“We are committed to providing our customers with clean, reliable and affordable electricity now and in the future,” Jeff Lyash, president and CEO of Progress Energy Florida said in a news release. “As a significant player in an industry critical to addressing global climate change, we are taking action to significantly reduce our carbon emissions. This agreement will help us deliver on our promise to reduce emissions without sacrificing reliable and affordable electric service.”

Eric Draper, Deputy Director/Policy Director of the Audubon of Florida, called Progress Energy's decision proactive, noting that carbon dioxide emissions currently are unregulated by the federal government.

"Any coal plant we can get offline in the state of Florida will help to meet the state’s newly established goals for reducing greenhouse gasses," Draper said.