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Coal is one of America’s most abundant and affordable energy sources, and has served for decades as the country’s primary base load electric fuel. Coal comes with significant environmental trade-offs, including local air and water pollution, deforestation, and mountaintop removal from mining process, and greenhouse gas and toxic particulate emissions from burning it to generate electricity. Given plentiful U.S. supplies of low-cost coal, there is clear economic and energy security rationale for continuing to use coal, and government and industry have worked for years to promote and demonstrate “clean coal” technologies. It is hoped that these technologies will capture CO2… [more]
View InsightIn a study of U.S. carbon capture and storage (CCS) potential published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found “that the United States can store enough CO2 to stabilize emissions at their current rate for over a hundred years. This result suggests that with a favorable political and economic framework, carbon capture and storage can be a viable climate change mitigation option in this country for the next century.” The video below explains their findings:
View InsightSenate Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) has introduced the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, which would require electric utilities to derive increasing percentages of their supply mix from low-CO2 sources. The bill would take effect in 2015, and would require that by 2035 84% of power from large utilities come from low-CO2 sources. Sources eligible under the legislation include: renewables, such as wind and solar, “qualified” renewable biomass and waste-to-energy, hydropower, natural gas, and nuclear. Facilities with CO2 capture and storage, and some combined heat and power facilities, are also eligible. The bill establishes a market-based… [more]
View InsightPresident Obama sent his requested FY2013 budget to Congress Monday, and requested, among other energy-related items, significant increases to energy R&D, renewable energy investments, and energy efficiency programs. From the request: “In light of the tight discretionary spending caps, this increase in funding is significant and a testament to the importance of innovation and clean energy to the country’s economic future.” Among the energy-related budget requests: $27.2 billion to the Department of Energy, a 3.2% hike over FY2012 $5 billion for DOE’s Office of Science $2.3 billion for DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy office – a 29% increase –… [more]
View InsightA Call to Action: Executive Summary by Herschel Specter President, RBR Consultants, Inc. mhspecter@verizon.net This report is a call to action, and it presents a multi-faceted national energy plan that would address the twin threats of petroleum usage and climate change that pose severe, imminent risk to the U.S. economy, environment and national security. It lays out specific goals and actionable approaches – both low-tech and high-tech – that would allow America to avert this looming crisis. By 2036, implementation of this plan should lead to over $11 trillion (2008) dollars in savings through reduced oil consumption and to the… [more]
View InsightNote: Synopsis based U.S. DOE summary provided to OurEnergyPolicy.org. Complete text US DOE Mission and Goals The mission of the Department of Energy is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Goal 1: Catalyze the timely, material, and efficient transformation of the nation’s energy system and secure U.S. leadership in clean energy technologies. Goal 2: Maintain a vibrant U.S. effort in science and engineering as a cornerstone of our economic prosperity with clear leadership in strategic areas. Goal 3: Enhance nuclear security through defense, nonproliferation, and environmental… [more]
View InsightNote: Synopsis based on Our Energy Policy Foundation staff review of Congressional committee and office summaries, third party analyses, and media summaries. Synopsis intended solely for purposes of generating discussion. Greenhouse Gas Reductions Would require certain industries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels along the following timeline: 4.75% by 2013, 17% by 2020, 42% by 2030, and 83% by 2050. Would institute a cap-and-trade mechanism for greenhouse gas reductions. The cap would include electricity generators, petroleum-based fuel producers, natural gas distributors, producers of certain fluorinated gases, and other sources. Requirements would take effect in 2013 for electricity generators… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] Research must help us to find the solution to GHG emissions from electricity generation. Given the current technologies and the growth rate of the developing countries (based mostly on coal), we need new technologies that when ready can be implemented as government policies. We strongly recommend increasing the research grants for global warming with emphasis on solutions. Therefore, the federal government should allocate special research funds for short term solutions… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] Coal is the main workhorse of electricity generation (49%). It is still the cheapest and is expected to stay so for the foreseeable future. It is also a national resource (we are the “Saudi Arabia of coal”). It is also one of the most polluting and one of the greatest emitters of GHG. There is no way to meet our electricity demands in the next 40-50 years without coal. It… [more]
View Insight[Note: The statements below are intended solely to stimulate discussion among the Expert community, and do not represent the position of OurEnergyPolicy.org. Text in italics indicates clarification or expansion.] Government intervention is not required. Let the best/cheapest solution win. The key is to maintain an even playing field between all oil replacements (like methanol and ethanol). If we find an economically viable alternative which can be used in today’s cars, the priorities of the energy policy should be reviewed. All validated alcohols should benefit from the same tax benefits as ethanol and methanol. Coal to Liquid (CTL) is… [more]
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