560 item(s) were returned.
William J. Perry Fellow, Visiting Scholar
Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University
The 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that President Trump signed early last month provides no funding for Yucca Mountain. In doing so, it officially extends by another year the U.S. government’s failure to implement a portion of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 whereby the government would accept responsibility for managing the spent fuel from commercial nuclear reactors. In the 1950s, when public faith in government was high, a decision to entrust a federal agency with safely managing waste from the country’s commercial nuclear reactors was relatively uncontroversial. Today, the idea is almost unthinkable. In all likelihood, Yucca Mountain… [more]
View Discussion
Communications Director
Vote Solar
In May, the California Energy Commission unanimously approved the nation’s first commitment to putting solar on qualifying new home construction starting in 2020 – a move that’ll be good for our cost-of-living and our climate alike. Building solar on new homes is consistent with California’s zero net energy goals for new buildings, and it’s a great way of getting rooftop solar built cheaply for customers. When solar PV is installed at the time of construction, you get economies of scale and save big on non-hardware costs like customer acquisition, permitting and financing. Assuming modules are 40 cents/W and the other… [more]
View Discussion
CGO Graduate Research Fellow
The Center for Growth and Opportunity - Utah State University
Following the boom in oil production from the hydraulic fracturing revolution, environmental protection outstripped energy independence as the major selling point of US biofuels policy. The ethanol mandate continues to grow and includes 15 billion gallons that can be met using ethanol made from corn. All of that corn ethanol, despite being a renewable fuel resource, does not deliver the environmental benefits hoped for by early biofuel advocates. The production of billions of gallons of ethanol requires vast expanses of farmland, and with the introduction of the ethanol mandate, these areas have grown to encompass what were previously unimproved critical… [more]
View Discussion
Administrator
OurEnergyPolicy.org
California is the second state after Hawaii to establish a 100% carbon-free energy goal for its electric grid. In late August, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 100 (SB 100) which created a 100% clean electricity standard by 2045 and also altered California’s current renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Previously, California’s RPS mandated 50% of the state’s retail electricity sales come from renewable sources by 2030, but following passage of SB 100, that figure is now modified to 60%. To achieve the 2045 goal, however, SB 100 takes a broader approach by explicitly instructing California’s energy agencies to “plan for 100%… [more]
View Discussion
Executive Vice President
National Taxpayers Union
Republicans rightly criticized the $500 million loan guarantee to failed solar energy company Solyndra under the Obama administration, but now the current administration is preparing energy company bailouts that will dwarf the size of that mistake. If this bailout goes forward, taxpayers will be on the hook for billions of dollars for failing coal and nuclear power plants. The Solyndra failure was a textbook example of the pitfalls that exist when the federal government tries to pick winners and losers in the energy industry. The Trump administration seems to not have learned the lesson, as a number of financially troubled… [more]
View Discussion
President & Chief Executive Officer
NextEnergy
NextEnergy works with innovators to accelerate smarter, cleaner, more accessible solutions for communities and cities with a focus on smart mobility and smart buildings, homes, and infrastructure. When we think of smarter and cleaner, we typically think of technologies or solutions which are more integrated, connected, and more efficient. Integrating electric vehicles, buildings, and the grid will also improve our lifestyles, energy use, and environmental footprint. For example, in commercial buildings, more efficient networked lighting that saves energy for both the building owner and utility, can also create a better or more pleasing user experience. With transportation, electric vehicles can… [more]
View Discussion
Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy
U.S. House of Representatives
Whether it’s the flip of a light switch or plugging in your cell phone to charge – never has the reliability of our energy supply been more important to so much in our daily lives. That also means never has energy infrastructure been a greater potential target for an attack or energy security been as important. It is indisputable that ensuring the reliable and uninterrupted supply of fuels and electricity is absolutely essential to our nation’s economy, security, and the health and safety of its citizens. However, as our energy infrastructure has become more complex and society has grown more… [more]
View Discussion
Director, Market Development & Business Affairs
Whooshh Innovations
Several years ago, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a report on the energy potential of the thousands of non-powered dams in the US. With a significant number of untapped sources readily available, it makes sense to consider how we can utilize more of this emissions-free resource by “unleashing hydropower”. Many companies have attempted to shepard one of the more than 80,000 non-powered dams through the hydropower licensing process at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) only to find that unanticipated obstacles can arise like the requirement for fish passage. Often, FERC imposes a condition on the issuance of a… [more]
View Discussion
Director of Strategic Research
Energy Futures Initiative
Quote: Blockchain is not just buzz, it is an existing – and exciting – new technology Cities are complex patchworks of infrastructures that include electric grids, natural gas distribution systems, water distribution networks, telecommunications systems, transportation networks, and buildings that can be built or modified to maximize energy efficiency. These systems are highly interdependent. Water systems, transportation, buildings, and telecommunications all need safe and reliable delivery of electricity. While these systems need to be increasingly integrated, they are often structurally and institutionally isolated, subject to different regulatory regimes and managed by siloed departments and private utilities. The objective… [more]
View Discussion
Federal Energy Manager, Energy Policy
R Street Institute
The Trump administration is close to an official announcement freezing fuel economy standards for U.S. cars and light-trucks at their 2020 levels (roughly 35-37 miles per gallon), rather than continuing to increase them to around 50 mpg by 2025. The end of Obama-era standards should not be interpreted as either a terrible idea for the environment or a victory for automakers and polluters. Instead, it’s an opportunity to end a regulatory system that failed to deliver on its promises for decades. Congress’ intent when it passed the 1975 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Act was to reduce the amount of… [more]
View Discussion