25 item(s) were returned.
Principal
Energy Futures Initiative
Modeling results in the MIT Future of Natural Gas Study released in June of last year suggested that the US could make major progress in the next two decades towards achieving a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 – a real reduction, no offsets or other creative and questionable mechanisms –largely through two actions: reduced energy consumption, and switching from coal to natural gas in power generation. The study also concluded that simply by utilizing surplus Natural Gas Combined Cycle capacity from existing units in lieu of coal generation, the US could achieve a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions… [more]
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Micro-Utilities, Inc.
A number of studies have shown that high oil prices have been a major factor in causing recessions in the United States. The cause of previous high oil prices has often been tied to events such as strikes in oil producing nations (e.g. Venezuela), wars (Iraq invading Kuwait, the Iran/Iraq war, the Gulf war), oil embargoes (Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations cutting off oil supplies to countries that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur war), and revolutions like the Iranian revolution. In one form or another all of these events could be grouped together as political events that caused high… [more]
View InsightOn December 31, 2011 Congress allowed a decades-old corn ethanol subsidy to sunset. It also sunsetted an import tariff on foreign cellulosic ethanol. The dissolution of these policies has prompted some concern about impacts on gasoline prices and the future of the U.S. ethanol industry. Nearly all gasoline blended and sold in the U.S. contains at least 10% corn ethanol. USA Today is reporting that the end of the subsidy could raise gasoline prices by as much as $0.045/gallon as early as next week. In an interview on NPR, Bruce Babcock, a professor of energy economics at Iowa State University,… [more]
View InsightOil prices are expected to average between $100 and $120/barrel in 2012. “Economists say they expect prices to remain high despite the relative weaknesses of the American and European economies because global demand for oil … is escalating and outstripping supply.” [New York Times] Due in part to consumers driving less and purchasing more fuel efficient cars, the United States economy has weathered high oil prices relatively well in 2011. Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group, told the Times that “the danger is if oil starts to move toward $130 a barrel, or even higher… Then… [more]
View InsightThe production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy is currently set to expire December 31st, 2012. The credit is currently 2.2¢ per kWh created by wind. The average price of electricity nationwide is 11¢ per kWh. A study released recently by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) states that without an immediate PTC program extension, wind energy “jobs will drop by nearly half, from 78,000 in 2012 to 41,000 in 2013.” According to the report, an extension of the program through 2016 could create nearly 17,000 wind industry jobs. Denise Bode, AWEA’s CEO, has stated that “these jobs could vanish if Congress allows… [more]
View InsightProgram Manager
CLASP
The high-profile and controversial collapse of Solyndra and Beacon Power has led critics to question the integrity and merit of DOE’s loan guarantee program. Energy Secretary Steven Chu was asked to respond to these criticisms before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on 11/17/11. Rep. Stearns (R-FL), chairman of the subcommittee, said “it is readily apparent that senior officials in the administration put politics before the stewardship of taxpayer dollars” [NYT]. Dr. Chu denied this, arguing that a tough global market was to blame, that struggling loan recipients “got caught in a very, very bad tsunami.” He defended the value… [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 InsightTranscript: “Economics of America’s Oil Dependence” Opening Remarks: WILLIAM SQUADRON, President, OurEnergyPolicy.org REPRESENTATIVE PETER WELCH (D VT), Co Chair, Congressional Peak Oil Caucus REPRESENTATIVE ROSCOE BARTLETT (R MD), Co Chair Congressional Peak Oil Caucus Panel Speakers: THE HONORABLE J. BENNETT JOHNSTON, Retired U.S. Senator from Louisiana; Chairman, Johnston & Associates ROGER BEZDEK, President, Management Information Services, Inc.; Co Author, The Impending World Energy Mess EYAL ARONOFF, Co Founder, Quest Software; Member, Set America Free Coalition Moderator: YOSSIE HOLLANDER, Founder and Chairman, OurEnergyPolicy.org
View InsightNote: Synopsis drawn from the report. Synopsis intended solely for the purpose of generating discussion. Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future by the Obama Administration Demand for oil in countries like China and India is growing, and the price of oil will continue to rise with it. We need to make America more secure and control our energy future by harnessing all of the resources that we have available and embracing a diverse energy portfolio. Beyond our efforts to reduce our dependence on oil, we must focus on expanding cleaner sources of electricity, including renewables like wind and solar, as… [more]
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Transcript: “Energy Innovation and American Competitiveness” Sponsored by OurEnergyPolicy.org and the Congressional Research & Development Caucus 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, 2011 B340 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. Opening Remarks: WILLIAM SQUADRON, President, Our Energy Policy Foundation Panel Speakers: NATHAN S. LEWIS, Director, U.S. DOE Innovation Hub; Professor of Chemistry, CalTech MARK MURO, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution DAVID KREUTZER, Research Fellow in Energy Economics and Climate Change, The Heritage Foundation Moderator: YOSSIE HOLLANDER, Founder and Chairman, Our Energy Policy Foundation
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