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 Senate committee considers tax incentives for alternative fuels [General] |
17/02/2010 @ 00:09 (GMT +9) |
Senate committee considers tax incentives for alternative fuels
By Michael Famiglietti
Washington - Should the federal government increase tax incentives for those who purchase or manufacture alternative fuel technology?
That's what the Senate Finance Committee tried to figure out Thursday as five experts weighed the pros and cons for them.
Worried about the effects fuel emissions have on the environment and the United States' dependence on foreign oil, committee members seemed stumped on how to fix the problem.
"America is the world's biggest oil consumer," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the committee chairman. "And where we once led the world in oil production, America now imports two out of every three barrels of oil, often from unstable places."
Vinod Khosla, an ethanol advocate and founder of a consulting firm that also finances entrepreneurs, urged the committee to recognize what ethanol could do for the country, including reducing petroleum use and boosting rural America's economy.
To encourage producers of cellulosic ethanol, which is refined from plant cells instead of corn and sugar, which is used to make regular ethanol, the government should provide a 76 cent tax credit per gallon, he said.
The credit would decline 15 cents per year starting in 2015 and expire in 2020.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 already gives a 10 cent credit per gallon for up to 15 million gallons to manufacturers of alternative fuels. That incentive expires in 2008.
It also entitles car buyers to credits ranging from $250 to $3,400 for purchasing hybrid electric cars and entitles fueling stations to a 30 percent credit toward installing clean-fuel equipment.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., seemed more interested in electric cars than ethanol. He said electric cars powered by the A123 hybrid battery, which is produced in his home state, can get 150 miles per gallon. The additional cost for the battery is $3,500.
"I want to give a $4,000 tax incentive for someone to buy that car," he said.
But other witnesses debated whether companies could produce them fast enough to make an impact.
Bruce Dale, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University, said whatever path the committee chooses, it must wean the country off oil.
"Let's keep our eyes on the petroleum ball," he said. "That is the key issue."
Source: Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
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Alternate Energy Resource Network - Article Archives - Search
| Study claims Florida wastes energy [General] |
17/02/2010 @ 00:09 (GMT +9) |
Study claims Florida wastes energy
AEN News
Washington - A watchdog group claims the state of Florida wastes so much energy, that it could save at least $28 billion annually - enough to cover this year's entire education and transportation budgets. The savings, it claims, would also produce 14,000 jobs - by 2023.
A study released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) shows that using energy efficiency policies alone (such as efficient windows, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and ENERGY STAR appliances) can nearly offset the state's entire future growth in electric demand by the year 2023. Florida would also create more than 14,000 jobs in 2023. The direct and indirect jobs created would be equivalent to nearly 100 new manufacturing plants relocating to Florida, but without the demand for infrastructure and other energy needs, the study says.
The study provides specific energy efficiency and renewable energy policy recommendations that the state should consider, especially as Florida gears up for Gov. Charlie Crist's "Serve to Preserve" Summit on Global Climate Change with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Miami July 12 and 13.
If Florida both expanded its energy efficiency measures and invested in renewable energy sources like biomass and solar, the state could cut electricity demand by nearly a third in the year 2023 without building expensive and environmentally risky new power plants or relying on conventional power sources such as natural gas, coal, oil, or nuclear power.
Specifically, the study found that energy efficiency measures could cut demand by 19.9 percent, and using renewable energy sources could cut demand by 9.5 percent by 2023.
"Energy efficiency is the most affordable energy resource in Florida," said Dr. R. Neal Elliott, Industrial Program Director at ACEEE and lead author on the report. "While 20% efficiency savings in 15 years may seem challenging, other states are already reducing electricity growth faster than that, at a cost of 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, only about half of what new power plants would cost."
Power from building traditional plants is more expensive, costing from 5 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.
The study, "Potential for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to Meet Florida's Growing Energy Demands," comes at a time when Florida is at a crossroads in determining its energy future. Florida's Public Service Commission recently rejected a proposal for a new coal power plant - the first power plant denial in 15 years. It was also the first time ever that global warming played a role in a PSC decision.
ACEEE's experts set out to narrowly look at where Florida gets its energy from, what it costs, how it is used, and what the future might hold if the state uses existing technology to slow demand without difficult sacrifices for industry or residential users.
Florida's electricity demand is growing faster than the state's population. A particular challenge is peak demand - those times when extreme heat or extreme cold crank up air conditioners and heaters. Peak demand is growing even faster than total electricity usage, and it costs the most to serve. Peak-hour electricity costs several times what consumers see in average rates, because high-cost "peaker" power plants run less efficiently and operate only a few hours a year so that their costs drive up rates.
Florida has not aggressively implemented energy efficiency policies in the past.
"Energy efficiency is the first fuel in the race for affordable and clean energy, because it is the cheapest and fastest to deploy," said Bill Prindle, ACEEE's Deputy Director. "Combined with renewables, efficiency offers Florida a sustainable energy future that provides greater energy security, costs less, pollutes less, and supports economic growth better than the current course."
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| US and Canada agree to cooperate to clean up air quality [General] |
17/02/2010 @ 00:08 (GMT +9) |
US and Canada agree to cooperate to clean up air quality
AEN News
Washington - The United States and Canada have agreed to cooperate to clean up air quality between the two bordering nations through an annex to the U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement aimed at reducing the cross-border flow of air pollution.
U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson and the Honorable John Baird, Canada's Minister of the Environment, announced Friday that the US and Canada will begin negotiation of the Annex aimed at reducing cross-border air pollution and its impact on the health and ecosystems of Canadians and Americans.
Minister Baird and Administrator Johnson met to discuss common cross-border and global environment priorities. The officials noted that both Canada and the United States recognize that cooperative action can reduce the transboundary flow of particulate matter (PM) originating on either side of the border.
"Pollution, especially air pollution, knows no geographic or political borders," said Administrator Johnson. "Our nations are committed to becoming better environmental neighbors, and the negotiation of this annex will strengthen the successful U.S.-Canadian collaboration helping clean the air for North American residents for generations."
"Canada's new government is committed to improving the quality of the air we breathe," said Minister Baird. "This work announced today will complement the concrete actions this government is taking at home to reduce greenhouse gases and the pollutants that cause climate change and smog."
The U.S.-Canada Air Quality Agreement, negotiated in 1991, marked a new era of cooperation aimed at helping to guarantee cleaner air and a healthier environment for millions of Americans and Canadians. The PM Annex would complement the annex negotiated in 2000 addressing ground-level ozone, as well as the original annexes on acid rain and scientific cooperation.
Particulate matter consists of airborne particles in solid or liquid form. The pollutant can be emitted directly at the emissions source, for example, from a smokestack of an electrical power plant or as the result of reactions between chemicals (precursors) as they are transported through the atmosphere. Numerous studies have linked particulate matter, especially fine PM, to cardiac and respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema and to various forms of heart disease.
Recent scientific analysis has shown that joint strategies are needed to address these pollutants. This research, conducted over the last three years, has shown that emissions of PM and its precursors can significantly affect air quality in both countries. The annex will result in reductions in PM as well as many of the chemicals that contribute to other air quality issues of concern such as acid rain, regional haze and visibility in the communities along the U.S.-Canada border.
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