Van Jones & Robert Redford Discuss Green Jobs on CNN

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

By Norris McDonald

Van Jones, right, President Obama's new Green Jobs Czar (he doesn't particularly like the Czar part) brings, along with other interesting folk, new energy to Washington's environmental movement. Jones' rise over the past four or so years has been phenomenal, just like President Obama's rise to the presidency. As Green Jobs Adviser at the Counsel on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Jones is not only a major asset to President Obama, he will bring renewed attention to 'greening the economy.' He was great on "Larry King Live," but I have to say that Redford took up a lot of his time. We suspect that Jones will get his time in the spotlight though. He is a great new dynamic presence on the environmental scene.

Actually, a little over 25 years ago, I hung out with Redford for a bit on the Navajo Reservation. Redford was on the board of what is now Friends of the Earth and I spent a few days with him and Navajo Nation Chair Peterson Zah. I think it was 1983 when I first met Redford at the White House Ruins at Canyon de Chelly in Arizona (click on photo below to enlarge). I am in the middle of the photo and Redford is kneeling in front of me. Well let us hope that substantive results will not only come from Jones at CEQ, but let us also hope that Redford will branch out a little bit more into new territory.

Diane E. Thompson Appointed EPA Chief of Staff

Diane Thompson has been appointed as EPA's new Chief of Staff. Ms. Thompson has worked for more than two decades at the highest levels of government and the non-profit world, building experience in law and policy, and advocating on a range of public health and environmental issues. She previously served at EPA as former Associate Administrator for Office of Intergovernmental and Relations (OCIR).

Recently, Ms. Thompson served as Vice President for Public Policy and Communications at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. From 2001-2004, she was an Environment Program officer of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Ms. Thompson served eight years in the Clinton-Gore administration in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Previously Ms. Thompson was Chief of Staff to Senator Barbara A. Mikulski; a partner in a public policy consulting firm; Counsel for the National Organization for Women and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission; and an adjunct faculty member at Hastings College of the Law, University of California. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a law degree from George Washington University’s National Law Center. (EPA, Congressional Management Foundation)

Kristina M. Johnson Nominated Under Secretary of Energy

President Barack Obama has nominated Kristina M. Johnson, left, as Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy. Dr. Johnson will appear before the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee on April 23. The Center supports her nomination.

Kristina M. Johnson was appointed provost and senior vice president of academic affairs of The Johns Hopkins University on Sept. 1, 2007. An electrical engineer with 129 U.S. and foreign patents and co-founder of several start-up companies, she is the university’s 12th provost and the first woman to hold the university's second-ranking position. Johnson had previously served since 1999 as dean of Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering.

In 2004, she won the Achievement Award of the Society of Women Engineers. Johnson graduated from Stanford University in 1981 with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. She earned her Ph.D. at Stanford in 1984. In 2003, she was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame. (Johns Hopkins University)

President Obama & President Calderon Agree On Energy

U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon met this week and agreed on reducing carbon emissions fto ight against climate change and on creating green jobs. The two countries are establishing a bilateral framework on clean energy and climate change through the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change. The framework will focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, adaptation, market mechanisms, green jobs, and low carbon energy technology development and capacity-building.

In 2008, the U.S. imported 1.2 million bbl/d of crude oil from Mexico, of which 97 percent went to the GulfCoast. The U.S. also imported about 100,000 bbl/d of refined products from Mexico in 2008, mostly residual fuel oil, naphtha, and gasoline blending components. Mexico is the 3rd largest exporter of oil to the U.S. after Canada and Saudi Arabia. (EIA)

In 2008, Mexico was the seventh-largest producer of oil in the world. The country produced an average of 3.19 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of total oil liquids during 2008. In 2008, Mexico exported 1.4 million bbl/d of crude oil. The United States receives the vast majority of Mexico’s crude oil exports, which mostly arrive via tanker at the GulfCoast.

(The White House, EIA, UPI)

EPA Issues Finding CO2 Poses Danger To Public Health

EPA Administrator P. Lisa Jackson
Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a danger to the public. Although the Obama administration prefers Congressional legislation to address this issue, today's finding by EPA will trigger promulgation of regulations to regulate greenhouse gases. This puts pressure of Congress to accelerate consider of legislation, particularly because many believe the Clean Air Act does not provide the framework to support regulations. The low hanging fruit for regulation includes power plants, oil refineries, automobiles and cement makers.

Although the U.S. has refused to sign onto the Kyoto Protocol, there is pressure to act because greenhouse gas limits under a new treaty on climate change are scheduled to be addressed at a meeting scheduled for December in Copenhagen, Denmark. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold hearings a cap and trade program this month.

The EPA finding comes about two years after the Supreme Court found that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act and that the EPA can regulate it. After a thorough scientific review ordered in 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding today that greenhouse gases contribute to air pollution that may endanger public health or welfare. The proposed finding, which now moves to a public comment period, identified six greenhouse gases that pose a potential threat.

EPA’s proposed endangerment finding is based on rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific analysis of six gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride – that have been the subject of intensive analysis by scientists around the world. The science clearly shows that concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human emissions, and these high levels are very likely the cause of the increase in average temperatures and other changes in our climate. The scientific analysis also confirms that climate change impacts human health in several ways.

In ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, the 133-page endangerment finding summarizes the scientific evidence on climate change and and concludes:

"The case for finding that greenhouse gases in the atmosphere endanger public health and welfare is compelling and, indeed, overwhelming. This is not a close case in which the magnitude of the harm is small and the probability great, or the magnitude large and the probability small. In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem."

Findings from a recent EPA study titled “Assessment of the Impacts of Global Change on Regional U.S. Air Quality: A Synthesis of Climate Change Impacts on Ground-Level Ozone,” for example, suggest that climate change may lead to higher concentrations of ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant. Additional impacts of climate change include, but are not limited to:

· increased drought;
· more heavy downpours and flooding;
· more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires;
· greater sea level rise;
· more intense storms; and
· harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.

In proposing the finding, Administrator Jackson also took into account the disproportionate impact climate change has on the health of certain segments of the population, such as the poor, the very young, the elderly, those already in poor health, the disabled, those living alone and/or indigenous populations dependent on one or a few resources. In addition to threatening human health, the analysis finds that climate change also has serious national security implications.

The proposed endangerment finding now enters the public comment period, which is the next step in the deliberative process EPA must undertake before issuing final findings. Today’s proposed finding does not include any proposed regulations. Before taking any steps to reduce greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, EPA would conduct an appropriate process and consider stakeholder input. Notwithstanding this required regulatory process, both President Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy. (EPA, WSJ, 4/17/09)

Calif to Get $260 Million to Improve Water Infrastructure

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, left, announced this week that California will receive $260 million in economic-stimulus funds to improve its aging water infrastructure. The funds come from the $787 billion federal-stimulus package President Barack Obama signed in February. Of the $260 million pledged by Mr. Salazar for California, $40 million is designated for immediate drought relief. The rest of the funds would be used to improve dams and other infrastructure.

Nearly half of Interior Department's planned investment nationwide -- $450 million -- will go toward meeting future water supply needs. Some $235 million will fund environmental restoration, while $165 million is designated for improving infrastructure reliability and safety.

Californiat is in a state of emergency because of drought conditions and California's water system has not undergone major construction since the 1970s. (WSJ, 4/15/09))

Center Nervous About Plug-In Hybrid Car Development

The Center is very nervous about the capability of America's auto industry to produce and sell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in large numbers. President Obama's own auto industry task force, which is trying to help GM and Chrysler emerge from the crisis that left them needing $17.4 billion in government loans, casts doubt on the Volt, which will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in the short term. GM has not announced pricing for the Volt, but it's expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000. The Center was one of the first environmental groups in America pushing for utilities to get into the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturing business. Maybe there needs to be a more dynamic partnership between the auto industry and the utility industry. We marry electric vehicles to nuclear power plants to reduce smog, greenhouse gases and reduce our dependence on imported oil.

President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015 is faced with technical and engineering hurdles and the realities of the economy and the price of gasoline. It took eight years to get 1 million hybrids on the road in the United States and the president's goal could help revitalize the struggling U.S. auto industry and begin shifting motorists away from the gas pump. President Obama toured a California Edison electric utility company electric car facility in Pomona, California in March where he announced $2.4 billion to develop advanced batteries and electric cars.

Plug-in hybrids allow motorists to drive a limited number of miles on battery power before the engine switches over to run on gasoline or other fuels. A driver can plug the car into a conventional wall outlet at night and be ready to go electric again in the morning. The cars could dramatically reduce gasoline use because many commuters drive less than 40 miles a day. The administration has said the vehicles would play a role in its goal to reduce dependence on foreign oil, cut greenhouse gas emissions and create "green" jobs.

During his campaign, Obama promised $4 billion in tax credits to automakers to revamp their plants to build plug-ins, and a $7,000 tax credit for consumers who buy early versions of the cars. He even pledged to convert the White House vehicle fleet to plug-ins within a year, as security permits, and require half of the cars bought by the government to be plug-in or all electric by 2012. The tax credits were included in the stimulus package.

One of the biggest hurdles is whether their large lithium ion batteries are ready for mass production. Some analysts have pegged the cost of the batteries at $1,000 per kilowatt hour, which could add about $16,000 to the cost of a first-generation Volt and thousands of dollars to a plug-in Prius. None of the major automakers has made a firm commitment on the mass production of plug-ins that would be required to meet Obama's goal. Conventional gas-electric hybrids account for less than 3 percent of the car market and it took about eight years to get 1 million hybrids on the road in the U.S., according to automotive consulting firm R.L. Polk & Company. (AP/AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Dept of Energy Announces $50 Million For Fuel Cell Markets

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Stephen Chu has announced $41.9 million in funding to stimulate growth in fuel cell markets. This effort is designed to expand the use of clean and renewable energy sources and reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. The funding comes from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for fuel cell technology.

These efforts will accelerate the commercialization and deployment of fuel cells and will create jobs in fuel cell manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and support services. The new funding will improve the potential of fuel cells to provide power in stationary, portable and specialty vehicle applications, while cutting carbon emissions and broadening our nation’s clean energy technology portfolio.

The $41.9 million will support immediate deployment of nearly 1,000 fuel cell systems for emergency backup power and material handling applications (e.g., forklifts) that have emerged as key early markets in which fuel cells can compete with conventional power technologies. Additional systems will be used to accelerate the demonstration of stationary fuel cells for combined heat and power in the larger residential and commercial markets. The increase in manufacturing volume in key early markets will also bring costs down and encourage the growth of a domestic supplier base. A variety of technologies will be developed and deployed, including polymer electrolyte, solid oxide and direct-methanol fuel cells.

The funding includes:

$41.9 million from President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund 13 projects to deploy fuel cells – helping to build a consumer base for U.S. fuel cell manufacturers.
Approximately $72.4 million in cost-share funding from industry participants—for a total of nearly $114.3 million. This cost share demonstrates private sector commitment to developing and deploying these clean, energy efficient technologies. More information on DOE’s fuel cell activities.

State-by-State list of awards

Bamboo Can Be Used To Make 'Green' Products

Bamboo: The Green Renewable Resource

Bamboo: An Earth-Friendly Alternative

Bamboo, unlike traditional hardwoods, is a sustainable resource that can be grown quickly, easily, and without the use of pesticides or heavy fertilizers. In fact, it is the fastest growing plant (grass) in the world. The more you cut it the faster it grows as it has a rhizome root system that spreads rapidly. And it regenerates 25 times faster than a conventional hardwood forest. Another upside is that it fights CO2 emissions as it grows by releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Each and every acre of bamboo "eats up" 9,600 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Bamboo is considered a sustainable resource because it grows faster than any other plant on earth. Various types of this woody grass can grow 3 feet or more per day. When grown commercially, it is grown like other horticultural crops and harvested annually. Bamboo regenerates without replanting and requires minimal fertilization and planting. It is also an important economic resource in less developed countries, improving the quality of life of those that are involved in the commercial growth and distribution.

Bamboo as a Building material

Bambooandtikis.com fencing is made of Tonkin cane from southeast China, and has the strength equivalent to Cedar wood. Unlike hardwoods which can take 15-20 years to mature, bamboo matures in 3-4 years and has a higher tensile strength than many alloys of steel.

New Green Bamboo Products from BambooAndTikis.com

100% organic Moso Bamboo Rugs -- Extremely durable and beautiful, these rugs can be used on all types of surfaces including hardwood, carpet, tile and cement floors.

Natural Bamboo Tambor Paneling -- Like most matting products, they look great when attached to walls, and ceilings. Designers use this product to produce beautiful countertops and tables when resins are applied over them. A cloth backing adds to the ease of applying construction cement, or wallpaper glues when attaching to various materials.

Thatch and Umbrella Kits -- Thatch roofing is one of the oldest forms of roofing known. Thatch is renewable, fast growing and earth-friendly. BambooandTikis.com carries coco palm thatch roof panels from Mexico (also known as palapas), cape reed panels from Africa, and thatch panels from Fiji.

BambooandTikis.com BambooandTikis.com, one of the largest distributors of bamboo, tikis, and thatch in the United States, is offering new, green bamboo products to eco-friendly consumers.Bamboo and Tikis is a Backyard X-Scapes Company which operates from a 65,000 square foot facility in San Diego, CA. They are one of the largest providers of outdoor and backyard related products in the western United States.

[Note: The Center does not endorse BambooandTikis or any of its products. This information is presented as an educational tool only]

President Obama's High-Speed Rail Plan

President Obama's high-speed passenger rail plan identifies 10 potential high-speed intercity corridors for federal funding, including California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Gulf Coast, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and New England. Each of the corridors identified by the president's plan are between 100 and 600 miles long. The plan describes trains traveling at top speeds of 150 to 250 mph.

The president's plan would be funded in part through the recently passed $787 billion stimulus plan, which includes a total of $8 billion for improvements in rail service. President Obama has also proposed a separate five-year, $5 billion investment in high-speed rail as part of the administration's proposed fiscal year 2010 budget.

The city of Chicago, Illinois, would be the hub of the proposed Midwest Regional Rail System, which would stretch to Madison, Wisconsin, in the Northwest; St. Louis, Missouri, in the South; and Detroit, Michigan, in the East. (CNN)

The rail plan also highlights potential improvements in the Northeast Corridor running from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts. Federal grants would also be directed toward separate individual rail projects that are deemed "ready to go," with preliminary engineering and environmental work already completed.

High Speed Rail: Strategic Plan, Route Map, Fact Sheet

The White House

China & South Africa Sign Pebble Bed Modular Reactor MOU

The Center is delighted that China and South Africa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a Pebble Bed Modular [nuclear] Reactor (PBMR). The Center travelled to China to tour the only PBMR in existence in 2007. We support the collaboration and intend to be involved in assuring the success of the partnership. The entire continent of Africa has only one nuclear power plant. PBMR uses helium gas as the coolant, which, along with using hundreds of thousands of tennis ball sized 'pebbles' with uranium pellets at the cores, makes it an entirely new type of nuclear plant.

Center volunteeer/consultant John McCormick spoke at the high temperature reactor (HTR) conference last year where the company PBMR and Tsinghua University started discussions about cooperating. Although South Africa's main utility Eskom has been discussing the construction of a PBMR for years, the Chineses have actually constructed a research reactor about 40 miles from Beijing. The Center also arranged for the lead PBMR physicist from China, Dr. Yujie Dong, to meet with American officials and took him on a tour of the city during his first visit to the United States (See videos).

The Center is in the forefront of promoting PBMR technology and we want the USA to get more involved. Center President Norris McDonald spoke to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Stephen Chu right after his Senate confirmation hearing, and after other hearings, about PBMR. The Center hopes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will consider PBMR via its International Activities Office, during consideration of climate change solutions. The Center also intends to share our experiences and recommendations with President Barack Obama. (Atomic Insights Blog)

EPA Using $600 Million From Recovery Act For Toxic Cleanup

EPA has announced that it will use $600 million in new funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the cleanup of hazardous waste (Superfund) sites across the nation. In most cases, this recovery act funding will accelerate the hazardous waste cleanup already underway at the sites and fund new clean-up projects. President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on February 17, 2009 and has directed the recovery act be implemented withunprecedented transparency and accountability.

The federal Superfund program was created in 1980 to clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites that pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. Superfund sites are often found inindustrial areas hardest hit by the recession. Superfund cleanups are major construction projects that employ thousands of workers nationwide. Since it began, the program has completed mitigation at more than 1,060 of the 1,596 sites on its National Priorities List. The Superfund program is implementing new or expanded cleanup actions at 50 sites around the country with recovery act funds. By starting or accelerating cleanup at Superfund sites, recovery act funding is also increasing the speed with which these sites are returned to productive use. When a Superfund site is redeveloped, it can offer significant economic benefits to local communities including future job creation.

EPA Administrator Jackson To Lead G8 Delegation

EPA Administrator Jackson will lead U.S. delegation to the annual G8 Environment Ministers meeting in Siracusa, Italy. Administrator Jackson will participate in meetings on children’s health and the environment, climate change and biodiversity. This marks her first international trip as EPA Administrator. Administrator Jackson will represent the United States among Environment Ministers from the Group of Eight (Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Russia) as well as 12 additional Environment Ministers and leaders of international organizations from around the world.

Administrator Jackson will be an active participant in the meetings, which provide an opportunity for an in depth exchange of views.

Who: EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson

What: G8 Environment Ministers Meeting

Thursday, 23 April 2009 Afternoon session: Working Session 3: Climate Change Actions

Friday, 24 April 2009 Morning session: Working Session 4: Children’s Health and the Environment

Presentation of Chair’s Summary

Press Conference

When: Thursday, April 23 - Friday, April 24

Where: Castello Maniace (Via Castello di Maniace, 51) on the island of Ortigia in Siracusa, Italy.

The nearest airport is Catania Fontanarossa.

Center and Greater Union Baptist Church To Tour Catalina

The Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy (Center), and its outreach arm, the African American Environmentalist Association (AAEA), are expanding our environmental outreach in the West. We have established a partnership with the Greater Union Baptist Church (GUBC) to operate an environmental tour program called “Compton To Catalina,” which will take students and other young people from Compton, California to Catalina Island.

Center President Norris McDonald is pictured above with GUBC Associate Minister Sam Darling, who also serves as the church's Outreach Coordinator.

The purpose of the program is to expose young people from Compton to the Pacific Ocean and an incredibly beautiful island. People take it for granted that the vast majority of this kids never get on the water and many people live their entire lives without directly experiencing the Pacific Ocean even though they live within five or ten miles of it. We believe that such early exposure to this environment could lead to a lifelong environmental stewardship ethic. Any support for the program is greatly appreciated.

To inquire about the program, please feel free to email us.

EPA Publishes Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the national greenhouse gas inventory, which finds that overall emissions during 2007 increased by 1.4 percent from the previous year. The report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, is the latest annual report that the United States has submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.

Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2007 were equivalent to 7,150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report indicates that overall emissions have grown by 17.2 percent from 1990 to 2007. The increase in emissions in 2007 was due primarily to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions associated with fuel and electricity consumption.

The following factors were primary contributors to this increase:

(1) increased demand for heating fuels and electricity due to cooler winter and warmer summer conditions in 2007 than in 2006;

(2) increased consumption of fossil fuels to generate electricity; and

(3) a significant decrease (14.2 percent) in hydropower generation used to meet this demand.

EPA prepares the annual report in collaboration with experts from multiple federal agencies and after gathering comments from a broad range of stakeholders across the country. The inventory tracks annual greenhouse gas emissions at the national level and presents historical emissions from 1990 to 2007. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by “sinks,” e.g., through the uptake of carbon by forests, vegetation and soils. Information on the greenhouse gas inventory report

Dana Perino Joins Burson-Marsteller

Dana Perino, left, President George W. Bush's last White House press secretary, will join Clinton administration adviser Mark Penn at public-relations firm Burson-Marsteller, where she will be "Chief Issues Counselor." Ms. Perino will probably focus on communications strategies for clients in the Washington policy debates over issues such as energy, climate change and health care. She may also develop business among newer defense and technology firms. (WSJ, 4/14/09)

Center Tours Southern California Edison Tech Center

Center President Norris McDonald toured Southern California Edison's Customer Technology Application Center (CTAC) and found the facility to be an incredible educational facility. The displays, models, replicas and audio visual presentations are housed in a 51,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility located just east of Los Angeles in the city of Irwindale. SCE CTAC staff are pictured below with McDonald.

The tour was arranged by Darius Pierce of LAGRANT Communications. McDonald is pictured below with LAGRANT General Manager Keisha N. Brown (center) and Pierce (right) at the LAGRANT office in downtown Los Angeles.

CTAC houses eight technologies centers, three classrooms, a computer lab and a 103 person theater-style conference center that offers customers, architects, engineers and contractors an array of programs and services that can help save energy, money and the environment. CTAC's interactive demonstration center includes:

Demand Side Management Display
Lighting Center
Commercial and Industrial Technology Center
Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Chilled Water System
Electric Motors & Drives
Compressed Air
Refrigeration Demonstration
Foodservice Technology Center
Professional Wet Cleaning Demonstration
Plastic Injection Molding Display
High Volume Low Speed Fan
Daylight Harvesting System
Energy Management System
Electric and Magnetic Field (EMF) Lab and Power Quality Center
Technical Consultation

The tour was conducted by SCE Technical Consultant Jack Sherman and accompanied by Local Public Affairs Region Manager David A. Ford. Both are pictured with McDonald in the video featuring SCE's prototype hydrogen fuel cell lithium ion battery car.

Pentagon To Pursue Alternative Fuel Sources

The Center is promoting the Energy Defense Reservations (EDR) Program that combines the Defense Department working with private energy companies to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into diesel fuel and gasoline. The Defense Department is the largest consumer of energy in the United States and spent approximately $18 billion on energy last year.

The Pentagon has launched initiatives to find alternative fuel sources. The goals include saving money, preserving dwindling natural resources and lessening U.S. dependence on foreign sources. Other than fueling jet engines, the largest drain on U.S. military fuel supplies comes from running generators at forward operating bases. The Pentagon says that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have required from 50 million gallons to 500 million gallons a year.
To help reduce consumption, the Pentagon is using $300 million of the $7.4 billion it received from the economic stimulus package to accelerate existing programs for developing alternative fuels and saving energy.

The Pentagon is developing mobile units -- small enough to fit on a five-ton flatbed trailer -- that use an anaerobic microbial process to convert garbage into oil. Two prototypes -- known as the Tactical Garbage to Energy Refinery -- were deployed to Iraq and were successful in converting field waste -- paper, plastic, cardboard and food slop -- into biofuel to power a 60-kilowatt generator.

The Pentagon is also investing $15 million of the stimulus money into developing lightweight, flexible photovoltaic mats that could be rolled up like a rug and used at forward bases to draw solar power for operating equipment. About $6 million is aimed at improving a program run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to convert algae into jet propulsion fuel 8, or JP-8, that could power Navy and Air Force aircraft. Other initiatives include $27 million to develop a hybrid engine the Army could use in tactical vehicles and $2 million to develop highly efficient portable fuel cells that could reduce the battery load carried by infantry soldiers.

The Pentagon is also testing the use of solar and geothermal energy to provide power at installations. The Army, for example, is partnering with a private firm to build an enormous, 500-megawatt solar farm at Fort Irwin, Calif. The farm would supply the 30 to 35 megawatts needed to operate the installation, with the remaining available for sale to the California electrical grid.

The Pentagon is insulating thousands of tents in Iraq and Afghanistan with a two-inch layer of foam. The foam is sprayed like shaving cream from 55-gallon drums and hardens in about 20 minutes. This $95 million program dramatically reduced the amount of fuel needed for heating and cooling, saving $2 million in energy costs per day. (WashPost, 4/13/09)

$17 Million To Study Re-Licensing San Onofre Nuclear Plant

The California Public Utilities Commission, on a vote of 4-1, approved a rate hike last month that will allow Southern California Edison to collect an extra $2.1 billion in gross revenue over the next three years. The PUC granted the utility $106 million for incentive pay for rank-and-file employees, and $17 million to study the feasibility of re-licensing San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, whose licenses expires in 2022.

The heads of Asian, Hispanic and black business, church groups and Edison engineers, linemen and trainees stressed the need for investment and jobs at a hearing on the rate increase. It is estimated that the 2 percent increase will result in a $3 billion annual infrastructure spending to the Southern California economy, which includes the creation of as many as 38,000 new jobs. The hike will raise the average residential bill $2 or so, to $85 a month. (Turn, 3/12/09)

Kevin Book, Kevin Kolevar & Chase Hotto Form ClearView

Kevin Book, left, has left FBR Capital Markets and partnered with Kevin Kolevar, the former DOE Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and Chase Hutto, Vice President Cheney’s energy, environment and natural resources advisor to form a new firm, ClearView Energy Partners, LLC. The group brings together Book’s reputation for unbiased, prescient macro research with Hutto and Kolevar’s strategic and operational insights earned through decades of sector-specific experience in Washington.

ClearView will provide its corporate and financial-sector clients with projections of “what next” in Washington, analyses of how government actions affect energy fundamentals and guidance to help financial and physical players in the sector minimize risk and maximize value.(Source: Frank Maisano)

Southern Calif Edison Restores San Diego Wetlands Area

The San Dieguito Wetland Restoration Project is attracting a larger number of migratory and local birds than expected just months after being opened to ocean tides for the first time. Those monitoring the Southern California Edison (SCE) environmental project, including California Coastal Commission scientists and local birdwatchers, are encouraged at the quantity and rarity of bird species repopulating the new ecosystem. Scientists from the University of California, Santa Barbara’s (UCSB’s) Marine Science Institute, under contract to the California Coastal Commission to monitor the wetland’s development, report a rapid increase of shore birds foraging in a new 63-acre lagoon that is part of the 150-acre project.

Small numbers of local and migratory birds were expected to inhabit the wetlands since the new mudflats were opened to daily tides for just a few months. But the numbers and varieties of birds have started using the wetland. With millions of baby fish now circulating in the wetlands and the positive response by birds to the new nature preserve, the wetlands habitat is thriving.
The environmental goal of the San Dieguito Wetlands Restoration project is to create a variety of habitats that would increase and maintain fish and wildlife and ensure protection of endangered species. Scientists hope to use the restoration project as a model of how best to help species colonize man-made habitats. SCE plans to continue monitoring and testing the area for several years, giving scientists and marine estuary planners data on best practices for restoring other coastal lagoons.

SCE and other San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station owners – SDG&E and the city of Riverside – are constructing the San Dieguito Wetland Restoration Project as part of a program overseen by the California Coastal Commission to offset any impact on marine life caused by San Onofre’s use of ocean water for one of its cooling systems. The Wetland Restoration Project and the new Wheeler North Reef off San Clemente are the largest and most successful coastal power plant mitigation projects of their type.

Bird species found in the new lagoon include sparrows, gulls, sandpipers, terns, pelicans, hawks, coots, stilts, ospreys and hummingbirds. Rare birds that nest annually at the site include more than 40 pairs of Belding's Savannah Sparrow and a number of pairs of Least Bell’s Vireo. On the edge of the project several pairs of California gnatcatchers have been observed. Birdwatchers showed up at the site in large numbers after local bird expert Paul Lehman spotted an extremely rare and tiny sandpiper (Semipalmated Sandpiper) a few months ago. The number of bird species seen at the site has doubled during the past five years to more than 150 now documented with several endangered, rare, migratory and year-round species colonizing the wetlands. A killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) chose to build her nest in a location inside a gravel stockpile area centrally located in one of the most heavily traveled project areas. Her nesting site was cordoned off and she and her mate raised their babies until they flew the nest.

Additional information about the San Dieguito Wetland Restoration Project

Anti Nuclear Activists Oppose Calvert Cliffs Third Reactor

The Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition (CSEC) released a new report outside of the Maryland Public Service Commission headquarters on March 31 that shows renewable energy sources can produce more electricity than nuclear power plants and for less money.

These antinuclear groups want to stop the planned construction of another reactor at the current Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant site. They are asking the Public Service Commission to deny UniStar Nuclear Energy, the joint venture of Constellation and Electricite de France, its request to build a third nuclear reactor in Calvert Cliffs, Calvert County.

Members of the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition include: Beyond Nuclear, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, Clean Water Action Green Party (MD), Maryland PIRG, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Public Citizen, and Sierra Club-Maryland. (HometownAnnapolis.com, 4/1/09)

Absorption Chillers: Think Large Air Conditioner

Absorption chillers use thermal energy sources to produce chilled water. Water has a very high specific heat and latent heat of vaporization, which makes it a great refrigerant. How is water boiling at 212°F going to create chilled water at 44°? First, the boiling temperature of water is a direct function of pressure and at a pressure of 1 atmosphere (29.92 Hg), water boils at 212°. When the pressure on the water is decreased, the water boiling temperature is lowered. Absorption chillers have substantially reduced internal pressures to take advantage of the lower water boiling temperatures. Absorption chiller internal pressures can range from 0.1 atmosphere (atm) to below 0.01 atm. The Capitol Power Plant uses an absorption chiller to produce chilled water to provide air conditioning to Congress (below).

There are a number of absorption chillers available, including single-effect indirect-fired (steam, hot water); double-effect indirect-fired; and double-effect direct-fired (gas and/or oil burner). Single-effect absorption chillers have a single generator/concentrator and condense all vaporized refrigerant in a single condenser. Double-effect absorption chillers have two generator/concentrators and the vaporized refrigerant from the high temperature generator/concentrator is the thermal source for the low temperature generator/concentrator, reducing the cooling requirement for the vaporized refrigerant (See Figure 2).

The single-effect indirect-fired absorption chiller has five main steps (Figure 1): 1) condensing (condenser), 2) expansion (expansion pipe), 3) evaporation (evaporator), 4) absorption (absorber), and 5) generator/concentrator.

1) Condenser. In the condenser, the cooling water absorbs the heat of condensation from the vaporized refrigerant, changing the refrigerant into a liquid.

2) Expansion. The liquid refrigerant (water) travels from the condenser through expansion piping to the evaporator during which the liquid refrigerant experiences a drop in pressure and temperature.

3) Evaporator. The liquid refrigerant (water) is pumped to the chilled water tube bundle top and sprayed on the tube bundle. At the low evaporator pressure, the liquid refrigerant vaporizes at approximately 38°, removing energy from the chilled water. Liquid refrigerant that is vaporized travels from the evaporator to the absorber.

4) Absorber. The vaporized refrigerant enters a liquid lithium-bromide solution spray within the absorber. The lithium bromide solution absorbs the vaporized refrigerant and the cooling water absorbs the heat of vapor absorption. After the absorption, the liquid lithium-bromide solution takes one of two paths. One path has the liquid bromide solution mixing with a concentrated lithium bromide solution and being pumped to the absorber spray nozzles. The other path has the liquid bromide solution being heated and pumped to the generator/concentrator.

5) Generator/concentrator. The lithium-bromide solution enters the generator/concentrator and is heated by steam or hot water, raising the lithium bromide solution to a temperature where the liquid refrigerant (water) vaporizes and travels to the condenser, completing the refrigerant cycle. The concentrated lithium bromide solution flows down to the absorber, completing the absorber cycle.

By Vincent A. Sakraida

For Engineered Systems

Obama/Medvedev To Transform Swords Into Plowshares?

Nuclear warheads can be converted and used as fuel in nuclear power plants. This could hold the key to the G-20 announcement by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that they want to reduce each nation's long-range nuclear arsenals. The two presidents have started negotiations on a new strategic arms-control treaty that would cut each nation's long-range nuclear arsenal further than previous agreements. In a separate joint statement, the two leaders pledged to begin working immediately on an agreement to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which will expire at the end of this year. They committed to reducing their nuclear arsenals to levels lower than those mandated by the Moscow Treaty of 2002, which calls for both nations to have no more than 1,700 to 2,200 warheads by Dec. 31, 2012.

The statement also called for "international negotiations for a verifiable treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons," a step that has never been taken before. Obama also pledged to work for ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which the Senate rejected in 1999. The arms-reduction talks are designed to produce a treaty that contains stringent measures to verify warhead and missile levels.

The Megatons to Megawatts Program is a unique, commercially financed government-industry partnership in which bomb-grade uranium from dismantled Russian nuclear warheads is being recycled into low enriched uranium (LEU) used to produce fuel for American nuclear power plants. USEC, as executive agent for the U.S. government, and Techsnabexport (TENEX), acting for the Russian government, implement this 20-year, $8 billion program at no cost to taxpayers. The U.S. is also building a facility in South Carolina that will convert plutonium into a fuel that can be used in commercial nuclear power plants. This mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is currently used in American plants and in other countries. (WashPost, 4/3/09)

Center Supports Commercial Nuclear Power For U.A.E.

We support the U.S. assisting the United Arab Emirates in establishing the first Arab commercial nuclear power program. In fact, if America does not wake up, U.A.E. will build a new plant before us. They want to complete a plant by 2017. Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (NEC) is the equivalent to our Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and NEC oversees Abu Dhabi's nuclear program.

President Obama should continue support for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). Former President George W. Bush signed a treaty during his last week in office that would allow American firms to engage in nuclear trade with the U.A.E. Under the terms of the treaty, U.A.E. will buy approved nuclear fuel on the international market, rather than enriching uranium or reprocessing plutonium. It will also open its facilities to random international inspections.

General Electric Company and Westinghouse Electric Co. are among the U.S. firms interested in the initial $20 billion in reactor work. U.A.E. has already signed a nuclear-cooperation agreement with France, and has tentative deals with Japan and Britain. Companies such as France's Areva SA and Korea Electric Power Company are preparing to make bids for contracts that could ultimately top $40 billion.

Projections indicate that U.A.E's electricity demand will reach 40,000 megawatts by 2020 from around 16,000 megawatts today. Nonnuclear options, such as coal-fired plants, solar energy or alternative fuels, were seen either as insufficient to meet demand, too expensive or harmful to the environment. U.A.E. officials believe nuclear power is the most practical and clean alternative. (WSJ, 4/2/09)

Global Map of Nuclear Plants

American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee have released a draft of energy legislation that will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on the path to energy independence, and cut global warming pollution. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) has four titles:

1) A clean energy title that promotes renewable sources of energy, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, low-carbon fuels, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission;
2) An energy efficiency title that increases energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy, including buildings, appliances, transportation, and industry;
3) A global warming title that places limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants; and
4) A transitioning title that protects U.S. consumers and industry and promotes green jobs during the transition to a clean energy economy.

The Energy and Commerce Committee will complete consideration of the legislation by Memorial Day. The preliminary schedule follows:

Week of April 20: Energy and Environment Subcommittee Hearings
Week of April 27: Energy and Environment Subcommittee Markup Period Begins
Week of May 11: Full Energy and Commerce Committee Markup Period Begins

The Center is recommending that two provisions should be added to the global warming title in ACES:

1) Nuclear power will qualify as a renewable resource to meet the requirement to have 25 percent of electricity derived from renewable energy by 2025.

2) Distribute allowances free to utilities and use the Acid Rain Program as the model for auctioning allowances to provide an appropriate market price signal to sellers, purchasers and government agencies.

The draft legislation does not address whether 100 percent of the allowances, or a smaller percentage, will be auctioned. The Center opposes auctioning the allowances, except as minimally implemented in the Acid Rain Program. The Center also finds it interesting that the draft bill exempts New Source Review from the program and CO2 from being regulated as an EPA criteria pollutant:

Clean Air Act Exemptions. The draft provides that CO2 and other greenhouse gases may not be regulated as criteria pollutants or hazardous air pollutants on the basis of their effect on global warming. The draft also provides that new source review does not apply to these global
warming pollutants.

Documents

American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 Discussion Draft Full Text

American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 Discussion Draft Summary

Was John Dingell Pushed Off Stage Too Soon?

Did the House Democratic Caucus miscalculate last year in ignoring seniority and allowing Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif) to topple the legendary-decades-long serving chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee John Dingell? At the time it probably seemed to be the right thing to do because many felt that Dingell would be less friendly to the Obama agenda than Waxman. Waxman is clearly more aggressive on the environmental agenda items. The auto companies flying into Washington, D.C. on private jets with cup in hand [$25 billion loan request] at about the time of the caucus vote probably did not help Dingell either. In Washington, Dingell was the walking, breathing, talking symbol of Detroit for about the last four decades.

Maybe at 82, some thought Big John had lost a step. Our president tells us that even though former chairman Dingell is on crutches, he was getting around like a man half his age at a recent bill signing at The White House (see photo upper left). It is also ironic that Dingell would be toppled because he had acquiesed to increasing automobile fuel economy standards. There were grumbles last year though that the former chairman was not moving fast enough on climate change legislation. The House even set up another informal committee headed by Ed Markey (D-Mass) to hold hearings on climate change.

Regardless of all of this, John Dingell's vast experience might still be very helpful right now in harmonizing our nation's need for climate change mitigation with some sort of resolution to the Detroit automaker business debacle. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) defeated Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) on a vote of 137-122 in November after the presidential election . We will leave it to history to see if that close vote got it right.

President Barack Obama On NAFTA

President Obama is in a precarious position regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because of the current turmoil in global economies. He opposed the treaty during the campaign but is moderating his position some now. During the Democratic presidential primaries, presidential candidate Obama's position was that the U.S. should opt out of the agreement or seek a fundamental re-negotiation in the near future. But in a recent interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation when he visited that country, President Obama made the following statement:

"NAFTA, the basic framework of the agreement has environmental and labor protections as side agreements -- my argument has always been that we might as well incorporate them into the full agreement so that they're fully enforceable. Canada is one of our most important trading partners [with $1.5 billion in trade between the two countries] and it is not in anybody's interest to see that trade diminish."

In a debate during the Ohio primary, candidate Obama stated: "We should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced." President Obama's current position is not fundamentally different in content (labor and environmental standards should be added to the main body of the agreement), but he is placing far more emphasis on working together to preserve NAFTA. The Center appreciates President Obama's consistent focus on environmental standards. During the primaries, NAFTA was seen as a threat to American jobs, whereas now there a need for cooperation due to a global economic crisis of historic proportions. (WashPostBlog-The Fix)

Supreme Court Rules Cooling Water Costs Can Be Considered

The Supreme Court ruled today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can compare costs with benefits to determine the technology that must be used at structures that cool water at electricity power plants. By a 6-3 vote, the high court handed a victory to Entergy Corporation, other electric utilities and the general public. The justices overturned a ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that previously ruled that the Clean Water Act does not permit the EPA to consider the cost-benefit relationship in deciding the best technology available to minimize adverse environmental impact.

The Center supports the U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The Supreme Court's decision is a victory for global warming mitigation because nuclear power plants do not emit any greenhouse gases and some traditional environmental groups are trying to use water permits as a way to shut them down. Although some fish eggs are destroyed by all power plant intakes, unreasonable expenses that would close plants and lead to rate shock to customers should be considered. The Supreme Court made the right decision. Morever, current Ristroph Screens provide sufficient protection at these intake areas. A negative ruling could have required hundreds of power plants to install super expensive cooling towers. Companies would shut down older plants before building cooling towers.

Voting with the majority were Justices Antonin Scalia, Chief Justice John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Dissenting: Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The majority noted that:

"We conclude that the EPA permissibly relied on cost-benefit analysis in setting the national performance standards."

Center President Norris McDonald, pictured above right, attended the December 2, 2008 hearing. (AP, Reuters)

Dominion Virgina Power Seeks 6.9% Rate Increase

Dominion Virginia Power has submitted a request to a three member regulatory panel of the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) seeking to raise electricity rates 6.9 percent during the next 14 months to pay for equipment, salaries, plant construction and conservation projects. The request comes a year after the state's largest energy provider raised rates by 18 percent to cover fuel costs, the largest one-time rate increase in three decades. Before Dominion won approval for last year's boost, the average home electric bill was $91. If the SCC approves this one, the average monthly bill will hit $116 by May 2010.

Dominion serves nearly 2.4 million homes and businesses statewide, including 800,000 customers in Northern Virginia.Dominion said incremental increases proposed for Sept. 1 and Jan. 1 will pay for operating costs, power plants in Buckingham and Wise counties and conservation programs. The increase also includes a 13.5 percent profit for the company and its investors.

Baltimore Gas and Electric raised rates 72 percent in 2006. The average bill for Pepco customers in Montgomery and Prince George's counties increased 86 percent between June 2005 and June 2008, officials with the utility said. The increase was 65 percent for customers in the District. Maryland's average Pepco bill was $168 in January. Pepco is expected to seek a rate increase in the District later this month, but has no current plans to file for a rate increase in Maryland. (WashPost, 4/1/09)