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We applaud President Obama’s commitment to getting America off oil

by Posted on February 13, 2013

We applaud President Obama’s commitment to getting America off oil

Posted 13 February 2013 in

National

Tonight, President Obama laid out an agenda that includes cutting our dependence on oil, fighting climate change and creating jobs. The current administration has been a long-time supporter of renewable fuel, which can help meet all three of these goals.

The Renewable Fuel Standard is an essential policy that is already helping to wean us from oil and that, if left intact, can do even more to benefit America. The RFS has been crucial in encouraging investment in oil alternatives, driving innovation in advanced biofuels and opening up markets so that Americans have a choice at the gas pump.

Last year, 13 billion gallons of renewable fuel were added to our fuel supply. That production supported jobs for and employed more than 380,000 Americans while reducing the need for imported oil by more than 462 million barrels. A secure, domestic and clean fuel source, renewable fuel increasingly shields our country from volatile global oil markets, lowers gas prices – by $1.09 per gallon on average in recent years – and reduces harmful emissions that contribute to climate change. In 2012, using renewable fuel slashed greenhouse gas emissions by 33.4 million metric tons.

Renewable fuel has an important role to play in supporting President Obama’s energy agenda and job-creation goals. The companies of the renewable fuel sector stand ready to help make those goals a reality.

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We applaud President Obama’s commitment to getting America off oil

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Global wind capacity up 20 percent in 2012 — thanks in part to the U.S.’ monster December

by ansonsten Posted on February 11, 2013

Global wind capacity up 20 percent in 2012 — thanks in part to the U.S.’ monster December

By Philip Bump

Michael Lemmon

The tally is in: Wind had a hell of a 2012. From the Guardian:

Wind power expanded by almost 20% in 2012 around the world to reach a new peak of 282 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity. Of the 45GW of new wind turbines that arrived in 2012, China and the US led the way with 13GW each, while Germany, India and the UK were next with about 2GW apiece. …

The UK now ranks sixth in the world for installed wind power, with 8.5GW. In Europe, only Germany (31GW) and Spain (23GW) have more. China leads the world with 77GW installed and the US is second with 60GW.

The amount of installed capacity has been growing nearly exponentially over the past two decades.

Interestingly, last year’s surge is thanks in part to American politics. More than five of the U.S.’ 13 added gigawatts came in December, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Approximately 40% of the total 2012 wind capacity additions (12,620 MW) came online in December, just before the scheduled expiration of the wind production tax credit (PTC). During December 2012, 59 new wind projects totaling 5,253 MW began commercial operation, the largest-ever single-month capacity increase for U.S. wind energy. About 50% of the total December wind capacity additions were installed in three states: Texas (1,120MW), Oklahoma (794 MW), and California (730 MW).

You may remember the kerfuffle over the wind production tax credit. (If you don’t, good news: It’s due to return soon.) Worried that Congress would kill a key incentive to use of wind energy in electricity production, manufacturers rushed to complete projects by the end of the year. Apparently, it worked. Half of the country’s new generating capacity last year was renewable, mostly due to wind.

EIA

And now the downside. First, one reason China tied the U.S. for new wind capacity was that China slowed down developing its wind production. And, second, the country is expected to add 240 gigawatts of new coal power by 2016. The total amount of wind capacity in the world after 2012? About 280 gigawatts.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Global wind capacity up 20 percent in 2012 — thanks in part to the U.S.’ monster December

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Let’s name all of the ocean water that will someday flood us after Reagan

by kowalski099 Posted on February 7, 2013

Let’s name all of the ocean water that will someday flood us after Reagan

By Philip Bump

Once again, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has proposed naming the United States’ offshore “exclusive economic zone” after Ronald Reagan. (He tried this last year, too.) The EEZ, as it’s known, is the expanse of ocean between three and 200 miles off U.S. coastlines in areas we control. It’s our ocean, which we can do with what we want. Maybe we want to build statues to former presidents there. We can; it’s our water.

So why does Issa want to name it after the Gipper? Two reasons. First, because he can’t suggest we go big and name a state after Reagan since there aren’t any more states. Except maybe someday Puerto Rico, and I suspect Issa wouldn’t consider that an appropriate tribute. And, second, because naming things after Reagan is how Republicans tithe.

From The Hill:

Issa on Wednesday reintroduced his bill to rename the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which generally extends from three miles to 200 miles offshore, as the Ronald Wilson Reagan Exclusive Economic Zone.

The late Reagan, a Californian like Issa, established the EEZ with a 1983 presidential proclamation that declared the nation’s sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting and conserving offshore resources, including energy. …

Under the proposal, references to the EEZ in U.S. laws, regulations, maps and other documents would carry Reagan’s name.

Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan! Reagan Reagan, Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan Reagan!

NOAA

The new map of Exclusive Economic Zones. Click to embiggen and/or print out to use as a poster in your home

There’s another reason this is a good idea for conservatives, though it’s probably not one Issa has thought of. In 100 years, all of that Reagany ocean water will have risen so high that it floods thousands of acres of the snooty, liberal East and West Coasts. We’ll be swimming in Reagan, gang, paying the price for our sins of not loving Reagan enough. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll think of little old Darrell Issa when that happens.

Especially if we live in the new state of Issa, formerly known as Puerto Rico.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Let’s name all of the ocean water that will someday flood us after Reagan

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Turbine in the U.K. converts wind power into kinetic, falling-over energy

by Larissaiyb Posted on January 31, 2013

Turbine in the U.K. converts wind power into kinetic, falling-over energy

By Philip Bump

If you’re wondering why you thought you might have heard a sound something like a combination of giggling and coins jingling and a breeze ruffling the fur of an ugly otter, it’s because Donald Trump is happy today. Trump hates wind turbines, not because he understands how they work or what they’re used for (probably) but because he doesn’t want them in the ocean near his bullshit golf course.

He is happy because this happened. From the Guardian:

A wind turbine in north Devon has collapsed, leaving local residents concerned about safety. It is understood to be the first such reported incident in the UK, although blades have fallen from turbines in a small number of cases.

The turbine was sited on farmland in the Bradworthy area and fell down in the early hours of Sunday morning. Margaret Coles, chairwoman of Bradworthy parish council, which opposed the erection of the turbine, told the Daily Telegraph that strong winds had hit the area. “The bolts on the base could not withstand the wind as we are a very windy part of the country. Dulas [the energy company] have egg on their face,” she said. “There are concerns about safety.”

Well, yes. When a big, heavy thing specifically designed to be used in the wind is knocked over by the wind, that should rightly prompt concerns.

kevinzim

A Devon turbine, presumably in its proper, upright position.

It’s noted that the turbine here was “relatively small.” It could have been worse. It could have been one of these offshore mega-turbines, each blade of which is three times longer than the turbine that fell over. That’s why we put them in the ocean, where they can only fall on whales and such. And, you know, be visible from real estate magnates’ golf courses, infuriating them endlessly.

What the wind farm in Devon really needed was a more robust way of keeping the turbine affixed to the ground. Like a really, really strong adhesive. The sort of thing that one might use to adhere a toupee on a very windy day.

Anyone have any leads on such a product?

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Turbine in the U.K. converts wind power into kinetic, falling-over energy

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Obama: ‘We will respond to the threat of climate change’

by ansonsten Posted on January 21, 2013

Obama: ‘We will respond to the threat of climate change’

By Philip Bump

majunznk

Just before noon Eastern time, President Barack Obama was (ceremonially) sworn in to his second term of office.

His second inaugural address was strong in its embrace of progressive values — gay rights, addressing poverty, opposing gun violence, stopping voting restrictions. You can read the whole thing here.

Obama’s message, at its broadest, was that America is built and progresses through united action. That our government must actually be “of the people.” In that vein, the president devoted a paragraph to climate change.

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries — we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.

It is fair to find this heartening. It is the strongest, broadest argument for responsible stewardship of the planet: that we have an obligation to the future.

It also contrasts strongly with Obama’s words during a less public event shortly after his reelection. From his November 14 press conference:

There’s no doubt that for us to take on climate change in a serious way would involve making some tough political choices and understandably, you know, I think right now the American people have been so focused and will continue to be focused on our economy and jobs and growth that if the message somehow is that we’re going to ignore jobs and growth simply to address climate change, I don’t think anyone’s going to go for that. I won’t go for that.

That’s a different theme. That theme suggests that we shouldn’t make a sacrifice in the moment to preserve the future. That we have primacy over our children.

What Obama said in November suggests a series of small adjustments and minor political fights. What he said today, with the whole world listening, was that those fights must be big, and that we as Americans must fight them.

Lines from his address to that effect will almost certainly be featured in appeals from his reconstituted campaign structure, Organizing for America. His argument today — while a reflection of the president’s long-standing philosophy — was a tacit “ask what you can do for your country” call that OFA will undoubtedly repeat over the coming months. Considering that call in light of a recent assessments of why key climate legislation failed during Obama’s first term is revealing.

Two different messages at two not-very-different moments. Which fight we see, only time will tell — and could hinge on who shows up for the fight.

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Obama: ‘We will respond to the threat of climate change’

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Guess which North American country produces the most garbage. Wrong!

by greenenergy4 Posted on January 17, 2013

Guess which North American country produces the most garbage. Wrong!

By Philip Bump

Despite how demure its citizens are, Canada sometimes feels a little insecure about always being promoted as second-fiddle to the United States. There is a famous T-shirt which suggests that Canada is America’s hat; while this is largely true, Canada yearns to occasionally suggest that the U.S. is Canada’s boxer shorts. (Your Florida is hanging out.)

In one thing, though, Canada emerges victorious: garbage production. From the CBC:

The Conference Board of Canada gave Canada a C grade on Thursday and ranked it in 15th place among 17 developed nations studied across a host of environmental-efficiency metrics. …

While Canada earned a few A grades in categories such as water quality, endangered species and the use of forest resources, overall the country scored a D average. …

Canada fared dismally in terms of the amount of waste we produce. In 2009 (the data year on which the study was based), Canada produced 777 kilgrams of garbage per citizen. Across all 17 countries studied, the average was only 578 kg produced.

pedalfreak

This is actually a dump in Canada. Really. With bears.

This is what happens when you have a ton of extra space — it fills up with junk you don’t need to keep. Been there, Canada! We feel you!

[This spot could have been used for a hacky joke about the things Canadians throw away — Tim Horton’s cups, moose antlers, empty syrup bottles, retired NHL players — but we’re too mature for that.]

So congratulations to our head-warming neighbors to the north. You’ve done it. You’ve bested America in a field that most people would assume the U.S. would win in a walk. On garbage production, we are truly Canada’s underpants.

On nearly every other factor studied, though:

The 15th-place [overall] ranking put Canada only ahead of the U.S. and Australia …

The report found Canadians use 1,131 cubic metres per capita of water per year. The only country that uses more water is the United States, which consumes 1,632 cubic metres per capita.

U-S-A, motherf*ckers. U. S. A.

Source

Canadians produce more garbage than anyone else, CBC

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Japan plans world’s largest offshore wind farm near Fukushima

by gerdi Posted on January 16, 2013

Japan plans world’s largest offshore wind farm near Fukushima

By Philip Bump

pjh

An offshore farm near Kent, U.K.

The world’s largest offshore wind farm is coming to Japan. Eventually.

From New Scientist:

By 2020, the plan is to build a total of 143 wind turbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima, home to the stricken Daiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when it was damaged by an earthquake and tsunami.

The wind farm, which will generate 1 gigawatt of power once completed, is part of a national plan to increase renewable energy resources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the nation’s 54 nuclear reactors. Only two have since come back online.

The project is part of Fukushima’s plan to become completely energy self-sufficient by 2040, using renewable sources alone. The prefecture is also set to build the country’s biggest solar park.

The planned farm will be almost twice the size of the largest such facility currently in operation. By installing the turbines near Fukushima, utilities can leverage the abandoned plant’s now-unused grid connections.

By 2020, it is possible that the United States will still have a wind industry. Stay tuned.

Source

Japan to build world’s largest offshore wind farm, New Scientist

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Crop insurance claims likely to hit $16 billion in wake of 2012 drought

by um2rnxc Posted on January 16, 2013

Crop insurance claims likely to hit $16 billion in wake of 2012 drought

By Philip Bump

Shutterstock

Drought eradicates the green.

The 2012 megadrought was the worst since the Dust Bowl. Initial measurements suggest that it was responsible for a significant drop in the country’s economic growth in the middle of the year as corn prices spiked and farmers struggled to make ends meet.

Which will be easier to accomplish given the government’s likely $16 billion crop insurance payout. From The New York Times:

The Agriculture Department, which runs the program, said that the total losses from crops harvested last year would not be known for weeks, but that costs from the program were estimated to be $15.8 billion, up from $9.4 billion in 2011.

Separately, a record $11.4 billion in indemnities for crop losses has been paid out to farmers, and officials say that number could balloon to as much as $20 billion. In 2011, a then-record $10.8 billion was paid out in indemnities.

We’ve written about this insurance program before, of course, particularly during last year’s aborted attempt to pass a new farm bill. In brief, “while ‘crop insurance’ certainly sounds innocent enough, the term is being stretched beyond its traditional meaning. Like the name implies, some crop insurance does cover disaster relief, but the latest form also ‘insures’ (mostly large) farms against revenue loss.”

The economics of the program get trickier still.

Today, the government pays about 62 percent of the insurance premiums. The policies are sold by 15 private insurance companies that receive about $1.3 billion annually from the government. The government also backs the companies against losses.

Government documents show that taxpayers have paid nearly $7 billion so far to subsidize premiums for 2012. The documents also show that taxpayers could pay another $7 billion to underwrite losses by the insurance companies and other costs.

“Essentially, taxpayers are hit twice by the cost of the program,” said Bruce A. Babcock, an agriculture economist at Iowa State University.

What’s most alarming is that the need to bolster agriculture — and there is a need to provide support to agriculture — will only become more urgent. The government’s recent draft report on the effects of climate change suggests that the country’s agricultural regions will see more extremes, including more frequent droughts. Even without that inevitability, the government expects crop insurance to cost $94 billion over the next 10 years. If last year’s drought continues, or another equally severe drought happens, those projections will prove to be far too low.

There’s no easy answer to the problem. While we should certainly stem abuse of the insurance program, preventing widespread bankruptcies by food-growers is essential. That job will likely only become harder — and more expensive.

Source

Record Taxpayer Cost Is Seen for Crop Insurance, New York Times

Philip Bump writes about the news for Gristmill. He also uses Twitter a whole lot.

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Rum promoter won’t be allowed to hold shark-killing tournament

by olikellopas Posted on January 11, 2013

Rum promoter won’t be allowed to hold shark-killing tournament

By Philip Bump

A tame shark in the Dominican Republic.

From the Associated Press:

A popular rum promoter is drawing the ire of environmentalists for his plan to hold a shark-hunting tournament in the Dominican Republic similar to one he organized after the release of the movie “Jaws.” …

The newspaper Listin Diario recently quoted [promoter Newton] Rodriguez as saying that the country’s tourism industry suffered and people grew afraid of sharks after the blockbuster hit “Jaws” was released in 1975, leading him to organize a shark hunt a year later.

Well, idiot, first of all they already killed that shark in Jaws (via explosion) so you don’t need to worry about that. Second, a number of shark species are already endangered. Third, some 73 million sharks a year are slaughtered, many to fuel the sketchy trade in shark fins as phony medicinal treatment.

The Dominican Republic’s natural resources minister has happily kiboshed Rodriguez’s plan, though I’m not entirely certain that, in his wisdom, he’d even bother to apply for a permit.

As a public service, we figured we’d let you know the name of the rum Rodriguez promotes. It is: Barcelo. You’ll want to avoid it, given that aficionados clearly run the risk of damage to both the heart and the brain.

Source

Activists slam Dominican shark hunting tournament, Associated Press

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Solar crowdfunding project Mosaic sells out in under 24 hours

by greenenergy4 Posted on January 8, 2013

Solar crowdfunding project Mosaic sells out in under 24 hours

By Lisa Hymas

Yesterday we told you about the launch of Mosaic, a new Kickstarter-style service that makes it easy to invest in rooftop solar projects. Today comes news that it’s already sold out shares in all of its public projects. Talk about pent-up demand!

Solar MosaicThese people invested in a solar project and now they’re happy.

From a company press release:

Mosaic, an online marketplace that connects investors to high-quality solar projects, sold out its first four projects in less than 24 hours with over 400 investors putting in between $25 and $30,000. In total, investors put in over $313,000 with an average investment of nearly $700. …

To date, Mosaic has raised $1.1M from more than 700 investors to finance twelve rooftop solar power plants in California, Arizona and New Jersey. Mosaic’s latest projects were available to residents of California and New York as well as accredited investors from around the country. …

Mosaic’s first investment offerings for New York and California residents are in solar projects on affordable housing apartments for low-income residents in California and offer a 4.5% annual return, net of servicing fees, with terms of approximately nine years.

Mosaic still has one project left that’s open to “accredited investors who meet certain financial suitability requirements.” If you don’t know whether you’re an accredited investor, it’s a pretty good bet that you’re not.

While waiting for the federal government to democratize investing rules and let more people participate in Mosaic-style projects, the company says it’s “pursuing other avenues for crowdfunding clean energy.” Stay tuned.

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