Tag Archives: Congress

Fueling the Future: Unlocking Low-Cost Green Hydrogen

hydrogen fuel cell refueling

Current methods used to process hydrogen into a usable fuel are cost-prohibitive, but several new innovations are promising to open the door to cost-competitive green hydrogen. Hydrogen is well positioned to be the fuel of the future. However, a commercially viable transition to green hydrogen – the environmentally friendly version of the fuel – seems perpetually 10-15 years away. While …

Read More »

Interior Department Outlines Roadmap for Continued Renewable Energy Progress on Public Lands

wind mills

Approval of more than 120 renewable energy projects with combined generating capacity of 12,000 megawatts; new BLM report forecasts additional activity WASHINGTON — As part of its commitment to support and inspire a clean energy transition, the Department of the Interior today announced a series of steps taken to advance the Biden-Harris administration’s goal to permit 25 gigawatts of renewable power on …

Read More »

Interior Department Advances Three Solar Projects in California

victorypass

First solar projects approved under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior announced today it has approved two solar projects with a third nearing final completion on public lands in Riverside County, Calif., underscoring the Department’s commitment to promoting onshore renewable energy production. The three projects will generate roughly 1,000 megawatts (or 1 gigawatt of power) and are the first projects approved under the Desert Renewable …

Read More »

Clean Energy Now Employs 3 Million Americans

clean energy

  Clean energy sees first recorded drop in overall jobs, yet policies hold promise for unparalleled growth in years ahead Sector recovered 300,000 jobs since unemployment peaked in Q2 Clean vehicles and wind energy finish year in the positive, despite early losses WASHINGTON, DC (April 19, 2021) – Clean energy jobs surged nearly 11 percent in the second half of 2020 …

Read More »

America Has Lost 594,300 Clean Energy Jobs

clean energy jobs

850,000 Expected by June 30 447,208 new unemployment filings in April, triple March claims CA, FL, GA, TX, MI, NC, WA, NY, OH among hardest hit states Energy efficiency job losses top 400,000; renewable job losses near 100,000 WASHINGTON, DC (May 13, 2020) – Nearly 600,000 U.S. clean energy workers have lost their jobs since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic …

Read More »

COVID-19 Layoffs in Clean Energy Sector

solar energy

106,000 Jobs in Clean Energy Lost in March Due to COVID-19 Economic Crisis More than a year’s worth of job gains erased in a few weeks Analysis forecasts industry could lose more than 500K jobs in months ahead CA, NC, PA, MA, MI, NY, OH, TX, WA, IL among hardest hit states WASHINGTON, DC (April 15, 2020) – More than 106,000 clean …

Read More »

Energy Bill Misses Chance to Cut Costs by $40 Billion and Slash Carbon Emissions; Must be Fixed

energy efficiency

Feb. 27, 2020 Washington, DC – The Senate energy bill announced Thursday by Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) includes useful efficiency provisions, but does not do nearly enough to save energy and reduce harmful emissions, and must be fixed. It omits a key provision to strengthen building energy codes that would help …

Read More »

DOE’s Light Bulb Standards Rollback Will Cost Americans $14 Billion Each Year

bulb 87565 1280

Today, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released two rules that continue the administration’s assault on common sense light bulb energy efficiency standards. The standards, scheduled to take effect in January 2020, would require most everyday light bulbs to achieve LED levels of energy efficiency, would save consumers billions of dollars, and would avoid millions of tons of carbon dioxide …

Read More »

Bipartisan Agreement: Energy Storage Is The Future Of Renewable Energy

glasses 3881396 1280

National Battery Day is February 18; Capitol Hill Briefing, New Video, Infographics Highlight Great Need for Batteries in Green Energy, Low-Carbon Transportation Getting charged up about National Battery Day February 18, requires no batteries at all. Around the world, the need has never been greater for innovative storage solutions, especially advanced lead batteries. They have a 150-year proven track record …

Read More »

Support For Natural Gas Legislation

Web Natural Gas Parity Act

Clean Energy Advocates Congressional Support For Natural Gas Legislation NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Today the National Gas Parity Act of 2018 (H.R. 5959) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and John Larson (D-CT). The legislation provides for a number of incentives and changes to existing laws to encourage the sale, purchase, and use of …

Read More »

Solar Border Wall – What Could It Mean?

trump solar border wall

“How would a giant solar panel system on the border wall affect electricity prices throughout southern Texas” (Kevin O’Brien) Donald Trump said Mexico was going to pay for the wall. Then he said Mexico would be paying “at a later date so we can get started early.” Now it looks like America’s southern neighbor might not have to pay anything …

Read More »

Biodiesel Producers Fight Efforts to Roll Back Biodiesel Volumes

Grassley Photo

Groups Also Cite Benefits of Re-instatement, Reform of Federal Biodiesel Tax Incentive   Two weeks after calling EPA’s notice announcing potential cuts to biodiesel volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard a ‘bait-and-switch’ tactic, Senator Chuck Grassley spoke directly Tuesday with those the proposal would harm.  At Renewable Energy Group’s (NASDAQ: REGI) Newton, Iowa biorefinery, the message from Grassley and the industry was …

Read More »

NCGA Submits Comments to EPA on 2018 Ethanol Volumes

ethanol

WASHINGTON (August 31, 2017) – In comments submitted today to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Corn Growers Association asked the Agency to maintain the proposed amount of conventional ethanol blended into the nation’s gas supply for 2018, and to raise the amount of cellulosic, advanced, and total biofuels. In a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, NCGA …

Read More »

SolarWorld USA applauds new agenda for tougher enforcement of U.S. laws against unfair trade

solar

HILLSBORO, Ore., March 2, 2017 – SolarWorld, the largest U.S. crystalline-silicon solar panel manufacturer for more than 40 years, today praised the outlines of a tough stance on unfair trade that are contained in a new “President’s National Trade Policy Agenda for 2017,” released Wednesday.  The document calls for strict enforcement of U.S. trade laws to prevent subsidized imports from …

Read More »

3 Reasons President-Elect Donald Trump Won’t Kill the Solar Industry

solar power head of state

Solar Industry Power in the USA On the campaign trail, Donald Trump made it clear that he favored coal and natural gas, wanted to kill energy regulations, and that he thought wind and solar power were too expensive. In fact, at a May 2016 press conference Trump said, “I know a lot about solar, the problem with solar is it’s …

Read More »

Cuba Offers Opportunity for U.S. Energy Companies. But When?

The power flickered off four times in the 2 ½ hours that Darren Hammell waited at Cuba’s Santa Clara airport for his return flight to the United States last month. This departing experience underscored what he had learned on his trip: There is work for U.S. energy companies in the Caribbean’s largest island. But how quickly that work materializes remains …

Read More »

What’s Clean Energy’s Real Worth?

350px The Earth seen from Apollo 17

When policymakers tally clean energy’s real worth, they consider jobs and environment. But other work achieved by clean energy goes forgotten. Two new papers shed light on some of this work – from saving the lives of US troops to influencing broad economic health. First, the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) argues that the U.S. military needs to assign …

Read More »

Honda Unveils Smart Home US for Zero Carbon Living and Mobility

Though the first official assessment that climate change was caused by human activity came in 1988, with NASA scientist James Hansen’s famous testimony to the U.S. Congress, the “carbon neutral” concept, which refers to achieving net zero carbon emissions, is a relatively new one. The non-profit Climate Neutral Network, which developed the Climate Neutral Certification, was incorporated in 1999; the …

Read More »

Wind Power Can Be Cost-Comparable

This chart shows the production tax credit at its most recent level (dashed lines). The credit is currently worth 2.3 cents per kWh for ten years, or about 1.6 cents per kWh when levelized over the 20-year life of a typical wind contract.    The costs of using wind energy and natural gas for electricity are virtually equal when accounting for …

Read More »