The Tennessean

Published: February 10, 2009

 

Not so long ago, the concept of "green jobs" was little more than a nice idea. It sounded good, but it was abstract. Jobs linked to environmental goals came off as little more than a pleasant sounding ambition that was geared more toward wishful thinking than real live jobs in a real live clean-energy industry.

The Austin American-Statesman

By Jay Root

Published: February 10, 2009

 

In the decade since Texas deregulated its retail electricity market, rates have skyrocketed higher than any other state with such open competition, according to a report released Monday. Commissioned by the Cities Aggregation Power Project, a nonprofit coalition of Texas municipalities, the report found that residential electricity rates rose 64 percent between 1999 and 2007. Before that, Texans paid rates that were well below the national average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The Tennessean

By Joe Prochaska

Published: February 10, 2009

 

As America struggles with the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression, brought about in large part by the reckless greed on Wall Street, President Barack Obama and Congress are working toward a stimulus package in order to resurrect the American economy and rescue the American worker and the American family. That package must include a "green-jobs" initiative.

The New York Times

By Manny Fernandez

Published: February 9, 2009

 

Like other New York City renters, tenants at a large apartment complex on Roosevelt Island grew so accustomed to one perk that they tended to overlook it: They never paid separately for electricity because it was included in the rent. But that is set to change. Residents of the 1,003-unit complex, formerly known as Eastwood and now called Roosevelt Landings, will receive electricity bills for the first time in April.

Bloomberg

By Alan Ohnsman and Tina Seeley

Published: February 9, 2009

 

Nissan Motor Co. is Japan’s only carmaker seeking a federal loan under a U.S. program for fuel- efficient autos, competing for funds with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and electric-car start-up Tesla Motors Inc. The Energy Department may disburse some of the $25 billion in low-cost loans to successful applicants in one to two months, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Feb. 6. Rules for the program were set in November and the agency received 75 applications for projects totaling $38 billion, spokesman Phil West said. Of those, only 26 were “substantially complete,” he said.

The Los Angeles Times

By Jim Tankersley

February 9, 2009

 

President Obama's plans to lead America out of recession rest in part on a task bigger than a moon shot and the Manhattan Project put together. His goal, which past presidents have spent more than $100 billion chasing with limited success, is to replace imported oil and other fossil fuels with a "clean-energy economy" powered by the wind, the sun and biofuels.

The Wall Street Journal

By Rebecca Smith

Published: February 9, 2009

 

A substantial increase in the amount of electricity produced from renewable energy would require building a transmission system that would carry a price tag of up to $100 billion, according to a new study. The new system would be needed because the existing eastern grid couldn't handle the volume of power coming from the wind-producing states. In addition, the new grid would need to be able to handle the fluctuating nature of wind power, which can surge at some moments and drop sharply at others.

The New York Times

By Bill Vlasic

Published: February 9, 2009

 

Years ago, when Shai Agassi started promoting his idea of service stations to recharge electric cars, the automotive world barely took notice. At the time, gas was cheap, big pickups and S.U.V.’s ruled American roads, and alternative-fuel vehicles seemed destined to remain a tiny niche for green-minded consumers and technophiles.

UC Daily News

By Ward Norris

Published: February 8, 2009

 

According to a report released last week by the TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Tennessee is at the forefront of investment in key areas of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) technology, including alternative fuels, energy conservation, solar photovoltaic, and electric and hybrid vehicles. Investment in energy technology is viewed as a key to the state’s economic development and job creation. 

The New York Times

By Bernie Becker

Published: February 7, 2009

 

When he ordered the Energy Department on Thursday to set new, mandatory efficiency standards for a variety of household appliances, President Obama projected how much electricity would be saved. “We’ll save through these simple steps over the next 30 years the amount of energy produced over a two-year period by all the coal-fired power plants in America,” Mr. Obama said.

The New York Times

By Matthew L. Wald

Published: February 7, 2009

 

Environmentalists dream of a bigger and “smarter” electric grid that could move vast amounts of clean electricity from windswept plains and sunny deserts to distant cities. Such a grid, they argue, could help utilities match demand with supply on the hottest afternoons, allow customers to decide when to run their appliances and decrease the risk of blackouts, like the one that paralyzed much of the East in 2003.

The Wall Street Journal

By Scott Barker

Published: February 7, 2009

 

On the night of Dec. 22, a loud roar roused Jeff and Angie Spurgeon from bed in East Tennessee. Looking outside, they saw a massive wave raging down the Emory River toward their home. It was a wall of fly-ash sludge, a waste product of coal combustion from a nearby power plant. In total, 300 acres were coated with debris in Swan Pond, a rural community about 35 miles west of Knoxville. One house was knocked off of its foundation, and several others were damaged. A coal-bearing train was actually stopped on its tracks by a two-story mound of muck. Miraculously, no one was killed or injured.

The Wall Street Journal

By Stephen Power
Published: February 7, 2009

 

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday that he wants half of the roughly $35 billion to $40 billion proposed for Energy Department programs in the economic-stimulus package to be spent within a year. Mr. Chu said he is prepared to overhaul the way the agency operates to quickly direct the money to projects including weatherization, energy efficiency and support for renewable energy.

The Austin American-Statesman

By Kirk Landendorf and Dan Zehr

Published: February 7, 2009

 

Austin has joined a broad-based Central Texas effort to recruit a new national alliance to develop and build advanced battery cells for next-generation electric and hybrid vehicles. The alliance, which includes 25 companies tied to the U.S. battery industry, is modeled after the Sematech chip research consortium, which has been headquartered in Austin for 20 years.

The Baltimore Sun

By Jim Tankersley

Published: February 7, 2009

 

President Barack Obama's plans to lead America from recession rest in part on a task bigger than a moon shot and the Manhattan Project, as complicated as any feat of economic engineering in the nation's history. His goal, which past presidents have spent more than $100 billion chasing with limited success, is to replace imported oil and other fossil fuels with a so-called "clean energy economy" powered by the wind, the sun and bio-fuels.

Nashville Business Journal

By Jeannie Naujeck

Published: February 6, 2009

 

When Phil Bredesen exits the state Capitol for good, he plans to turn off his high-efficiency lights. When he closes the door on his final term, he hopes to leave Tennessee with a statewide residential building code and a legacy as one of the nation’s most energy efficient state governments.

The New York Times

By John M. Broder

Published: February 6, 2009

 

President Obama ordered the Energy Department on Thursday to immediately draft long-overdue standards to make a variety of appliances and light bulbs more energy efficient. Over the last three decades, Congress has demanded stricter efficiency standards on 30 categories of products, as varied as residential air-conditioners and industrial boilers. But successive administrations have failed to write regulations to enforce the laws, even when ordered to by the courts.

The New York Times

Published: February 6, 2009

 

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s first major decision — to cancel oil and gas leases on 77 parcels of public land in Utah — could not have sent a clearer signal that his department is under new management. It also was a strong indication that the Obama administration intends to take a more measured approach to energy exploration on the public lands and that its predecessor’s drill-now, drill-anywhere policies are a thing of the past.

The USA Today

By Paul Davidson

Published: February 6, 2009

 

President Obama ordered the Department of Energy on Thursday to set tough new energy-efficiency standards for a broad range of home appliances, from dishwashers and ovens to lamps and air conditioners. That's a sharp break from Bush administration policy. It's also the latest sign Obama plans to move aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He's already pushed to double renewable energy in five years and boost fuel efficiency in vehicles.

The USA Today

By Chris Woodyard

Published: February 6, 2009

 

Even as automakers work feverishly to develop new hybrid cars, cash-strapped consumers are closing their wallets to today's models. Fuel-thrifty gas-electric hybrids sold poorly in January amid low gas prices and the recession. Sales of hybrid versions of the Honda Civic, Ford Escape and Toyota Camry all took bigger percentage dives in the month than sales of the conventional versions. The hybrids come with higher price tags, though the gas savings can offset the upfront cost over time.