Tracking elements of the election relating to the environment

We keep our show very non-political, we believe positive changes in the environment and economy need to fully and easily cross party lines, but it is our job to report a candidate's position that touches our eco-future and suggest their position on laws, mandates that will influence our global future.

Here's one such article (thanks to Free Speech Radio News) that bears reading.  Send us your thoughts:

In election, Republicans drop support for renewable energy incentives

"Today in Florida, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was interrupted during a speech as he and his running mate, Paul Ryan, prepared to depart from Tampa and the Republican National Convention. Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez with the group Get Equal was there and told FSRN that about seven activists from his group and DRM Capitol went to the airport, where Romney was speaking to draw attention to immigrant and LGBT rights. Last night during Romney’s speech, several other activists were removed from the convention hall after they began to chant, “People over profit” and “Democracy is not a business.” A video shows three protesters, including Medea Benjamin, escorted from the building by security guards. One guard holds one of the protesters against a wall as a crowd gathers. As the speech continued inside the convention hall, Mitt Romney pledged to restore, what he called, the promise of America. “This isn’t something we have to accept. Now is the moment we can do something and with your help, we will do something.” 

An expiring tax credit for wind energy has become a focal issue highlighting differences between the Obama and Romney energy policies. Although the Republican party supported a tax credit for renewables in 2008, that support has been dropped from its 2012 platform. President Obama and other supporters of the credit argue that it is needed to save jobs and level the playing field as the nascent industry is developing. FSRN's Jim Pullen has the story."

Enjoy the show and tour 21012

Good report from Clean Technica

We've reported a lot on EV's, we are very big proponents of moving to domestically produced energy for our cars, and we'd like to follow that today with this excellent story from  Clean Technica which drives home the overall savings you can enjoy by driving an EV.   There's a link for the whole story, but we've reproduced part of it:

EV Low Operating Costs Make EVs Cheaper Over Time, Especially Useful for Fleet Operators

Sticker shock gets even the best of us, but a report from Pike Research says the low cost of electric vehicle charging, compared to traditional fuel, brings the total cost of ownership of electric vehicles below that of internal combustion engine vehicles!

Senior research analyst Lisa Jerram said electric battery vehicles have seen a resurgence recently, especially from fleet operations. One concern for fleet managers, though, is the cost of charging equipment.

Check out the full report here.

Source: Business Wire
Image: Ford Focus Electric via Ford 

Clean Technica (http://s.tt/1m5bv)

Let's push to get this passed soon

This week, another good report from the Better World Club.  This article brings light to legislation, good legislation, held up in Congress as they fight over spending.  You'd hate to a positive change like this sidelined by a lack of cohesiveness on spending.

Our greatest return on investment, as a homeowner, consumer and business owner is money put into efficiency--reducing our energy and waste production.  We need a national policy and standard on efficiency.  Let's get vocal in asking our Senators to pass this into law:

BETTER WORLD CLUB NEWS

Lack of Agreement on Federal Spending Stalls Energy Efficiency Bill

Even Though It Would Create 80,000 Jobs and Reduce Emissions by Millions of Tons

It's Like That Time You Couldn't Go On The School Trip Because Your Parents Were Fighting Over Who Maxed Out the Credit Cards

A bill currently stalled in the Senate could establish the first national energy efficiency policy. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) co-authored the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011, which passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources by an 18-3 vote in July 2012. It is supported by members of both parties, most notably Senate Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). The Shaheen-Portman bill also has a companion: the Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreement Act of 2011 (or INCAAA). As described by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: 

“The Shaheen-Portman bill contains a variety of provisions designed to increase energy efficiency in the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors of the economy, such as establishing centers to train building engineers and technicians in energy-efficient methods, and a loan program to support industrial energy efficiency. INCAAA establishes new and revised efficiency standards for a variety of common household and commercial appliances based on consensus agreements between product manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates.” 

Proponents of the Shaheen-Portman bill say it will lower consumers’ net energy costs, add 80,000 jobs in the next 8 years, and lower carbon dioxide emissions by 29 million metric tons per year by 2020. 

Opponents see the bills as an unwanted expansion of federal power and a distraction from natural resource extraction. However, the main obstacle to both bills is congressional delays. “Until we get a clear architecture built dealing with taxes, revenues, entitlements and federal spending, I think any broad policy initiative is not going to move,” said Senator Mark Udall. Udall is a member of the same Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources that passed the Shaheen-Portman bill in 2011. He remains hopeful that the two energy efficiency bills are targeted enough to circumvent the current lack of bipartisan agreement on government spending and tax policies. 

 In the meantime, Senator Shaheen has taken matters into her own hands. She has vowed to add an amendment to every bill introduced in the Senate.

“This [Sen. Joe Lieberman's Cybersecurity Act] is the fourth bill that we’ve filed an amendment on, and we’re going to keep doing that to try and raise attention to the fact that this is legislation that has bipartisan support that we think should come to the floor because we think it could make a difference,” Shaheen said. 

Contact your senators to voice your opinion on the Shaheen-Portman and INCAAA bills.

-August 2012

Everyone should take a bow and feel good

We share the enthusiasm expressed below by Environment RI, and there's plenty of praise for the 12 other states who led the charge to the new clean-air standards we have today.  Enjoy and breath deep.  We are headed for a healthier world:

"If you haven’t heard the news, today is a very big day.

Decades from now, the clean car standards finalized today by the Obama administration will be highlighted as a monumental turning point in America’s quest to get off oil and tackle global warming.

That’s how big a deal these clean car standards really are.  By doubling the fuel efficiency of the cars on the road today by 2025, the standards will cut as much global warming pollution in Rhode Island alone in 2030 as is emitted by 132,000 of today’s vehicles.  And nationally they’ll cut our annual oil use by an amount equivalent to what we currently import from Saudi Arabia.[1]

Help spread the great news by saying a quick “I’m excited about the new clean car standards from the Obama administration!” onFacebook or Twitter to celebrate this historic victory for our environment.  Or you can send an email to the White House letting them know how you feel!  

Will these standards alone solve global warming and get us off oil?  Of course not.  But the U.S. has never taken a bigger step in that direction than we did today.  And while Environment Rhode Island played a key role in getting these standards across the finish line, my staff couldn’t have done the work they did without your support.  So thank you and congratulations!  

One last thought: just as important as this victory and its environmental benefits is the story of the state leadership that made it all possible.  Long before the Obama administration took office, California and 13 other states—including ours, thanks in part to the work of Environment Rhode Island—were developing and implementing their own state-level clean car standards.  Beyond charting a path for pollution reductions for these states, the standards also pushed automakers to begin developing the cleaner cars we see on the road today.  And that paved the way for the Obama administration to set these new federal standards.

Today’s news goes to show how state-level victories for our environment eventually snowball into national victories, and that’s a critical reason why Environment Rhode Island works as hard as we do.

Thanks again for making victories like this possible!"

Yours,

John Rumpler
Senior Environmental Attorney
Environment Rhode Island

Good report from Better World Club

On Goodyear Tire's quest to build better performing and improved earth-friendly tires.  Here's the story:

Goodyear Tire and Rubber is working on a new technology that can help make its tires less expensive to produce and last longer and it involves something that the U.S. has plenty of – soybeans.

Goodyear researchers have found that using soybean oil in the manufacturing process can extend the tread life of tires and significantly reduce the amount of petroleum required, "up to seven million gallons each year" for the company as a whole. Adding soy to rubber compounds in tire production, the company says, has proven to improve the mixing process, and creates a better rubber compound. The soy helps the rubber blend easier with the silica, a basic component of ordinary beach sand and an integral tire ingredient.

Goodyear is the the best-selling tire-manufacturer in North America. Adding soy, Goodyear says, could enhance its already strong reputation for quality. Goodyear has consistently been a top pick in ConsumerReports' tire ratings. Therefore, a 10-percent increase to tread life could play well with consumers looking to get more miles for their tire bucks.

"Consumers benefit through improved tread life, Goodyear gains with increased efficiency and energy savings and we all win whenever there is a positive impact on the environment." said Jean-Claude Kihn, Goodyear's chief technical officer, in a statement.

If testing continues to produce the results Goodyear has gotten thus far, the tires could be on sale by 2015. For more on tires, check out the AOL Autos Techsplanation series on Tire Tread Technology.

Our most recent radio show on WARL 1320 and Blog Talk Radio

We recorded this show, as we broadcast live, this Weds.  Show is terrific.  Our thanks to our excellent guests, as described on this post on Blog Talk (where you can listen to the show, and all shows, 24/7:

On this program of ReNewable Now, we’ll be exploring the locally grown food market. Join us as we interview Dan Horan, President and CEO, of Five Acre Farms. We’ll also hear about what’s going on at Hope & Main pertaining to this topic. Don’t forget to tune in! ReNewable Now…educating you on the business side of green

Here's the link to this show:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-now/2012/08/22/the-locally-grown-food-market

Enjoy.