Energy
EWG is working toward an energy future in which clean, safe and economical sources such as solar and wind power replace dirty, dangerous and expensive coal and nuclear power. We're also investigating the use and disposal of hazardous chemicals in oil and gas drilling, toxic gasoline additives such as corn ethanol and MTBE, uranium mining on public lands, and the transport of nuclear waste through American cities.
Two years ago, I bought a diesel vehicle. I was living in South Dakota and the idea was to immediately become a consumer of a homegrown fuel, in this case bio-diesel. The bio-diesel produced in South Dakota is generated for the most part from soybeans, but some from sunflowers.
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You've heard of economically depressed towns lobbying to be the site of a new prison. But who wants a nuclear reactor in the neighborhood?
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President Bush and other ethanol proponents claim that pushing alternative fuels will reduce U.S. gasoline consumption. By developing a fleet of flexible-fuel vehicles that can burn E85—a fuel that consists of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline—some say that the United States will be able to replace many of its gasoline imports with domestic fuel production.
Read MoreThe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is wary of the President's ethanol plans and warns of increased food costs and the need for a broader approach to our energy crisis, with a greater focus on conservation. Editorial: The limits of ethanol. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 25 Mar 2007
Read MoreWhat do carbon-sucking artificial trees, an ocean floor carpet of iron dust, a man-made sulfur volcano, and a global umbrella all have in common?
Read MoreLast month, when BP (formerly British Petroleum) announced a $500 million partnership with UC Berkeley for biofuels research, the company was hailed as a leader in pushing the oil industry toward cleaner energy. University officials were jubilant over the deal, which would establish Cal – and the Bay Area, where venture capitalists are funding energy startups at a level unseen since the early Web days – as a world center of alternative-energy research and development.
Read MoreA recently released MIT report found that coal contributes more to global carbon dioxide emissions than any other energy source. Coal’s high carbon to hydrogen ratio makes it a larger CO2 polluter per unit of energy than other fossil fuels. Coal combustion also emits a variety of other pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and mercury.
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The economic viability of alternative energy looks more promising than ever. According to a new report by Clean Edge—a research and consulting firm specializing in clean technology—annual revenues for solar, wind, biofuels, and fuel cell technology increased by 39 percent in 2006. The industry value of these four markets totaled $55.4 billion in 2006, with industry growth expected to quadruple in the next ten years.
Read MoreChina is expected to surpass the United States as the largest global polluter of greenhouse gases within the next two years. The San Francisco Chronicle states that the country’s fossil fuel consumption increased by 9.3 percent in 2006, as compared to an annual increase of about 1.2 percent in the United States. Inefficient coal power plants supply about 70 percent of the country’s energy output.
Read MoreProviding parking facilities and addressing traffic congestion imposes significant costs to universities across the United States. That’s why many campuses have implemented Transportation Demand Management programs to discourage the use of single-occupant personal vehicles.
Read MoreIn his State of the Union Address last January, President Bush vowed to decrease gasoline consumption in the US transportation sector. “Let us build upon the work we’ve done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years . . . To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017.”
Read MoreAmerican Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Exxon-funded think tank, is now offering scientists $10,000 to cast doubts on a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). According to The Guardian, the report is widely regarded as the most comprehensive review yet of climate change science.
Read MoreTwo years of record-high gasoline prices have forced auto-crazed Americans to do something they haven't done in more than two decades: Drive less.
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Today North Jersey's The Record highlights some salient observations illuminating the reality behind Bush's ethanol proposal. Eric DeGesero, executive VP of the New Jersey Fuel Merchants Association, wants to remind us that putting more corn into fuel production could raise the cost of America’s corn-intensive diet (though something tells me Mr. DeGesero should visit a nutritionist).
Read MoreIn the State of the Union address, in addition to tougher mileage standards, President Bush called for increased reliance on renewable fuels, namely ethanol. The corn-based fuel additive, which has gained notoriety as of late, is far from a panacea for the environment or oil independence.
Read MoreA report by the World Rainforest Movement details the violence villagers in eastern Uganda are subjected to just for trying to access their own land which is “protected” by armed park rangers guarding a carbon offset project for a Dutch company. Villagers have been beaten and shot at “in defense of” FACE Foundation’s project, the credits of which are sold to Amnesty International, the Body Shop, and others.
Read MoreAn Intellichoice.com study finds that hybrid cars, whose fuel efficiency alone may not justify their higher initial purchase price, are in fact more economical in the long run. When you factor in financing, fuel, insurance, state taxes and license fees, repairs, maintenance and depreciation, over five years a Prius will cost $13,408 less than a similar-size non-hybrid sedan.
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