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Obama's new energy & environment cabinet members

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BBC iPlayer - One Planet: 28/05/2009

On this week's show, Mike's wish finally comes true - we send him fly fishing for work. But before we let him loose with his fly and rod, he has the small matter of interviewing Steven Chu, America's newest Energy Secretary.

The Nobel Prize winning physicist talks climate change, the world's energy crisis and US hopes for the upcoming Copenhagen summit. And although Secretary Chu doesn't offer any promises on whether America will sign up to legally binding emission targets, he's unequivocal in his desire for action. "Business as usual could be catastrophic. We have to change our way of thinking of consumption," he states.
 
BBC - Newsnight: From the web team: Wednesday 24 June 2009

Tonight we ask how the US is tackling the challenge of climate change and whether Mr Obama is delivering as was hoped. We will be discussing with - among others - the former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, The Secretary of State for the environment Ed Miliband and, of course, the Ethical Man himself.


See reports here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ethicalman/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/


The studio debate afterwards was interesting, if you can watch it. Essentially they are saying that big coal has successfully watered down the climate change bill, with Greenpeace claiming it now only leads to a 4% drop in CO2 emissions in 2020 over 1990 levels.
 
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Over at climateprogress, they seem to think highly of the WM bill. It's difficult to understand what the results will really be. There are so many differing claims, that the bill will do almost nothing, to massive reduction, and the cost estimates vary from increasing electric charges by $3100 to decreasing charges.

A tax on carbon would have been much more simple to understand and implement.
 
Over at climateprogress, they seem to think highly of the WM bill. It's difficult to understand what the results will really be. There are so many differing claims, that the bill will do almost nothing, to massive reduction, and the cost estimates vary from increasing electric charges by $3100 to decreasing charges.

A tax on carbon would have been much more simple to understand and implement.

Amazing the gyrations they will go though to avoid the "T" word.
 
Romm on Obama's progress so far

One year after his election, Obama on verge of audaciously fulfilling his promise as the green FDR « Climate Progress
Future historians will inevitably judge all 21st-century presidents on just two issues: global warming and the clean energy transition. If the world doesn’t stop catastrophic climate change — Hell and High Water — then all Presidents, indeed, all of us, will be seen as failures and rightfully so.

In that sense, what team Obama has accomplished in the year since he was elected is nothing less than an unprecedented reversal of decades of unsustainable national policy forced down the throat of the American public by conservatives.
 
The energy plan is back:
... Obama said electric vehicles would be the best fix. Obama set a goal of deploying one million electric vehicles by 2015. During his presidency, the Department of Energy has created incentives for American companies to develop the vehicles as well as for Americans who buy them.

"There are few breakthroughs as promising for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing our dependence on oil as electric vehicles," Obama said.

Furthermore, the president called for the federal government to "lead by example," adding that he has directed the every vehicle used by the government to be upgraded to alternative fuel, hybrid or electric systems by 2015.

The factor keeping electric vehicles from truly taking off, he said, is the size, weight and efficiency of the batteries themselves. Obama said his administration has invested about $2 billion in grants for companies to develop better batteries and kick-start the American electric vehicle industry.

"Soon, America will be home to 40 percent of global manufacturing capacity for these batteries. And that means jobs. But to make sure we stay on the road to this goal, we need to do more — by offering more powerful incentives to consumers, and by rewarding the communities that pave the way for adoption of these vehicles," he said.

Obama said it doesn't take a Nobel Prize winner like Energy Secretary Steven Chu to tell you that electric vehicles run on electricity. So, he said, electricity should be generated in a safer, cleaner way.

"Even if we reduce our oil dependency, a smart, comprehensive energy policy requires that we change the way we generate electricity in America," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/business/energy-environment/31POLICY.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

The below is 50 minutes long.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/blueprint_secure_energy_future.pdf
 
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Obama issues Presidential Memorandum for federal fleet performance Autoblog Green


Presidential Memorandum--Federal Fleet Performance

The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light duty vehicles in America. We owe a responsibility to American citizens to lead by example and contribute to meeting our national goals of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025 and putting one million advanced vehicles on the road by 2015.

Living up to that responsibility means the Federal fleet should operate only as many vehicles as needed to work efficiently, leveraging Federal purchasing dollars to build manufacturing capacity for more alternative fueled vehicles, and reducing petroleum consumption through efficiency and alternative fuels.

In Executive Order 13514 of October 5, 2009, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, my Administration set a goal of reducing petroleum use in the Federal fleet. In order to provide guidance to executive departments and agencies (agencies) to help achieve my Administration's Federal fleet performance goals, and to ensure that agencies are in compliance with Executive Order 13514, I hereby direct the following:

Section 1. Vehicle Technologies. (a) By December 31, 2015, all new light duty vehicles leased or purchased by agencies must be alternative fueled vehicles, such as hybrid or electric, compressed natural gas, or biofuel. Moreover, agency alternative fueled vehicles must, as soon as practicable, be located in proximity to fueling stations with available alternative fuels, and be operated on the alternative fuel for which the vehicle is designed. Where practicable, agencies should encourage development of commercial infrastructure for alternative fuel or provide flex fuel and alternative fuel pumps and charging stations at Federal fueling sites.

(b) Pursuant to motor vehicle management regulations, set forth at 41 C.F.R. 102-34.50, executive fleets are required to achieve maximum fuel efficiency; be limited in motor vehicle body size, engine size, and optional equipment to what is essential to meet agency mission; and be midsize or smaller sedans, except where larger sedans are essential to the agency mission. Within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, any executive fleet vehicles that are larger than a midsize sedan or do not comply with alternative fueled vehicle requirements must be disclosed on agency websites.

(c) The Department of Energy shall assist the United States Postal Service (USPS) in evaluating the best alternative fuel technologies for the USPS fleet.

Sec. 2. Optimum Fleet Size. Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the General Services Administration (GSA) shall develop and distribute to agencies a Vehicle Allocation Methodology (VAM) for determining the optimum inventory with emphasis placed on eliminating unnecessary or non-essential vehicles from an agency's fleet inventory and ensuring lifecycle cost-effectiveness of maintaining such inventory. In addition, the VAM shall address composition for agencies' light duty fleets based on their missions. In doing so, the GSA shall consider existing Federal VAMs as appropriate. The VAM shall assist agencies in selecting vehicle options based on lifecycle cost analysis, including projected fuel costs, warranty, operations, mileage, maintenance, and disposal.

Sec. 3. Fleet Management. (a) Within 180 days of the GSA's dissemination of the VAM referenced in section 2 of this memorandum, agencies shall determine their optimal fleet inventory using the VAM, and shall post their optimal fleet inventory targets on agency websites. At the same time, agencies shall submit to the Administrator of General Services (Administrator) fleet management plans to achieve these targets no later than December 31, 2015.

(b) Within 30 days of receiving agency fleet management plans, the Administrator shall submit a summary of the plans to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and to the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

(c) Within 90 days of receiving agency fleet management plans, the Administrator shall provide each agency and military service with recommendations for the acquisition of alternative fueled vehicles to implement fleet optimization plans, including shared fleet-on-demand services where applicable.

(d) Agencies shall incorporate new fleet management plans into their Annual Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans prepared in furtherance of Executive Order 13514, beginning with their June 2012 plan submission.

Sec. 4. Applicability. (a) With respect to law enforcement and emergency vehicles, the GSA shall, within 180 days of the date of this memorandum, and in coordination with the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the Treasury, and other appropriate agencies, issue guidance to agencies on the applicability and implementation of alternative fueled vehicle requirements.

(b) Consistent with the guidance developed in section 4(a) of this memorandum, the head of an agency may exempt vehicles used for law enforcement, protective, emergency response, or military tactical operations of that agency from the provisions of this memorandum.

(c) This memorandum shall apply to the activities, personnel, resources, and facilities of each agency that are located within the United States. The head of an agency may apply this memorandum to activities, personnel, resources, and facilities
of the agency that are not located within the United States, to the extent the head of the agency determines that doing so is in the interest of the United States.

Sec. 5. Definitions. (a) "Alternative fueled vehicle" means an alternative fuel vehicle as defined by Executive Order 13514 and an alternative fueled vehicle as defined by 42 U.S.C. 13211(3), including a "new qualified fuel cell motor vehicle" as defined in 26 U.S.C. 30B(b)(3) and a "new qualified hybrid motor vehicle" as defined in 26 U.S.C. 30B(d)(3).

(b) "Agency" means an agency as defined in Executive Order 13514.

(c) "United States" means the fifty States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and associated territorial waters and airspace.

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law, including international trade obligations, and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(b) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(1) authority granted by law to a department, agency, or the head thereof; or

(2) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
 
Somewhat random:

GE lands $5.9M from DoE - The Business Review
GE lands $5.9M from DoE
The Business Review
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 3:11pm EDT
http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/industry-news/logistics-and-transportation/
The U.S. Department of Energy awarded General Electric in Niskayuna more than $5.9 million for research in advanced vehicle technology.

The funding is part of $175 million the Department of Energy is for advanced vehicle research over the next three to five years. The funding will support 40 projects in 15 states and will help improve the fuel efficiency of future vehicles.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said projects will target new innovations throughout the vehicle, including better fuels and lubricants, lighter weight materials, longer-lasting and cheaper electric vehicle batteries and components, and more efficient engine technologies.
The project at GE in Niskayuna will develop high performance motors with non-rare earth materials...