US CAP Release Blueprint for Climate Legislation

The influential business and enviornmental group, U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP), has published its policy recommendations for legislation to create a sustainable national climate protection program.

The Blueprint for Legislative Action provides specific guidelines for the Obama Administration and Congress to pass laws designed to bring about a transition to a healthy, low-carbon economy. That includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of 2005 levels by 2050 through a cap-and-trade program, federal technology research & development funding, clean coal technology, alternative fuel transportation, and building and energy efficiency.

USCAP is a broad coalition representing large corporations (FPL Group, GE, Dupont, Ford, GM, Johnson & Johnson etc) and diverse environmental interests (World Resources Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council etc)

See the report here.

- David Adams

Obama's emisions target not good enough, says IPCC head

President-elect Barack Obama is already getting conflicting advice about how quickly he should deal with global warming. Nevertheless, he's promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

That's not good enough, the head of the International Panel on Climate Change says.

"President-elect Obama's goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 falls short of the response needed by world leaders to meet the challenge of reducing emissions to levels that will actually spare us the worst effects of climate change," the IPCC's chairman, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, said at a Worldwatch Institute gathering Thursday.

The comments came at an event to discuss the Worldwatch Institute's new State of the World: 2009 report, which according to the Institute "finds the world will have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions more drastically than has been widely predicted, even going into negative emissions by 2050 to avoid catastrophic disruption to the world's climate."

--Craig Pittman

Verenium announces Florida's first cellulosic ethanol plant

A Massachusetts firm today announced plans to build Florida’s first ethanol plant, and one of the first cellulosic ethanol plants in the nation.

Verenium plans to build a 36-million-gallon-a-year plant in Highlands County using plant similar to sugar cane for fuel. The $250-million project relies on a pioneering technology developed by University of Florida scientists that unlocks the energy potential of plants other than ethanol’s traditional sugar and corn.

“We’re thrilled,” said Lonnie Ingram, the UF professor who led the research. “The university is just delighted with the achievements of Verenium, even more so because it’s going to be in Florida, our home state.”

Detroit auto show goes electric

The North American International Auto Show has opened in Detroit. Not surprisingly perhaps, the big draw this year is electric cars -- hybrid and plug-in. The BBC offers an informative video tour of the electric side of the show, featuring the new-look 2010 Toyota Prius, the much-talked-about $100,000 Tesla Roadster and the more-affordable Chevy Volt.

To promote their new energy-efficient models, auto execs are now pushing for higher gas prices!
Not surprising, perhaps, considering the new direction of the car industry, but ironic nonetheless given history.

David Adams, Times Staff Writer

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Obama's 'Car Czar'?

Obama may be close to choosing his "Car Czar," a position being created to oversee the automakers' bailout. His pick is tipped to be Steven Rattner, a former financial reporter for the New York Times, according to .... guess who .... The New York Times.

Working for that illustrious (albeit semi-bankrupt) publication may be an excellent qualification for many career paths, but Rattner has little or no experience in the auto world. Instead, he seems more interested in Hollywood.

He's obviously a smart fellow. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg chose him to manage investments for his multibillion-dollar fortune. I hope he didn't invest with Bernard Madoff!

David Adams, Times Staff Writer

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New Energy Department?

NPR's Morning Edition today discussed possible changes at the Energy Department under the new Secretary of Energy, physicist Steven Chu (see photo), who has his confirmation hearing before the Senate today.
NPR correspondent Christopher Joyce examines whether the Department may move some budget resources away from the traditional role of safeguarding the national's nuclear arsenal, in favor of clean energy.
"Chu also has been a critic of coal, the nation's largest source of greenhouse gases as well as the major fuel source for making electricity. He says putting a price on carbon to make fossil fuels more expensive is high on his to-do list," Joyce reports.

Listen to the program here.

Update: Chu apparently did a good job in the hearings, according to the Los Angeles Times.

- David Adams, Times staff writer.

AAA: Expect gas prices to drop this week

Look for gas prices to start heading downward this week, predicts AAA. Since New Year’s Day, oil prices have dropped, but gas prices climbed 20 cents a gallon nationwide, and 15 cents in Florida. That "disconnect" will end this week, according to AAA’s weekly report.

"It’s rare when retail gasoline prices are not moving in the same direction as crude oil prices; given current supply and demand, they should both be decreasing," said Gregg Laskoski, spokesman for AAA. "We should expect to see retail gasoline prices decline this week, barring any major disruptions to the oil infrastructure."

The price of a gallon of regular in the Tampa Bay area fell overnight to $1.779 from $1.78. That’s higher than the month-ago price of $1.65, but a much better bargain than last year’s price at this time: $3.10 a gallon.

Asjylyn Loder, Times Staff Writer

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'60 Minutes': Did speculation fuel oil price?

There was an excellent item last night on 60 Minutes about the role speculators played in the oil price spike this summer.
Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association, told 60 Minutes the oil price problem was a result of the commodities markets being "invaded by a new breed of investor."

"Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the oil contracts in the futures markets are now held by speculative entities. Not by companies that need oil, not by the airlines, not by the oil companies. But by investors that are looking to make money from their speculative positions," Gilligan explained.

Michael Greenberger, a former director of trading for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, told 60 Minutes reporter Steve Kroft there were no supply disruptions that could have justified such a big increase last summer.

"Did China and India suddenly have gigantic needs for new oil products in a single day? No. Everybody agrees supply-demand could not drive the price up $25, which was a record increase in the price of oil. The price of oil went from somewhere in the 60s to $147 in less than a year. And we were being told, on that run-up, 'It's supply-demand, supply-demand, supply-demand,' " Greenberger said.
This conclusion is backed up by several recent studies, the program points out. In fact, if the markets had been working properly, the price of oil should have been going down, not up.

Watch the segment here.

David Adams, Times Staff Writer

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The Tesla: Good for your sex drive (but not much more, apparently)

Here's a review of the all-electric Tesla Roadster sports car by British motor correspondent, Jeremy Clarkson.

"The problem is, though, that really and honestly, the US-made Tesla works only at dinner parties,"he writes. "Tell someone you have one and in minutes you will be having sex. But as a device for moving you and your things around, it is about as much use as a bag of muddy spinach."

- David Adams

Florida pushes toward more renewable energy

Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday won an important victory in his plans to slash Florida’s greenhouse gas emissions and boost renewable energy.

The Florida Public Service Commission unanimously agreed to require the state’s utilities to generate 20 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2020, resisting industry efforts to weaken Crist’s goal. The vote sets the agenda for state legislators, who will have the final say later this year.

“That’s great!” Crist said, when told about the targets Friday evening in Miami. “I am overjoyed. I praise their courage.”

The vote marked a milestone in the energy initiatives Crist first announced in 2007. The commission had considered proposals with deadlines as late as 2050, a proposal that won support from utilities and outrage from environmentalists. On Friday evening, the commissioners decided that only an aggressive target would spur the state’s energy industry into action.

“I have always insisted that it needed to be 20 by 2020 if we’re going to get real,” said Commissioner Nancy Argenziano.

The targets are a sharp change of course for a state that gets less than 3 percent of its power from renewable energy. The proposal calls for 7 percent renewable energy by January 2013, 12 percent by 2016, 18 percent by 2019 and 20 percent by end of 2020.

“I see it as a stretch goal, but I also see that as part of the purpose,” said Commissioner Lisa Polak Edgar.