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Science says: Ethanol good on energy, not so much on environment

The "Findings" column on WaPo has this cryptic tidbit:

Ethanol -- alcohol produced from corn or other plants -- is more energy-efficient than some experts had realized, and it is time to start developing it as an alternative to fossil fuels, researchers said yesterday.

Although some critics have said the push for ethanol is based on faulty science and mostly benefits the farm lobby, several reviews and commentaries published today in Science argue otherwise.

"We find that ethanol can, if it is made correctly, contribute significantly to both energy and environmental goals. However, the current way of producing ethanol with corn probably only meets energy goals," said Alexander Farrell of the University of California at Berkeley. [my emphasis]

That sent me to Science, but of course I can't read it without a subscription. It does have this short description of the week's contents:

And it just might save us

This is a great story demonstrating how new technology just might get us out of this mess. Coincidentally, I saw the coolest flashlight in a hardware store yesterday. It had a wind up crank instead of batteries and diodes instead of a light bulb. You wind it up for one minute to get about an hour of really bright light. It also had a red and white flashing emergency mode. I bought two and mounted them on my hybrid electric bike, which now looks like a cheap Las Vegas light show on wheels. Cars pull over to let me pass. (Well, not actually pull over. Or let me pass. But they do see me coming!)

Improve your community over coffee

Via Inhabitat and BLDGBLOG comes word of the Ben Franklin Coffeehouse Challenge. It's sponsored by Starbucks, and goes like this: You get together with some folks at your neighborhood, um, Starbucks, and talk about what changes you'd like to see in your community -- more parks and bike paths, less graffiti, whatevs. You keep meeting while you shape it up into a real plan, and then you submit it to the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary. The plans are reviewed, a winner is chosen, and Starbucks funds the winning plan to the tune of $3000.

Right now it's only for the "Delaware Valley/Central PA" area, and let's face it, $3000 is pretty dinky, but maybe if it's a big success it will spread around and Starbucks will up the ante.

A pretty neat idea, all around.

Bush admin won’t be sad to see her go

Nikki Tinsley, the tenacious inspector general at the EPA, stepped down today. She's been something of a thorn in the side of the Bush administration, publicly lambasting its weak clean-air enforcement and calling its mercury-emissions rules a sop to industry -- all while maintaining a reputation for integrity and professionalism. I'm sure they're not sorry to see her go.

In her resignation letter she raised concerns over anemic funding for the National Defense Authorization Act, worrying that it would become "increasingly difficult to convince career employees to accept IG appointments in the future." I'm sure that's a totally unintended effect -- nobody loves independent oversight more than the Bush administration.

Update [2006-1-26 16:6:55 by David Roberts]: Oh, hey, look at that: Judith Lewis already blogged about this, and has some good links -- including a link to Tinsley's whole resignation letter (PDF).

More Gore

Al Gore had "a most excellent time" at Sundance, and if press coverage is any indication, he is well on his way to shaking his image as a stiff automaton. Check this out:

He is wearing earth tones again. He seems jolly. He brought Tipper and the kids. He is attending parties and posing for pictures with his fans and enjoying macaroni and cheese at the Discovery Channel soiree. He's palling around with Larry David of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," who says, "Al is a funny guy." But he is also a very serious guy who believes humans may have only 10 years left to save the planet from turning into a total frying pan.

If I were Al Gore's 2008 presidential campaign manager -- not that he's running! -- reading stuff like that would put a big fat grin on my face.

Europeans vote: Solar

A new poll asked the question:

To reduce dependency on imported energy, which of the following should the government focus on in the years to come?

The highest polling answer? Solar.

And the least favorite option was nuclear, probably due to the fact that Europe doesn't have a drilling-ANWR-option (PDF) to occupy that rung.

Solar enjoys similar levels of support in the U.S. This past summer we used the well-respected Field Poll to gauge support for California's Million Solar Roofs initiative, and found 77% of Californians gave it the green light -- and that's without explaining the benefits.

That's political capital. In the months leading up to the California Public Utilities Commission's vote on the 11-year, $3.2 billion solar incentive program, we helped organize a demonstration of the popular mandate, and over 50,000 Californians emailed the Commission in support. 50,000 may sound modest -- until you consider that that's one in a thousand Californians (if one were to correct for literacy, internet access, etc., the number becomes even more impressive). The CPUC received more emails on this than on any other subject in their history, including the 2001 energy crisis.

Most importantly, when the only poll that really counts was taken, the measure passed 3-1.

Big Oil suppressing biofuels? Obama thinks so.

Well well. Seems Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) agrees with ThinkProgress that Big Oil doesn't want you to know about biofuels.

Hot off the press-release presses:

U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate whether big oil corporations are knowingly restricting consumer access to alternative fuels like ethanol and biodiesel as a result of company policies.

"I believe that it is crucial for our national security and economic security that the United States lessen its dependence on foreign oil," said Senator Obama. "And if big oil companies are standing in the way of consumers who want to fill their vehicles with cleaner alternative fuels made here in the United States, then I believe the American people deserve to know why."

According to an internal memorandum from a major petroleum company obtained by Senator Obama's office, gas station franchise owners are prohibited from selling non brand name renewable fuels like E85 and B20 from fuel islands or underneath canopies bearing the oil company's name or logo. The memo also said that any alternative location of fuel pumps dispensing alternative fuels must be approved.

This could get interesting.

The Sierra Club’s singing bears

I've never been to Yellowstone, but I'm pretty sure the bears don't sing -- and they certainly don't look like this.

Regardless, you can sign the Sierra Club's petition to help keep Yellowstone's grizzlies on the Endangered Species List.

Energy prices will force a reevaluation of how much elbow room we really need

The Ashland Daily Tidings has an interesting (though brief) article exploring what exactly might happen in their corner of southern Oregon if oil prices keep going up. It's good to see people thinking more about this. Not just because it will help people prepare for the adjustments needed should oil become progressively dearer -- but also because it might help shift people's thinking about what kinds of transitions might be possible, even desirable, even if oil prices flatten out or decline.

But I do think a word of caution is in order -- if energy prices do continue to trend upwards, we're going to have to take a cold and steely-eyed look at our proposed solutions to help people cope. Some of them, however well-intentioned, just might not cut it.

Take a Toxic Load Off Annie

Environmental factors may cause many breast cancers, report says Up to half of all new breast cancers may be caused by environmental factors — including exposure to everyday chemicals — rather than heredity or lifestyle, a new report says. Released this week by the Breast Cancer Fund and Breast Cancer Action, “State of the Evidence” […]