Climate Technology
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Houston, We Have a Solution
Supporters Claim $300 Billion Energy Plan Would Create 3.3 Million Jobs A coalition called the Apollo Alliance released a report on Wednesday proposing and outlining a 10-year, $300 billion investment in alternative energy sources, which it claimed would create 3.3 million jobs and more than pay for itself through energy savings and economic stimulation. The […]
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All-wheel Jive
Subaru Outback to Become “Light Truck” to Avoid Fuel Economy Rules As of next year, Subaru’s Outback sedan will be classified as a “light truck,” thanks to some technical modifications to its ground clearance and back bumper position. The revised classification will place the car … er, truck in a category requiring (as of 2005) […]
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Sales Pitched
Forest Service Cancels Timber Sales in Tongass The U.S. Forest Service plans to cancel 20 timber sales in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest — not because it’s dedicated to preserving old growth in the vast rainforest, but because the sales were sure to be money-losers for logging companies. Enviros are feeling vindicated by the development; they […]
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To Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Energy Execs Pay to Create Environmental “To-Do” List with GOP Reps Business execs from power, coal, and mining companies are powwowing with more than a dozen GOP lawmakers from Western states this week in Phoenix, Ariz., at a conference focused on energy and environmental issues that boasts, among other activities, a session during which attendees […]
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Michelle Nijhuhis reviews Power to the People by Vijay Vaitheeswaran
Just before Thanksgiving, Senate Democrats (with the aid of a few Republicans) stymied the massive national energy bill, guaranteeing that debate on the measure would drag into an election year -- and significantly reducing its chance of passing. The setback surprised some observers because the bill, which currently weighs in at just under 1,200 pages, was carefully designed by congressional leaders for maximum political appeal: Its ethanol subsidies tempted farm-state Democrats, while renewable-energy perks drew endorsements from advocates of wind and solar power.
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Hey, Where Is Everybody?
Deafening Silence Greets Bush’s Call for Voluntary Pollution Cuts Two years in, President Bush’s “Climate Leaders” program — a call for commitments from companies to voluntarily cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent or more within a decade — has seen only 50 of the thousands of polluting companies in the U.S. sign up, […]
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A Mighty Wind
New California Wind Farm Blows Previous Efforts Away Between San Francisco and Sacramento lies the nearly completed High Winds Energy Center, a state-of-the-art wind farm expected to generate roughly 162 megawatts of electricity — enough to power 75,000 homes — and make wind power competitive with extractive energy sources. The turbines at High Winds represent […]
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Bank Warms Chile
Bank Protects Land in Tierra del Fuego Environmentalists in Chile have reason to be muy feliz of late. First, the government agreed to turn a vast tract of land owned by U.S. multimillionaire Doug Tompkins into a public nature reserve. Now, investment bank Goldman Sachs has announced that it will create another such reserve in […]
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Umbra on supermarket coolers
Dear Umbra, Every time I go to the grocery store and see meats, dairy products, and other products displayed in open-air refrigerators, I get a little miffed and wonder if this isn’t a huge waste of energy and a tremendous cost to the supermarket as well. Do supermarkets make more money having their products in […]
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Activists and small-scale farmers are going “beyond organic” to push local foods
A-tisket, a-tasket, an organic produce basket. Photo: USDA. Organic food has hit the big time. The Whole Foods Market chain, the largest natural-foods retailer in the world, boasts 145 stores throughout North America; its leading competitor, Wild Oats, has 101 stores in 25 states and Canada. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture put in […]
