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Trump’s agriculture department announces 30% biofuel goal for 2050
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday announced a goal for biofuels to make up 30% of U.S. transportation fuels by 2050, a move that could bolster an industry that has been otherwise battered by the Trump administration. Refineries are currently required to blend 20.09 billion gallons of biofuel in 2020, about 10% of projected crude oil production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Deal emerges to bring 1st offshore wind farms to Calif.
A tentative compromise is being floated by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) with backing from the military and federal and state agencies: Let developers produce wind power in central California waters that the military had once ruled incompatible with its own operations, in exchange for a moratorium on turbines in other nearby waters. Details of the compromise were described to E&E News by the congressman and Defense and state officials involved in negotiations. [ read more … ]
Google shuts down ‘moonshot’ wind unit once backed by DOE
Alphabet Inc. will no longer house a wind company once backed by the Department of Energy under its umbrella, marking the end of a seven-year journey at the Google parent company. Makani’s “wind kites” technology — which harnesses wind by sending power down a tether from high altitudes — has often been touted as a success story of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy at the Energy Department, which funded it in its early stages. Makani was acquired by Google in 2013 as part of its X lab, informally known as “the moonshot factory.” Makani later became a distinct unit within Alphabet. [ read more … ]
Solar Energy
Calif.’s solar mandate may not require panels on every roof
When California finalized the nation’s first sweeping rooftop solar mandate for new construction last year, advocates pictured a utopia of all homes being built with solar panels, turning the clunky panels into the new norm to help the state achieve carbon neutrality. But those images of self-sustaining abodes may be dashed, supporters warn, if an electric utility in Sacramento wins a widely watched case today deciding how the new solar mandate will be interpreted. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Climate Change Rises as a Public Priority. But It’s More Partisan Than Ever.
Protecting the environment and tackling climate change have climbed up the list of Americans’ political priorities this year as economic concerns have faded, according to a new report from Pew Research Center. *The survey methodology changed in 2015 from asking about “global warming” to asking about “climate change.” Pew surveys the public on more than a dozen topics; this chart reflects selected priorities.·Source: Pew Research Center
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.