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Key Democratic senator’s opposition could sink FERC nominee
Calling Binz “unacceptable” for allegedly “demonizing coal and gas,” Manchin voiced his opposition after ranking member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) took similar positions. Binz “prioritizes renewables over reliability,” Manchin said. Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is working on scheduling a committee vote on Binz, said Keith Chu, a spokesman for the senator. Wyden respects members’ views but believes Binz’s “years of service in Colorado and views on respecting FERC’s role make him well-qualified to serve on the commission,” Chu said. [ read more … ]
Obama admin, House Republicans clash over cost of carbon rules
Two members of President Obama’s energy team today defended the administration’s climate change policies before a House Energy and Commerce subpanel that has repeatedly tried to roll back their authorities. U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz used their opening remarks to affirm the science of man-made climate change and to cast their efforts to mitigate CO2 emissions as a boon to the U.S. economy.
“The evidence is overwhelming, the science is clear, and the threat from climate change is real and urgent,” Moniz told the Subcommittee on Energy and Power. [ read more … ]
As Markey promotes clean energy in first Senate speech, Ky. Dem replaces him on House panel
Sen. Ed Markey laid out an ambitious energy agenda in his first speech on the Senate floor this morning, pledging to introduce legislation setting a 25 percent target for “clean energy and energy efficiency improvements” in the country by 2025. [ read more … ]
Germany’s Effort at Clean Energy Proves Complex
It is an audacious undertaking with wide and deep support in Germany: shut down the nation’s nuclear power plants, wean the country from coal and promote a wholesale shift to renewable energy sources. But the plan, backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel and opposition parties alike, is running into problems in execution that are forcing Germans to come face to face with the costs and complexities of sticking to their principles. [ read more … ]
Social costs of electricity from coal make it uneconomical, researchers assert
New research from a national environmental group finds that the cost of producing electricity from renewable resources like wind and solar is lower than that of conventional coal-fired generation when factoring for the adverse costs of climate change and human health impacts. That conclusion, derived from analysis on the “social cost of carbon,” is at the heart of a study published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences by Laurie Johnson, chief economist of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Climate and Clean Air Program, Starla Yeh of NRDC’s Center for Market Innovation, and Chris Hope of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. [ read more … ]
Google buys Texas wind farm
In its latest and largest energy-industry venture so far, Google is purchasing the output of a future North Texas wind farm. The new facility will produce roughly half the amount of Google’s current renewable power generation. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.