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For now, industry hangs its hopes on Texas — AWEA report
Wind power installation rates aren’t what they used to be. But that could change within the next two years, asserts the leading wind energy industry group, largely thanks to a surge of construction activity in Texas. The first quarter of 2014 saw 214 megawatts of wind energy built, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s “U.S. Wind Industry First Quarter 2014 Market Report,” released yesterday. This is a drop from the 1,016 MW installed in the fourth quarter of 2013 and pales in comparison to the record 8,385 MW completed at the close of 2012 as wind developers hurried to qualify for the 2.3-cent-per-kilowatt-hour renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) before it expired. [ read more … ]
Link Between Electricity Prices & Renewable Energy Completely Warped In Forbes Article
Christine Harbin Hanson, the Federal Affairs Manager for Americans for Prosperity, recently wrote an article published on Forbes that shows that she is either very ill-informed on this matter or is simply looking to deceive people. I can only hope it’s the former. Her article incorrectly argues that Renewable Portfolio Standards cost citizens a great deal and that “renewable energy sources like wind and solar… are significantly more expensive than their traditional energy alternatives.” [ read more … ]
Wash. governor wants to ‘eliminate’ coal
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced plans yesterday to cap the state’s greenhouse gas emissions while eliminating the use of coal and expanding cleaner cars and energy efficiency programs. An executive order signed by Inslee, a Democrat, creates the Carbon Emissions Reduction Taskforce to design a “cap and market” program to help Washington cut its emissions by 2020, 2035 and 2050. The panel of 21 people is instructed to provide its recommendations to Inslee by November. “This is the right time to act, the right place to act and we are the right people to act,” Inslee said in a press conference yesterday, according to his office. [ read more … ]
Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy adopts Berkshire name
Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s energy unit has changed its name to Berkshire Hathaway Energy from MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co, the largest of a growing list of businesses to adopt the name of the company run by billionaire Warren Buffett. The change “reflects the benefits we gain from Berkshire Hathaway’s ownership, particularly our ability to reinvest in our businesses and take a long-term view of our customers’ needs,” Greg Abel, the unit’s chief executive, said in a statement on Wednesday. MidAmerican’s new name also reflects a recent trend in which the company Buffett took over in 1965, when it was a failing textile maker, sees its name planted on an array of units. [ read more … ]
Group plans lawsuit against Interior rule that ‘gambles recklessly’ with eagles
A leading bird conservation group has notified the Obama administration that it intends to sue over a rule for renewable energy projects that would permit injuring, killing or disturbing bald eagles for up to 30 years. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) today sent a notice of intent to sue to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe saying the group plans to take legal action against the Interior Department and FWS over the revised eagle “take” rule announced in December 2013 and implemented earlier this year.
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Steyer and Bloomberg diverge on fracking
In a New York Times op-ed published today, Bloomberg and Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp staked out a middle ground on fracking that emphasizes “strong rules and enforcement” in order to mitigate legitimate local resistance to a fossil fuel extraction method that “is indeed lowering energy costs, creating new jobs, boosting domestic manufacturing and delivering some measurable environmental benefits.” In his own October column on the topic, Steyer called for tabling any discussion about fracking’s emissions upside until oil and gas producers begin “paying their fair share” in taxes and royalties. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.