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Advocates press economic case for climate action
Climate advocates are urging President Obama to use his final State of the Union address today to make a strong economic case for renewable energy amid Republican criticism of the administration’s climate agenda. White House aides have promised a “nontraditional” speech, laying out a broad vision for the future of the country rather than specific policy provisions. [ read more … ]
Governor Continues Support for Wind Energy in Iowa
Iowa generates nearly 30 percent of its electricity from wind, far more than any other state. The goal is to increase that to 40 percent by 2020. Ben Hammes, a spokesman for Gov. Terry Branstad, said developing the industry is a benefit for the state’s other economic-development efforts. “Every turbine you see driving across the state of Iowa means three things,” he said. “It means income for farmers, it means revenue for local governments, and it means jobs for Iowa families.” [ read more … ]
Most oil majors still mum on Paris climate pact
Many of the world’s major oil and gas companies are still grappling with how to respond to the international climate change agreement that 195 nations struck in Paris last month, interviews with several industry officials revealed. Asked to discuss the U.N. deal to slash global greenhouse gas emissions — which could threaten the very existence of the traditional energy industry — top multinational oil corporations shared few details. Most were vague and some were nonresponsive to questions about how and whether the agreement will affect their long-term business plans. [ read more … ]
Nev. faces solar exodus in wake of rate changes
As recently as last summer, Nevada was the nation’s No. 4 market for solar power and claimed the nation’s No. 1 ranking for solar sector employment on a per-capita basis. Today, the state’s status as a solar leader is in free fall as a result of a new net-metering ruling adopted by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last month [ read more … ]
Getting To 100% Renewable Energy In the US
Getting to 100% renewable energy in the US by 2050 is a goal that is gaining traction among the US public. Reports from many environmental organizations have been written on how to get to this target, including from Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation. After last year’s COP21 conference, the momentum has gotten stronger in order to keep global temperature within the 1.5°C threshold to avoid dramatic climatic change on the Earth.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.