The Little Rock Regional Chamber supports increasing and diversifying America's energy supply, while utilizing proven energy sources.

• Support expansion of nuclear energy which is the largest source of zero-emissions electricity
• Support policies to ensure a diversified fuel mix to manage energy price and supply risks for consumers, as the U.S. cannot rely on any one source of energy to meet the future electricity demands
• Support the creation of a national energy policy
• Support increasing energy efficiency and modifying the regulatory framework to align incentives for utility provision of energy efficiency  
• Oppose legislation that would place American businesses at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace 
• Support reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption and production including the research, development and commercialization of carbon capture and sequestration technology
• Support responsive and innovative regulation to ensure a reliable source of electricity for consumers and financially healthy utilities which in turn supports thriving economic development outcomes for the region 

 

Mar 9, 2010 China and India Join Climate Accord (New York Times) WASHINGTON — China and India formally agreed Tuesday to join the international climate change agreemen reached last December in Copenhagen, the last two major economies to sign up. Ramesh confirmed India’s action in an e-mail message. India sent a letter on Monday to the United Nations...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Israel, Syria announce nuclear energy ambitions (USA Today) Landau stood firm against Iran's nuclear plans. Mekdad did not elaborate on specific nuclear plans. Borloo was enthusiastic about that idea, Landau said.    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Israel, Syria announce intent to develop nuclear power (Los Angeles Times) The construction of a nuclear reactor could draw international attention to Israel's nuclear activities. Borloo was enthusiastic about that idea, Landau said. Israel has never acknowledged being a nuclear power, following a policy it calls "nuclear ambiguity." Israel also has a smaller nuclear...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Making clean tech cheap, as well as green (The Boston Globe) ...the greenhouse gas emissions they produce, several said. Once the cost of pollution is factored in, advocates say, clean technology becomes more attractive.``Clean tech is always in a boom-and-bust cycle,'' said Matt Moscardi, manager of investor programs at Ceres, a green investment coalition...    more...  

Mar 9, 2010 Conversation about growth in global energy demand begins with China (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) ...energy," said Rob Barnett of IHS CERA, based in Cambridge, Mass. Barnett was among nine global energy experts from IHS CERA making up the panel at the opening day of the CERA Week 2010 Energy Conference at the Hilton Americas Hotel. IHS CERA is a leading international adviser to energy...    more...  

Mar 8, 2010 Solar Industry Learns Lessons in Spanish Sun (New York Times) Half the solar power installed globally in 2008 was installed in Spain. In Spain, the tariff, now adjusted quarterly, is about 39 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity from freestanding solar power plants, and slightly higher for panels on rooftops. The city is home to a number of solar...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 The mighty thorium (The Columbus Dispatch) Harry Reid, D-Nevada., introduced a bill that would direct thorium research begin at the Idaho National Laboratory.    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Business vs. clean energy (The Columbus Dispatch) I think climate change is the best example of how they come together. And even though for years he opposed the development of nuclear power, he now says it is "safer than it was 10 or 15 years ago." Such talk dismays many environmentalists. McHugh said, "We need to pursue the cleanest, fastest,...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 EDITORIAL: Kansas (The Kansas City Star) In estimating the nation's wind-power potential, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory produced a color-coded map, and the sweet spot was purple. Today, the generally accepted total cost for nuclear power is 11.1 to 14.5 cents a kilowatt hour. Coal is cheaper, about 4.8 cents to 5.5 cents a...    more...  

Mar 7, 2010 Experts urge businesses to plan ahead for carbon rules (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Kohl's generates solar power from panels mounted on the rooftops of 81 stores. There's almost a siege mentality," von Paumgartten said.    more...  

Mar 6, 2010 As LAUSD tightens belt, 'green' resolution helps trim water, energy costs (Los Angeles Times) Since passage in 2007 of the Green LAUSD resolution, the district has been working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and its energy and water use by 10% from 2007 levels by 2013. In March, hundreds of decades-old buses will be upgraded to less-polluting, more energy-efficient propane models....    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 $100 Million in Stimulus Funds for Green Tech (New York Times) Sindya N. BhanooThe Department of Energy announced this week that $100 million in stimulus funds would be distributed to help accelerate innovation in green technology.“The idea is to get a whole ecosystem of innovative technologies,” said Arun Majumdar, director of the Advanced Research...    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 Jump-starting nuclear energy (Los Angeles Times) Currently, nuclear power plants supply about one-fifth of the nation's energy. Nuclear reactors produce more than 70% of the carbon-free electricity in the country. Encouraged by nuclear energy's environmental and economic benefits, more and more Americans favor nuclear energy.    more...  

Mar 5, 2010 Venture capitalists seeing green (The Boston Globe) Of the respondents, 38 percent said that the energy storage and efficiency sector will see the most investment - up from 33 percent in the 2009 survey.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Europe Offers $273 Million in Aid for a Gas Pipeline From Turkey to Austria (New York Times) Oettinger said in a news conference in Brussels. Oettinger also offered encouragement to a rival, Russian-backed project called South Stream, which would take Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Europe. Oettinger said the money still represented a “trump card on the table” for Nabucco.    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Former Rebels Turned Forest Rangers in Aceh (New York Times) Several months after the Bali conference, the governor declared a moratorium on all logging in the Ulu Masen forest and began the ranger program with Fauna and Flora. Nasution said about the governor’s team, which works out of Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. For some, including the...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 The Newest Hybrid Model (New York Times) The project’s advantages are obvious: electricity generated from the sun will allow FPL to cut natural gas use and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Power plants account for over a third of domestic greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for global warming. A dozen hybrid projects similar...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 Trendy technology leads to new jobs (Los Angeles Times) John Purrier, 49, a Microsoft Corp. veteran, spent about a year as chief technology officer at Global Market Insite Inc., which helps companies do market research. The Rackspace Cloud is also opening offices around the country, including in Los Angeles, and is hiring for all of them. An interest...    more...  

Mar 4, 2010 E.U. Tries to Head Off Future Natural-Gas Shortages (New York Times) Oettinger said during a news conference in Brussels. Oettinger also offered encouragement to a rival, Russian-backed project called South Stream, which would take Russian natural gas under the Black Sea to Europe. Oettinger said the money still represented a “trump card on the table” for...    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Let's Talk About It: Discussing the Science and Politics of Global Warming (New York Times) Is the scientific evidence for global warming in question? Gore say have contributed to “global political paralysis” on climate change?7. What questions are raised by the article? What questions were sparked by Al Gore’s analysis of global warming?    more...  

Mar 3, 2010 Sorting through the conflicting claims on global warming (Chicago Tribune) A 1975 report from the National Academy concluded "we do not have a good quantitative understanding of our climate machine and what determines its course. The "trick" refers to a technique that Penn State scientist Michael Mann published in the journal Nature in 1998. Mann plotted more recent...    more...  

Mar 2, 2010 Energy leaders will blanket Capitol (Houston Chronicle) SWIFT ENERGY CO (Newstex ID is 1201966)" NewstexID="1201966">Bruce Vincent, president of Houston-based Swift Energy Co. (NYSE:SFY) and chairman of the IPAA. Companies from Houston sending members include Enervest Energy, Foothill Energy, Genesis Crude Oil, Guggenheim Services, Linn Energy...    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 Natural gas lobby steps up to challenge coal (The Hill) According to the Congressional Research Service, displacing older coal plants with nearby natural gas facilities could cut greenhouse gas emissions from the utility sector by 20 percent.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 A federal effort to lead 'green' technology (Los Angeles Times) The efforts also led to revolutionary civilian technology, such as the Internet. Now, the same approach is being tried for energy and "green" technology.    more...  

Mar 1, 2010 A stink in Central California over converting cow manure to electricity (Los Angeles Times) But for dairyman John Fiscalini, the dung on his farm is renewable gold: He's converting it into electricity. NOx levels for the valley are federally set. Koetsier had been using his digester and generator system since 2003 as a way to power his barns and eliminate his dairy's electrical bill.    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 ARPA-E, a federal effort to lead 'green' technology (Los Angeles Times) The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA in Pentagonese backed projects that led to such military advances as the light rapid-fire M-16 rifle and Stealth warplanes that were invisible to radar. The efforts also led to revolutionary civilian technology, such as the Internet. Now, the...    more...  

Feb 28, 2010 EDITORIAL: This act is not just about jobs; it's about the future (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The bill would allow construction of new nuclear plants, no longer requiring a site for long-term disposal of spent nuclear fuel to be developed before a nuclear plant could be built. However, the bill also requires that power generated from any new nuclear plant built in the state be used only...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Emissions bill to signal new approach on climate (Washington Post) Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), declared, "Cap-and-trade is dead."Graham and Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) have worked for months to develop an alternative to cap-and-trade, which the House approved eight months ago. Senior Obama administration officials have also...    more...  

Feb 27, 2010 Senators to propose abandoning cap-and-trade (Washington Post) Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), declared, "Cap-and-trade is dead."Graham and Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) have worked for months to develop an alternative to cap-and-trade, which the House approved eight months ago. Senior Obama administration officials have also...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 A Secretive Start-Up Raises the Curtain (New York Times) Doerr, a partner at the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and a Bloom Energy board member.Making stuff, particularly solid-oxide fuel cells, is very hard work. Sridhar worked on fuel cells as a scientist on NASA’s now-defunct Mars program, where precision engineering and...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Wal-Mart presses vendors in China to meet higher standards (Washington Post) And China and Wal-Mart have come under sharp criticism for conditions in factories. Likewise, as consumers grow more environmentally aware, Wal-Mart's executives have responded. The daughters of subsistence farmers, they were supplying street markets when a Wal-Mart buyer discovered them a decade...    more...  

Feb 26, 2010 Wal-Mart urges vendors in China to go green (Washington Post) If Wal-Mart were a sovereign nation, it would be China's fifth or sixth largest export market. And China and Wal-Mart have come under sharp criticism for conditions in factories. The daughters of subsistence farmers, they were supplying street markets when a Wal-Mart buyer discovered them a...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Consumer loans, rebates, tax credits ease sting of green improvement costs (The Press-Enterprise) Loan payments go to the county tax collector along with regular property taxes. At a Home Depot (NYSE:HD) store in Riverside, 1,500 square feet of 9 1/2 -inch thick pink fiberglass insulation costs about $1,230. The city rebate combined with the federal tax credit would reduce the homeowner's...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Vancouver Olympics going for the green (Los Angeles Times) The Olympic torch is 90% recyclable and emits minimal greenhouse gases, and medals are made from recycled electronic waste. At least $3 million in carbon offsets investments in clean-energy projects whose climate change benefits "offset" the greenhouse gases generated by the Games is being...    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Bloom Energy unveils 'power plant in a box' (Seattle Post Intelligencer) Arnold Schwarzenegger hailed the server as a potential revolution. Solid oxide fuel cells are more efficient and operate at higher temperatures than proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which have been commercially available for years. But making a solid oxide fuel cell that lasts has proved tricky.    more...  

Feb 25, 2010 Fairfax County community events, Feb. 25 to March 4, 2010 (Washington Post) A McLean Art Society meeting. 10 a.m.-noon, McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. COLVIN RUN COMMUNITY CENTER DANCE, dance to contemporary and classic dance music. SE, Vienna. $85; Vienna residents, $68.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Projects across USA turn landfill gas into energy (USA Today) Instead of letting the gas escape into the air, these projects collect the gas and treat it so it can be used for electricity or upgraded to pipeline-grade gas.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Signs of Life, and Change, in Climate Inquiry (New York Times) Pielke’s expertise in political science and environmental policy was certainly appropriate for this report. “Climate extremes and disasters are a social phenomenon as much as a physical phenomenon,” Dr. Pielke would still be able to play an important role as an expert reviewer or...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 U.N. agrees to refine climate data (USA Today) ...from climate skeptics that fears of global warming are overblown.A U.N. conference in Copenhagen in December failed to achieve a binding deal on curbing greenhouse gas emissions. But Ban said it was important that the confrence set a target of keeping keep global temperatures from rising, and...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 NAACP president on Van Jones (CNN) Washington (CNN) -- Van Jones is an American treasure. Policies he has promoted are bringing change to downsized economies across America. Long before joining the administration, Van was America's champion for green jobs.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Epa Takes Heat On Climate Rule (Politico) Her committee is exploring alternative climate proposals, including a carbon tax, according to aides.Sen.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Energy Star logo not so hard to get (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) At last count, the star was awarded to more than 40,000 models in more than 60 product categories, according to the EPA.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Bill seeks to boost state firms' green technologies (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Orion Energy Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:OESX) of Manitowoc and A.O. Smith Corp. (NYSE:AOS) of Milwaukee. The bill would give a boost to a variety of technologies, such as those that directly use renewable energy -- solar water heating systems marketed by A.O. Smith and alternative lighting...    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe challenges EPA's climate change policies (The Daily Oklahoman) However, he said, the report has numerous errors.    more...  

Feb 24, 2010 Get greener, state tells big retailers (The Boston Globe) ...efficient than what was presented.'' Bowles declined to comment further.Under 2007 rules, large developments must quantify and reduce greenhouse gas emissions when undergoing environmental review. Governor Deval Patrick has challenged big-box retailers to install solar panels on their roofs,...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Bloom Energy Claims a New Fuel Cell Technology (New York Times) The Bloom fuel cell’s heart is a thin white ceramic wafer made from sand. Sridhar, a former NASA scientist, picked up a stack of fuel cells that resembled floppy disks. Bloom executives would not disclose the composition of the ink.Small cells are stacked to make a larger device.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 NAACP leader: Van Jones a treasure (CNN) Washington (CNN) -- Van Jones is an American treasure. Van Jones also may be the most misunderstood man in America. Long before joining the administration, Van was America's champion for green jobs.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Republicans seize on climate errors to challenge EPA (The Hill) Jones told the BBC that there had been no statistically significant warming over the past 15 years.Environmental groups said Inhofe had taken Jones’s statement out of context. He said there were only 20 votes of support, far from the 60 necessary to end a filibuster.That would leave the EPA to...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 EDITORIAL (The Oregonian) Oregon also gave away millions of tax dollars to energy projects that never generated any renewable energy or fuel. The credibility of the BETC program has been badly dented, and to an extent, so has one of the few promising sectors of the Oregon economy: clean energy. But it is vital that Oregon...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Loan Guarantee for a Big Solar Power Plant (New York Times) BrightSource’s 392-megawatt Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is the first utility-scale solar power plant to undergo licensing in California in nearly two decades. The heat creates steam that drives an electricity-generating turbine.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Eastern Europe Looks to Neighbors to Break Russia's Energy Grip (New York Times) Bajnai said.Land-locked Hungary is also looking to Croatia, its southern neighbor, as a viable alternative for natural gas supplies. Bajnai conceded that by supporting the South Stream project, Hungary’s dependence on Russian gas would increase, not decrease. E.ON, a major German energy group,...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 State investigates Texas trucking company, Oregon nonprofit over energy tax credits (The Oregonian) Its main Oregon operation is a trailer in a truck lot in Northeast Portland. In 2006, Oregon taxpayers were on the hook for $173,287 to outfit trucks with fuel-saving equipment. Between 2007 and 2009, Mesilla received final approval for 752 tax credits, according to state records.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Democrats' ambitious legislative agenda pushes K Street salaries skyward (The Hill) Lobbyists for energy clients beat out financial lobbyists for top billing.Energy has long been a significant source of lobbying spending. The sector spent $465 million lobbying in Washington in 2009, which was about $8 million more than in 2008. Revenue adjusted for inflation dipped in all three...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Planet Panel (Washington Post) Excerpts from The Post's online discussion of climate change QAre Obama's proposed $36 billion loan guarantees for nuclear plants a smart option? The Obama administration is promoting nuclear power because it does not involve CO2 emissions. Follow climate change policy news at...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Oakland solar firm secures $1.4 billion loan (Contra Costa Times) Each tower will contain a boiler filled with water. The concentrated heat will create steam to drive a turbine that creates electricity. Earlier this month, BrightSource submitted a proposal that called for a smaller solar complex.    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 EDITORIAL: Power of support (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) If their answer is climate change, they need to rethink their position and move beyond one company's unhelpful behavior. The United States has 104 nuclear power plants. It is recognizing that nuclear energy has an important role to play. It had previously pulled the plug on Nevada's Yucca...    more...  

Feb 23, 2010 Epa Delays Greenhouse Gas Curbs (Politico) The agency would phase-in permit requirements starting in 2011.    more...  

Feb 22, 2010 E.P.A. Plans to Phase in Regulation of Emissions (New York Times) Jackson to suspend any E.P.A. regulations of stationary sources — including coal-burning power plants and large industrial facilities — while Congress considers comprehensive energy and climate change legislation. The House passed a major climate and energy bill last summer that would have...    more...  

Feb 22, 2010 Oakland solar firm secures huge loan (Contra Costa Times) Each tower will contain a boiler filled with water. The concentrated heat will create steam to drive a turbine that creates electricity. Earlier this month, BrightSource submitted a proposal that called for a smaller solar complex.    more...  

Feb 22, 2010 QandA with Google's 'green energy czar' on sustainable computing (The Oregonian) Generally speaking, laptops use a lot less energy that desktops. We held a data center efficiency summit last April. That's because we need data centers all over the world.    more...  

Feb 22, 2010 Job measures cost of going green (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) After becoming a journeyman electrician and then field installer, Kneeland is now at the forefront of the company's push to expand into the green energy industry. I am still going to MSOE for an engineering degree. What makes your job green? A. I can introduce (customers) to something new, and...    more...  

Feb 22, 2010 Wide variance in products that qualify for federal Energy Star program (Washington Post) At last count, the star was awarded to more than 40,000 models in more than 60 product categories, according to the EPA. In 10 categories, they accounted for more than half of all products sold.That has some observers worried about grade inflation. For home appliances, for instance, a review...    more...