AAEA is an environmental organization founded in 1985 that is dedicated to protecting the environment, enhancing human, animal and plant ecologies, promoting the efficient use of natural resources, increasing African American participation in the environmental movement and promoting ownership of energy infrastructure and resources. We resolve environmental problems through the application of practical environmental solutions.
শুক্রবার, জুন ২৯, ২০০৭
Congressman Al Wynn Passes Energy Amendment
House Ways & Means Passes Energy Tax Package
The bill 1) extends the placed-in-service date for four years (through December 31, 2012) for qualifying facilities: wind; closed-loop biomass; open-loop biomass; geothermal; small irrigation hydropower; landfill gas; and trash combustion facilities. 2) extends the 30% investment tax credit for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property for eight years (through the end of 2016, 3) authorizes $2 billion of new clean renewable energy bonds for public power providers and electric cooperatives, 4) The bill removes the caps on the credit for residential solar property (currently capped at $2,000) and residential fuel cell property (currently capped at $500 per half kilowatt of capacity, 5) bill establishes a new credit for each qualified plug-in vehicle. The base amount of the credit is $4,000, 6) creates a new production tax credit of 50 cents per gallon for cellulosic alcohol, 7) extends for two years (through December 31, 2010) the $1.00 and 50 cent per gallon production tax credits for biodiesel and the small biodiesel producer credit of 10 cents per gallon, 8) increases the 30% alternative refueling property credit (capped at $30,000) to 50% (capped at $50,000, among others.
Presidential Debate Missed Environment & Energy
EPA Proposes Tougher SMOG Rules
বুধবার, জুন ২৭, ২০০৭
AAEA Opens Midwest Office
Christie Todd Whitman Is Fighting Back
Earlier this week, Gov Whitman testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the Post 911 air issue in Lower Manhattan. Whitman is a fighter. Again, she should have used common sense instead of 'the scientists.' No way was that ouside air safe in Lower Manhattan for at least months and probably longer indoors. However, we respect that she did not pursue Marsha Coleman Adebayo as her predecessor Carol Browner did in the EPA racial discrimation case. And that picture of her with Secretary Powell is better than the one of her frisking an alleged perp in New Jersey. (The Washington Post/photo edited)
মঙ্গলবার, জুন ২৬, ২০০৭
River Terrace Community Questions Mayor Fenty on Air
শনিবার, জুন ২৩, ২০০৭
President Bush Tours Nuclear Plant in Alabama
শুক্রবার, জুন ২২, ২০০৭
AAEA Poll: Who Would Be Best Environmental President?
বৃহস্পতিবার, জুন ২১, ২০০৭
Michael Bloomberg, Global Warming & Nuclear Power
Here is what Mayor Bloomberg has said about the mystical power source:
“There are a lot of people who want to shut down the nuclear plant, but they have never offered any realistic alternatives – even as they at the same time want to fight global warming. You just can’t have it both ways!" (NEI)
Mayor Bloomberg has also issued a plan for improving environmental and energy matters in New York. A few highlights: 1) create a financing authority that would assure the completion of major projects like the Second Avenue subway, 2) New authorities to push for improved energy efficiency in new buildings and for the replacement of energy-guzzling power plants, 3) construction of platforms over railyards and highways to create land for housing, 4) open 290 schoolyards as playgrounds, 5) eliminate city sales taxes on energy-efficient hybrid vehicles, 6) increase the number of bike paths, 7) cultivate mussels to suck pollution out of the rivers.
Mayor Bloomberg also has an Energy Policy Task Force, established in July 2003, which is headed by the New York City Economic Develop Corporation and has 16 members including leading energy experts in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, as well as representatives of environmental and community groups.
Finally, Mayor Bloomberg is promoting 'congestion pricing' to increase the price for vehicles to enter Manhattan. AAEA does not support using price to achieve environmental and energy efficiencies.
বুধবার, জুন ২০, ২০০৭
Senate Finance Committee Approves $32 billion Energy Tax Package
Senator Max Baucus, right, is Chairman of the Senate Finace Committee, which just passed a $32 billion tax package (Energy Advancement and Investment Act of 2007) that includes incentives for renewable fuels and alternative vehicles. The package would be financed by taking away some ot the oil and gas incentives. And you are worried about high gasoline prices now! The package specifically includes incentives for renewable electricity initiatives, including credits for solar, wind and microturbine projects. The package also has incentives for biofuels, increasing refinery capacity and refining more fuel from oil shale and tar sands. (Committee Press Release)
The House also has additional energy legislation pending: 1) House Committe on Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahalls Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007 (H.R. 2337) and 2) House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Committee Chairman John Dingell Discussion Draft.
Coal-to-Liquid Amendment Liquidated
The Senate also rejected 55-39 an amendment to create a fuel mandate program rquiring production of 6 billion gallons of liquid coal fuel by 2022. This is of course a complement to the construction and loan supports. This retreat simply reduce the mix of energy available to the most dynamic economy on Earth. It also avoids carbon dioxide capture technology.
মঙ্গলবার, জুন ১৯, ২০০৭
PRESIDENT'S CORNER: Birdwatcher Since 1997
সোমবার, জুন ১৮, ২০০৭
Religious Environment of Mitt Romney, Mormons & Blacks
His successor, Brigham Young, chose a racist and inaccurate interpretation of the Revelation description of Cain's curse. He took the 'mark' of Cain to mean black skin. Nowhere in Revelation or anywhere else in the Bible is this stated. Being cursed according to this idiot meant Blacks were banned from the priesthood and from entering Mormon temples. Brigham Young believed that Blacks were "Canaanites" (descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah) and were under the "Curse of Canaan" (i.e. Noah cursed Canaan and his descendants to serve his brothers Shem and Japheth and their descendants). Brigham Young believed that Ham, the son of Noah, married a Cainite woman, thus preserving the Cainite bloodline through the Flood, and Blacks are the descendants of Ham and his Cainite wife. The lengths some whites go to justify their racism. In Evolution Theory atheists place us closer to the apes to justify institutionalizing our socioeconomic disadvantage. YIKES.
So where does Mitt Romney stand on all of this? Remember that the exclusion was removed when a revelation was revealed to the president of the Mormons in 1978. The Mormons have never, however, rejected their belief in the validity of the curse. Like all Mormons today, Mitt now adheres to the 1978 revelation. But what if there is another revelation in 2008? Stay tuned.
(See Harry Alford's View in The Washington Informer)
The Washington Post Wrong To Reject Coal-To-Liquids
শনিবার, জুন ১৬, ২০০৭
Is Nick Rahall The Silver Surfer On Energy Legislation
বৃহস্পতিবার, জুন ১৪, ২০০৭
Changes at the Congressional Black Caucus
Environmental Policies of a Clinton & Rice Ticket
বুধবার, জুন ১৩, ২০০৭
Environmentalists Bragging About 'Taming' Obama
Finally, Senator Obama should ask the mainstream environmental movement why it insists on maintaining its status as the most segregated sector of American society. Since he was targeted for special attention, he should target this segregated sector to address its racism.
Environmental Policies of an Obama & Powell Ticket?
Yes, but what kind of environmental and energy policies would such an administration promote? Our guess is that they would reflect Obama's balanced approach. What next Xyborg: Hillary should pick Condoleeza Rice? Now that would be a presidential election. We bet their energy and environmental policies wouldn't be bad either.
মঙ্গলবার, জুন ১২, ২০০৭
Energy Legislation Moving Inside Beltway
The House passed an energy bill, Clean Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6) by a vote of 264-163 on Jan 18. The bill shifts $14 billion in oil industry subsidies toward renewable energy and energy efficiency. The bill includes: 1) Strategic Energy Efficiency & Renewables Reserve, a fund for alternative fuels. Funding would come from amending legislation to require companies to pay royalties on deepwater production if oil or gas prices reached certain thresholds. The GAO estimates the omission of such royalties since 1998 and 1999 has cost the government nearly $2 billion. 2) Raising taxes ("YIKES") on domestic oil producers and spend the money to subsidize ethanol, solar energy, and wind power. 3) Renegotiation of oil company public lands royalty contracts or pay a $9 per barrel royalty fee from these leases or lose rights to bid on future leases on federal lands. 4) Rescinding $5-$6 in oil company tax breaks included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 The Congressional Black Caucus voted unanimously in support of H.R. 6. Update: This bill was replaced by the House Speaker's bill that was passed on Sept 5, 2007 (see description below).
The Senate passed the Clean Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6) by a vote of 65 to 27 on June 21. Major items in the bill include 1) increasing fuel efficiency standards for cars, trucks and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, 2) mandates the use of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022, with more thatn 20 million gallons coming from cellulosic ethanol, 3) half of new cars mandated to run on an 85% ethanol blend by 2015, 4) set new efficiency standards for appliances and lighting, 5) outlaw "unconscionably excessive" prices for gasoline and 6) subject OPEC members to U.S. antitrust laws..
The House is currently (6-14-07) considering additional energy legislation through the Energy Policy Reform and Revitalization Act of 2007 (H.R. 2337), which is sponosred by Nick Rahall, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill passed out of Committee on June 13 on a vote of 26-22. The bill would override the recent Supreme Court decision giving the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. It would also effectively block efforts by California and 11 other states to regulate and reduce greenhouse gases from vehicles. The legislation has not been adopted.
Update: The House passed H.R. 3221, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007, introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on Sept 5, 2007. The bill seeks to move the U.S. toward greater energy independence and security, developing innovative new technologies, reducing carbon emissions, creating green jobs (H.R. 2847), protecting consumers, increasing clean renewable energy production, and modernizing our energy infrastructure, and to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation. House Tax Committe Chair Charles Rangel's bill (H.R. 2776) added to the end of Pelosi bill.
House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell is also moving a global warming/energy plan called the Discussion Draft, which is being considered by Chairman Rick Boucher's Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality (Energy & Commerce Committee). The bill includes energy efficiency, information enhancement, smart grid and demand response, loan guarantees and loan guarantees for coal-to-liquid projects.
Senater Majority Leader Harry Reid's bill, S. 1419, the "Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007, passed out of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on May 2 on a 20-3 vote and was transmorgrafied into H.R 6 for Senate floor consideration. Titles in the bill include: biofuels for energy security and transportation; energy efficiency promotion, carbon capture, storage research, development and demonstration; public buildings cost reduction, Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards; price gouging; and energy diplomacy and security.
President Bush is promoting a Twenty-in-Ten program that proposes to cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles by 20 percent over the next 10 years. The Bush plan includes 1) Increasing the supply of renewable and other alternative fuels by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require the equivalent of 35 billion gallons of renewable and other alternative fuels in 2017 – nearly five times the 2012 target included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. 2) Reforming And Modernizing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards For Cars And Extending The Current Light Truck Rule. 3) In Response To The Supreme Court's Ruling, The President Directed Cabinet Agencies To Take The First Steps Toward Regulations Based On "Twenty In Ten" (On April 2, 2007, the Supreme Court ruled EPA must take action under the Clean Air Act regarding greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles). 4) Signed an Executive Order requiring coordination among federal agencies tasked with the development of any regulations affecting greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. Coal-to-liquids is also a part of the president's 20-in-Ten Initiative.
সোমবার, জুন ১১, ২০০৭
Gasoline Prices In Brazil Much Higher Than In USA
শুক্রবার, জুন ০৮, ২০০৭
Religion and Global Warming
Humans are planetary managers and we have to control emissions. Our little 90 mile high atmosphere was not designed to contain an unlimited quantity of man-made industrial and vehicle emissions. We promote plug-in (lithium ion battery) fuel cell (hydrogen) hybrid electric vehicles and nuclear power plants as principle mitigation tools.
মঙ্গলবার, জুন ০৫, ২০০৭
China & Darfur Environment Different From U.S. and Iraq
G-8: China, United States, India & Global Warming
limit global carbon dioxide emissions to somewhere between 450 and 550 parts per million compared to the present level of 379 parts per million, in order toframe emission targets according to historical responsibility and developmentneeds, establish a carbon market, linking the European emissions trading schemewith others emerging across the globe and give a focus on research anddevelopment, energy efficiency, and means of adapting to the unavoidable effectsof climate change.