Congressional leaders and federal regulators are devising new ways to encourage anti-idling technologies that eliminate overnight idling by heavy duty diesel trucks, including Truck Stop Electrification (TSE). Every day, over 500,000 long-haul trucks crisscross the United States. Truckers are required to take a ten-hour rest after every eleven hours of driving, often using truck engines…...
On May 19, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a full committee hearing to receive testimony on policies that promote advanced vehicle technologies and accelerated deployment of electric-drive vehicles. Witnesses discussed several bills that are now before the Senate that would advance vehicle technologies. Witnesses also noted that the President’s Budget…...
The House Committee on Agriculture held several hearings this month to review U.S. agriculture policy in advance of the 2012 Farm Bill. The hearings will help Congress get a head start on sculpting the legislation, which authorizes funds for many farm support, conservation, energy, trade, marketing, food assistance, and rural development programs over several years. Many of the…...
On May 12, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) introduced the discussion draft of the American Power Act—their long-awaited energy and climate change legislation. The bill’s stated goal is to “secure the energy future of the United States, to provide incentives for the domestic production of clean energy technology, to achieve meaningful…...
Congressional leaders are growing increasingly concerned over domestic supplies of rare earth elements that are critical to producing multiple clean-energy technologies. These elements, which share unique properties of magnetism, luminescence, and strength, are used in products such as energy-efficient phosphors in fluorescent lamp products, advanced wind turbines, hybrid locomotives, high-speed motors, high power density motors…...