Alternative energy
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…...
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…...
On June 13, the Obama Administration announced a number of new public-and private-sector policy initiatives for building the 21st century grid. The White House event, which featured high-level Administration officials, private-sector leaders, and innovators from across the nation, focused on how new federal initiatives can advance development and deployment of smart-grid technologies. The panel coincided…...
Washington last month unveiled its new fuel economy sticker for vehicles starting with the 2013 model year that will include – for the first time – environmental impacts and greenhouse gas data. The new window sticker, which was unveiled last month by the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Transportation, replaces a…...
The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works heard from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack this month on the domestic ethanol policy, with the focus on moving from corn ethanol to advanced biofuels. Much of the April 13th hearing revolved around the benefit of the 45 cent-per-gallon subsidy for blending ethanol into gasoline and the 54 cent-per-gallon…...