October 2009

An article in London's "The Guardian" newspaper tackles the touchy subject of human behavior and the role of psychology in addressing climate change. It describes the increased attention to how psychologically informed public awareness campaigns can be used to transform abstract concerns about climate change into concrete behaviors that reduce net energy consumption. read more

More than 500 researchers, federal contractors and venture capitalists are expected in the Reno-Sparks area next week to attend a business, energy, and technology conference. read more

On Tuesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee began hearings on a climate bill introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Committee, and Senator John Kerry (D-MA).  Most republicans remain opposed to climate legislation on grounds that it will raise energy prices and cost jobs.  Supporters counter that clean energy technology could be the next major growth industry and that the U.S. is falling behind many other countries who are already making heavy investments in research and development.  Some climate bill “fence-sitters”, primarily moderate democrats such as Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), are in favor of passing climate legislation but concerned that the current version is too ambitious. read more

NV Energy will receive a $138 million grant, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), to implement smart grid technologies in Nevada.  The project is part of an $3.9 billion build out of the smart energy grid announced Tuesday by President Obama. read more

The Solar Technology Roadmap Bill passed the House of Representatives last Thursday by a 310 to 106 vote. read more

Proposed in July 2009, the regulations would have imposed reporting requirements on sources emitting 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually and required third-party verification of emissions reports for sources emitting more than 25,000 metric tons annually. read more

The New Mexico Attorney General has issued new rules involving negotiating a sale in a language other than English. Effective September 15, 2009, the new rule states that "it is unfair and deceptive business trade practice for any seller to fail to furnish the buyer with a summary translation of any receipt or contract pertaining to the sale of goods or services at the time of its execution that is in the same language as that principally used in the oral sales presentation or negotiations." read more

Two federal circuit courts recently allowed mass tort cases based on damages from climate change to proceed. In these two cases, the Second and Fifth Circuits agreed that public nuisance claims based on the effects of climate change could be considered by courts in the absence of federal legislation or rules from EPA. read more

On Wednesday, the head of the Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, answered questions from a Senate energy panel regarding the costs of the cap-and-trade bill passed by the House of Representatives in June (known as Waxman-Markey). CBO estimates the bill would slow US GDP by 0.25 to 0.75 in 2020 but Mr. Elmendorf noted that costs of climate change were not included in the analysis. read more

The European Commission announced plans to spend $73 billion on renewable energy technologies over the next ten years.  Europe has clearly decided to go all out in the white-hot competition to lead the world in solar, wind, nuclear, and other non-carbon based energy technologies. read more

Chamber President Tom Donohue claims the majority of the Chamber's members support its position on climate change and that businesses leaving the organization over this issue do not understand its position. read more

Dow Chemical recently introduced its "Powerhouse" line of solar shingles.  The solar shingles use thin-film solar technology but can be installed by roofers without any specialized tools or training. read more

Renewable energy developers using technologies that consume large amounts of water are finding it more difficult to obtain the necessary water rights and approvals for their projects. read more

On Wednesday, EPA proposed a rule that would subject GHG-emitting facilities to its NSR program, including the requirement of best available control technology.  The applicability threshold in the new rule is 25,000 tons/year of CO2 equivalent. read more