Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Biden administration has reinstated restrictive policies under the guise of environmental protections that impact the construction of major infrastructure projects in the United States, including pipelines and highways. The timing could not be worse. Federal government regulatory intervention is on the rise. The new rule will require federal agencies to examine the climate impact of infrastructure projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a 1970 law that requires the government to assess the environmental outcomes. Critics say that the Biden administration took these measures to reverse his predecessor’s policy liberalization, leading to an unprecedented increase in America’s hydrocarbon production. This move has come under scrutiny amid the skyrocketing prices for oil and natural gas domestically and internationally and the need for the US to ramp up liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to … [Read more...] about How Biden’s New Energy Restrictions Defeat His Goals For Helping Ukraine
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Is Elon Musk Right Or Wrong To Dismiss Hydrogen Use For Low-Carbon Energy Storage?
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The context is transitioning from fossil energy to renewables. One key aspect of this is transport via gasoline or diesel vehicles and its transition to electric motors driven by batteries or hydrogen. The fossil fuel industry should be concerned about the efficiency and cost of sustainable transport, because that will determine the speed of the transition which will likely affect the decline of oil production and perhaps the oil and gas industry itself. Elon Musk knows batteries. He builds them: to propel cars and trucks, at one bookend, to grid-scale behemoths that store and stabilize electrical power for hundreds of homes and commercial enterprises, at the other bookend. Last week, May 12, 2022, Musk said hydrogen “is the most dumb thing I could possibly imagine for energy storage.” This is not the first time, as Musk has made similar negative comments in past years. A few years ago, Musk told reporters that hydrogen … [Read more...] about Is Elon Musk Right Or Wrong To Dismiss Hydrogen Use For Low-Carbon Energy Storage?
For This Founder, the Pandemic Was an Opportunity to Double Down on His Company’s Social Mission
When Tal Chitayat co-founded New York City-based Full Circle in 2009, his goal was to build a company that made sustainable home goods at accessible prices. He also wanted to build an enterprise that was sustainable in a different sense of the word, and bootstrapped operations instead of taking outside investment. Full Circle gained traction quickly: Over the next 12 years, it would make the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. four times. The company expanded to dozens of household goods, like brooms and scrub brushes from materials such as coconut fiber, walnut shells, and bamboo, rather than virgin plastic. It also grew two additional brands: home-disposables brand For Good, and water-filter and beverage-system brand Soma. From the start, Full Circle had a mission beyond sustainability. As part of its social responsibility structure, each brand gives a portion of its profits to a partner organization. For Soma, it's Charity:Water, a New York … [Read more...] about For This Founder, the Pandemic Was an Opportunity to Double Down on His Company’s Social Mission
Headwinds And Tailwinds Clash In Derailed New Mexico Hydrogen Bill
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Last month, House Bill 4, called the Hydrogen Hub Development Act, was voted down by the committee on House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources. There were various reasons for this. The bill would contain tax incentives to start a new industry that would be part of the transition to renewable energies but would link to the booming oil and gas industry. The oil and gas industry would provide the natural gas to produce the hydrogen, and then sequester or bury the carbon-dioxide (CO2) bi-product underground – a process called carbon capture and storage (CCS). Hydrogen generated in this way from methane is called blue hydrogen. Additionally, the bill is amongst the first in the United States to include specific incentives for the production of hydrogen from renewable natural gas, which can yield “carbon-negative” hydrogen. Such pathways do not implicate the oil and gas industry, but are a unique feature that … [Read more...] about Headwinds And Tailwinds Clash In Derailed New Mexico Hydrogen Bill
Russia’s Invasion Kills Nord Stream 2 And Gives Rise To Renewables
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Nord Stream 2 should be juxtaposed next to the Berlin Wall — two dying breeds of oppression and a sign that a new day is coming. If the dilapidated Wall represents the fall of communism, Nord Stream 2’s demise embodies autocracy’s death and the rise of renewable energy. Despite the European Union’s dependence on Russian oil and gas, it has said it would speed up its transition to going green — and separate itself from the Russian economy. The continent aims to increase its share of renewable energy to 32% by 2030 while also ending its reliance on Russian fossil fuels. Indeed, its underlying premise is that Russia’s kingpin, Vladimir Putin, is an international menace not just to peace-loving countries but also to environmental security. “ Let's dash into renewable energy at lightning speed ,” said Frans Timmermans, who heads the EU Green Deal. “Renewables are a cheap, clean, and potentially endless source of energy, and … [Read more...] about Russia’s Invasion Kills Nord Stream 2 And Gives Rise To Renewables
Highway 1 Road Trip: What To Do In Santa Cruz, Cambria And Avila Beach
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Highway 1 is arguably one of the best road trips travelers can take in the United States. Along the way you’ll have the blue, and sometimes roaring, Pacific Ocean on one side, and verdant valleys or rugged cliffs on the other. It’s a beautiful contrast that must be experienced at least once in your lifetime, but there’s a very good chance you’ll fall in love with it and make a return visit. For those who haven’t done the route before, Big Sur is everyone’s go-to stop, but along the coast there are several other towns worth visiting. Three of those underrated destinations are Santa Cruz, Cambria, and Avila Beach. For your next vacation, whether you’re traveling with kids or with fellow adults, this trio of beach towns should be on your list. Below, a guide on what to do, where to eat, and where to stay in Santa Cruz, Cambria, and Avila Beach for your next Highway 1 road trip. Santa Cruz The best way to thoroughly enjoy … [Read more...] about Highway 1 Road Trip: What To Do In Santa Cruz, Cambria And Avila Beach
SEA Games: Vietnamese bet swims his way out of poverty
Vietnam’s Pham Thanh Bao celebrates his men’s 100m breaststroke win at the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi on Saturday. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Kiên via ANN NOI — Vietnam’s Pham Thanh Bao looked up at the electric board above the pool the moment he touched the wall at the end of the men’s 100m breaststroke, before slapping the water in delight. He had beaten powerful rivals, including title favorite Maximillian Wei Ang, to win his first-ever SEA Games gold. Wei of Singapore finished second and Gagarin Nathaniel Yus of Indonesia was third. Making his victory all the sweeter was his time of 1min 1.17sec, a new Vietnam national record. The previous record had stood since the 2009 SEA Games in Laos, set by the late Nguyen Huu Viet. Furthermore, his time also set a new Games record, beating the 1:01.46 set by James Deiparine of the Philippines at the last SEA Games. He is the first swimmer to set a new record at this year’s Games. “I am so happy with this result. Thank you for all your … [Read more...] about SEA Games: Vietnamese bet swims his way out of poverty
Green Electricity Can Be Unstable. Big-Battery Backups Are The Solution.
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The electricity system in the U.K. was its greenest ever on Easter Monday 2021: 76%. The very next day it fell to 45%. Obviously, it varies widely with how much sun is shining and how strongly winds are blowing. The energy mix on Easter Monday was 39% wind, 21% solar, and 16% nuclear. Gas power plants provided 10% and coal plants provided zilch. Wood-burning biomass was 4%. But the race to renewables had already been won by a large state with low population in Australia. In October 2020, South Australia’s electricity was carbon-free – for one hour – powered by large-scale wind and solar but also by rooftop solar collectors (one in four houses have rooftop solar in Australia). What large daily variations in green electricity tell us is that backup supplies are needed for renewables. In the U.K., backup is mainly gas-fired power plants. In the U.S., reliability of renewables is a concern and it’s important to … [Read more...] about Green Electricity Can Be Unstable. Big-Battery Backups Are The Solution.
Luretta Winery Goes Its Own Way In Tradition-Bound Emilia-Romagna
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin While the food of Emilia-Romagna, centered by Bologna, is considered some of the most sumptuous in Italy, its reputation as a wine region has lagged well behind others like Piedmont, Tuscany and Campania. Known primarily for its sparkling Lambruscos, which can be as cloyingly sweet as Hawaiian Punch, Emilia-Romagna’s only other familiar wine is Albana di Romagna. One winery, however, located in Piacenza, has been as forward-looking as any in Italy. Over dinner in New York I interviewed Lucio Salamini, owner of Luretta-Castello di Momeliano, which was only founded as of 1988, which now make a wide variety of non-traditional DOP wines. Your estate is nearly half a century old, located in Piacenza in Emilia-Romagna, which has not had a reputation for fine wines. How have you worked to overcome the image that was set by cheap Lambrusco? Piacenza is still an uncharted territory for many. It is part of Emilia Romagna … [Read more...] about Luretta Winery Goes Its Own Way In Tradition-Bound Emilia-Romagna
Infrastructure 2021: Delivering more sustainable and equitable infrastructure
After 13 grueling years of political debate, Congress passed a bill that enabled some of the largest infrastructure spending in U.S. history—an almost 20% increase over the annual federal public works budget. advertisement The spending created clean energy, jobs, addressed environmental issues (while creating others), and ultimately, while backstopped by Congress, paid for itself. If this sounds too good to be true—it isn’t—because this happened in 1928. The spending was for the Hoover Dam. And while there were other projects part of the “infrastructure stimulus” of that era, this iconic project is a great representation of the good and bad of a meaningful infrastructure spend. Over the past 10 years, infrastructure has become an outsized and unrequited topic—it has featured prominently in presidential campaigns, has been the subject of many (mostly unpassed) bills and hundreds of conferences, and marketed in at least a dozen “Infrastructure Weeks.” Will it be said … [Read more...] about Infrastructure 2021: Delivering more sustainable and equitable infrastructure