The Obama Administration-backed 2009 Wasman-Markey House Draft and the America’s Climate Security Act of 2008 (2008 Senate Bill) proposes an 83 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 2005 to 2050 (the equivalent of 69 percent from 1990 levels), covering approximately 87 percent of potential GHG emission sources.

This goal is consistent with the EU goal of a 60-80 percent reduction from 1990 levels, existing state goals (~50-80 percent below either 1990, 2000 or 2005 levels), and the United Nation’s climate change panel’s estimate of a 50-85 percent reduction from 2000 levels.

Congress is likely to adopt an overall numerical GHG emissions reduction goal consistent with the EU goals and the scientific consensus, but tempered by the political tradeoffs needed to obtain the support of 60 Senators (e.g., the concerns of Senators from coal-producing states, the economy, uncertain compliance costs, and support from environmental advocates).

Read the complete article…

By partnering with Federal Agencies, state and local governments and nonprofit organizations involved in larger scale conservation projects, individual property owners can greatly increase Stimulus opportunity.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), The Stimulus Bill, injects an unprecedented flood of funding into U.S. Government programs and initiatives. But, is there really any chance for individual property owners to get stimulus dollars for conservation?

The Obama Administration markets the legislation as necessary to save or create millions of jobs and address failing public infrastructure. The massive spending bill not only provides funds for social welfare and sweeping reform in health care but also money to restore failing bridges and dams, design a ’smarter’ electricity transmission grid, expand broadband technology, promote energy conservation, and provides opportunities to develop alternative energy and renewable resources.

Read the complete article…

If you haven’t heard the term green job uttered plenty of times of late from politicians, industry leaders, union leaders and environmentalists then you must have been living under a rock for the past year. No other term apart from global credit crunch seems to have had as much press but what is all the fuss about?

In the US, President Obama has promised to spend $150 billion over the next decade creating 5 million new green collar jobs and he is not the only one to see the push to a low carbon economy as the answer.

Here in the UK and across Europe political leaders have been promoting the creation of green jobs as a very necessary step in the drive to reduce carbon emissions, and as one of the key levers in fighting the current global financial crisis.

In the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has promised that this month’s Budget will be a “job creator, a quality of life improver, and an environment-enhancing measure” outlining a “green” path to economic revival. Brown has previously stated 400,000 new green jobs could be created over the next eight years if the United Kingdom transitions to a low carbon economy.

Read the complete article…

As airlines consider how to meet their carbon-reduction targets, airports have also been exploring ways to reduce their emissions. From buses that run on biofuel to heating systems that rely on wood chips to eco-taxis, a range of European and U.S. airports are making advances.

For instance, the Airports Council International Europe and its 440 member airports have pledged to reduce their impact on the climate, as well as find ways to become carbon neutral, according to a New York Times article.

Monitoring the progress is the Central European Institute of Technology (CEIT), a research and development center in Austria. CEIT recently unveiled a researh study on airports and emissions, according to the Times.

Read the complete article…

JACKSONVILLE — The private sector has the chance through the federal stimulus package to help the environment — and itself.

Millions of dollars are available to renewable energy and sustainable-building companies through the $787 billion federal stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama in February. The opportunities range from money available to schools interested in repairing their facilities to an extension of income tax credits for alternative energy producers.

Unfortunately, like much of the funding through the stimulus package, many questions remain on how the money will be filtered to state and local governments.

“We are definitely digging and researching it, and trying to find out how much we can get,” said Rusty White, Dana B. Kenyon Co.’s director of business development.

Read the complete article…

JACKSONVILLE — The federal stimulus package is designed first and foremost to shock the American economy into recovery. Then there’s the expected shot to the industry of green.

The $787 billion stimulus package emphasizes funding for energy efficiency, sustainable building and renewable energy. Green proponents hope that the stimulus package will help push the movement further into the mainstream as the public and private sector realize the environmental and fiscal benefits.

“I’ve seen [LEED building] exponentially catch on in Florida in the last year,” said Mary Tappouni, Breaking Ground Contracting Co. president. “But the stimulus bill is going to further it where it is not just the federal government, but local and state governments” doing sustainable building.

It’s already happened in Jacksonville. Mayor John Peyton on April 22 signed an ordinance that will create a program to guide the city in transforming city property into energy efficient buildings. Environmental friendliness is part of the attraction, but more of the private sector is realizing the energy savings available in sustainable building, said Rusty White, Dana B. Kenyon Co.’s director of business development.

Read the complete article…

The City of Miami is to roll out a smart grid infrastructure using US $200m in funds from President Obama’s stimulus package. The two-year Energy Smart Miami initiative will see local utility Florida Power and Light (FPL) roll out over a million wireless smart meters to homes in the Miami-Dade County area, in a bid to regulate demand-side management. ‘It will make our electrical grid smarter, more like the internet than an electric network,’ said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.

Read the complete article…

In analyzing the climate bill under consideration in Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that carbon prices will range from $13 to $17 per ton in 2015, and rise by about 5 percent a year, reaching $17 to $22 per ton by 2020, which is in line with the European Union cap-and-trade program, reported the NYTimes.com’s Green Inc. blog.

The Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill, also known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, will significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to the EPA’s review. The EPA focused its analysis on the bill’s proposed cap-and-trade program.

EPA’s analysis comes in the wake of its “endangerment” finding that carbon emissions are threat to human health.

Read the complete article…

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Congress will pass legislation to stem global warming by year’s end, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed Tuesday, as hearings got underway on a bill to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions.

“We will pass legislation this year,” Pelosi told reporters.

“On Earth Day next year, we will celebrate the progress we’ve made,” the House leader declared.

Her remarks came as Congress began examining a draft bill for clean energy development that aims to cut US carbon emissions by 20 percent from their 2005 levels by 2020, and boost reliance on renewable sources of energy.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee, led by Democratic chairman Henry Waxman, began four days of hearings on the bill Tuesday.

Read the complete article…

Washington, DC — Even before legislation to address global warming has passed the U.S. Congress, government regulators are preparing for what could be the largest commodity market ever: carbon trading. The U.S. Congress is expected to consider in the very near future climate change and energy legislation centered around a cap-and-trade system that would reduce American greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020, and 83% by 2050. Hearings on the legislation are expected to begin when Congress returns to Washington next week. “Regulation of these important environmental markets is something we need to get right,” said Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Bart Chilton, who chairs an advisory committee addressing the issue.

The CFTC regulates futures markets and is expected to monitor and oversee the trading of derivative products associated with carbon dioxide allowances. Expansion of the Commission’s existing energy committee to create the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee, or EEMAC, which Chilton announced today, will significantly enhance the CFTC’s ability to anticipate and address regulatory issues pertaining to both energy and environmental trading markets.

Read the complete article…