EERE Network News
December 17, 2008
News and Events
President-Elect Obama Nominates Dr. Steven Chu as Energy Secretary
President-elect Barack Obama has nominated Dr. Steven Chu to be the next Secretary of Energy. Dr. Chu is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who has long advocated for finding solutions for climate change by advancing renewable energy, biofuels, and other low-carbon energy sources.
California Approves a Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The California Air Resources Board has approved a plan that will lead the state to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The plan combines a cap-and-trade program with many other measures, most of which relate to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Federal Regulators Approve an In-Stream Hydrokinetic Project
The first license for an in-stream hydrokinetic project was issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on December 13. The barge-mounted project will be located in Hastings, Minnesota, positioned downstream of a hydropower dam on the Mississippi River.
Dow Corning to Invest Billions in Solar Materials Manufacturing
A joint venture of the Dow Corning Corporation plans to invest up to $3 billion in polysilicon production in Michigan and Tennessee, while Dow Corning will invest an undisclosed amount in a Michigan facility to produce monosilane, which is used in the manufacture of some types of thin-film solar cells.
U.S. Driving Decreases for the Twelfth Straight Month
People in the United States have spent the past year driving less and relying more on mass transit. They've also been flying less, and with nearly half of U.S. adults expected to stay close to home this holiday season, the news doesn't bode well for the airline industry.
Energy Connections
EIA: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased by 1.4% in 2007
The total emission of greenhouse gases in the United States increased by 1.4% in 2007, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA). Since 1990, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have risen by nearly 17%.
