Energy and Environment Latest News
United Streetcar Putting Americans to Work, Putting America in Position to Win The Future
Posted by on April 12, 2011 at 9:22 AM EDTEd. note: This was originally posted on the Department of Transportation blog.
When you watch our latest video, "Transporting America: United Streetcar," you'll see the next generation of transportation. You'll see transit investments from the Department of Transportation helping people get where they need to go without breaking the bank. And you'll see a company out-innovating and out-building its foreign competition while creating jobs for American workers.
Watch the video on United Streetcar here.
The streetcars rolling through Portland, Oregon, are helping commuters beat the rising cost of refueling their cars and vans and trucks. And, as rising gas prices take a bigger bite out of family budgets, other communities are looking to ease that bite through similar transportation options.
As commuter Jim Winkle says in the video, "It's made a huge difference."
Partnerships and Innovation in Colorado
Posted by on April 11, 2011 at 7:26 PM EDT
Photovoltaic (PV) panels at Columbine High School. April 15, 2011. (by Jeffco Public Schools)
Last fall, Jeffco Public Schools and Golden Power Partners, LLC (GPP) partnered with Renewable Social Benefit Funds (RSB) to bring solar energy to thirty Jefferson County, Colorado public schools. Combining federal and state incentives, as well as Xcel Energy renewable energy rebates, Jeffco Public Schools pays no upfront costs, and the project is expected to save Jefferson County taxpayers $1 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.
This January, the Jeffco solar project began to produce energy at district schools. In total, there will be 30 systems operating on campuses across the district, producing a collective 4.1 million kilowatts a year. While this is only a fraction of the total energy used annually, it’s a start. “With declining resources, any money saved goes a long way, even if it’s just enough to save one or two teachers’ jobs – initially,” notes Tom MacDonnell, Energy Management Coordinator at Jeffco Public Schools. “As the project progresses, we should receive more and more savings.”
In fact, Jeffco has been exploring opportunities to decrease the environmental footprint of their schools for years. The district started an energy conservation program in 1993 and has participated in EPA’s EnergyStar and Tools for Schools programs. Around that same time, Kirk Stokes, VP of Business Development at GPP approached Jeffco about a solar program. However, the program was cost-prohibitive. It wasn’t until funding from RSB Funds helped cover the cost of installation and management of the solar panels that the project took off.The Jeffco solar project also enables the district to reallocate resources and strengthen its curriculum. Next fall, Jeffco is anticipating the launch of Teach the Teachers, a classroom education piece that teaches students and teachers about solar power and other energy-saving measures. Students will learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and develop an understanding of the science and technology behind their green choices. The program, a collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), will introduce a curriculum in partnership with Jeffco’s science department in the 30 schools that are participating in the solar project. Once the curriculum is developed and tested, Jeffco hopes that other schools will also adopt alternative renewable energy curriculums.
Divya Kumaraiah is the Policy Assistant to the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation
Learn more about Innovations, Energy and Environment,Weekly Wrap Up: America's Energy Future
Posted by on April 8, 2011 at 7:02 PM EDTYour quick look at the week that was on WhiteHouse.gov.
America's Secure Energy Future: President Obama continued his focus on building a clean energy economy with events throughout the week. He toured a shipping facility in Maryland with Energy Secretary Chu and Transportation Secretary LaHood to highlight his Green Fleet Initiative, then traveled to Philadelphia for a town hall at Gamesa Technology, a wind turbine manufacturer. Back at the White House, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar sat down with students to discuss development of clean, American-made energy sources. The Department of Energy blogged about Philadelphia's efforts to install energy efficient lighting.
West Wing Week: "Windmills? Call Them Wind Turbines!"
Posted by on April 8, 2011 at 12:00 AM EDTWelcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsyvlania Avenue. This week, President Obama focused on securing our nation's clean energy future, making stops at facilities in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He also met with Congressional leadership, hoping to avoid a government shutdown in the face of budget disagreements. The President also kept his eye on foreign policy, discussing developments in the Middle East with Israeli President Shimon Peres, and hemispheric concerns with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
Find out more about the topics covered in this West Wing Week:
Friday, April 1, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
- President Obama on Budget Negotiations: "We Have Now Matched the Number the Speaker Originally Sought"
- White House Press Briefing: President Obama on Budget Negotiations
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Arun Chaudhary is the official White House Videographer.
What You Missed: Open for Questions on Energy Security with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Posted by on April 7, 2011 at 10:57 AM EDTOn Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and the White House's Kalpen Modi hosted a live chat on President Obama's Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future. Secretary Salazar took questions from viewers online, on Facebook, and college students from around the country who attended the event at the White House.
Check out the video and use the links below to jump to your favorite questions.
Reducing Oil Imports and Competing for the Jobs of the Future
Posted by on April 6, 2011 at 6:52 PM EDTEarlier today, President Obama visited the Gamesa Plant in Fair Hills, Pennsylvania and held a town hall discussion with workers there about building a 21st century clean energy economy. Gamesa's Fairless Hills wind-energy turbine manufacturing facility employs approximately 300 workers and was built at a former U.S. Steel industrial site.
Before talking questions from the audience, the President laid out his plans to help reduce our imports of foreign oil by one third by 2025 – a little over a decade from now – that he announced last week at a speech at Georgetown University:
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