Articles from Andy Stone

1. The Carbon Counters Explore Forbes.com (Nov 3 2009) Monitoring , Cap and Trade , Carbon Footprint , Emissions , Fossil Fuel Jan. 1, 2010, may someday be celebrated as the day the carbon economy began in earnest. An estimated 13,000 industrial polluters will begin measuring their carbon dioxide emissions and, a year later, start reporting them to the Environmental Protection Agency. But even as the EPA begins to forcibly monitor the largest smokestack emitters in a step toward the capping and trade of carbon emissions, a growing number of non-industrial companies are voluntarily exploring how they can use carbon foot-printing as a valuable tool to trim energy expense and boost profit. (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory   Microsoft Corp

2. U.S. Takes First Step On Regulating Carbon Explore Forbes.com (Sep 23 2009) Monitoring , Cap and Trade , Emissions , Fossil Fuel The Environmental Protection Agency made a major advance toward regulating greenhouse gasses Tuesday by requiring large industry to begin reporting emissions to the agency starting in 2010. Under the program, which EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed into effect on Tuesday, 10,000 industrial facilities that generate more than 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas, and collectively produce 85% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, must start collecting greenhouse gas data on Jan. 1. Article Controls EMAIL PRINT REPRINT NEWSLETTER COMMENTS SHARE YAHOO! BUZZ Emissions data would be essential to any national cap and trade system. Once the EPA knows exactly how much carbon dioxide companies are emitting, it will be able to use the data to set an appropriate carbon cap, such as the scheme proposed in the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which the House of Representatives passed by a narrow vote in July. (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Europe   Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory   Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act.

3. At U.n., A Warm-up To Copenhagen Climate Talks Explore Forbes.com (Sep 22 2009) Construction , Cap and Trade , Emissions , Fossil Fuel The United Nations Climate Conference in New York opened this morning with another round of now-familiar warnings about the price to be paid for inaction on controlling the release of carbon into Earth's atmosphere. "Now is the time to act against global warming," said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "History may not give us a better chance." President Barack Obama added that without a global pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, "we risk consigning future generations to irreversible catastrophe." Despite the rhetoric, the biggest challenge in New York remains basic: figuring out who should foot the bill for a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Climate talks have long stalled as developed countries balk at levying expensive environmental regulations on their industry, which they fear would cause "carbon leakage," the movement of manufacturing and jobs to countries lacking environmental restrictions. Fears abound, too, that intellectual property rights will be violated ... (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Europe   Barack Obama

4. Stimulus Money May Finally Flow To Green Energy Explore Forbes.com (Jul 9 2009) Construction , Wind Treasury announces $3 billion in federal grants to cover upfront project costs. It's been a long time coming, but green energy business are about to get their promised boost from the economic stimulus package that President Obama signed into law in February. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday announced rules that will finally allow developers of wind, solar, biomass and other green energy projects to apply for a total of $3 billion in federal grants to cover upfront project costs. The funding, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be critical to boosting the fortunes of limping green industries like wind power, where total installations in 2009 will likely fall 40% below last year as a result of the broad economic downturn. (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Barack Obama   Department of Energy

5. What The Pickens Fiasco Means To Green Explore Forbes.com (Jul 8 2009) Wind On Tuesday, Texas oilman and energy security proselyte T. Boone Pickens announced that he will delay, and likely permanently scuttle, plans for a 687 turbine wind project in the Texas panhandle. The demise of the project, which was supposed to be the largest in the world at a rated generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts, came when Pickens discovered he couldn't raise money to build transmission lines to carry wind energy from his remote 200,000 acres to big cities that would consume the power. Pickens had obviously hoped to become the poster child for wind. Instead, his Texas experiment is now a cautionary tale on the critical role of transmission to wind development. He's stuck with $2 billion worth of General Electric ( GE - news - people ) turbines, which he hopes to move to smaller projects throughout the Midwest and Canada. He's also decided to wait for the ... (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Barack Obama   Department of Energy

6. Q&A: Randy Zwirn, CEO of Siemens Energy Explore Forbes.com (Jun 11 2009) Cap and Trade , Emissions , Fossil Fuel , Nuclear , Wind How's the debate on energy and climate policy going to shape the green energy sector? Randy Zwirn Randy Zwirn heads Siemens Energy Americas, part of a 19 billion euro revenue business that accounted for 25% of the German conglomerate's revenue in 2008. Siemens Energy's fortunes are intertwined with the development of the global green energy industry, and often hinge on government policy that would support the development of renewable energy. Siemens produces wind turbines, photovoltaics and has developed a new generation of efficient large natural gas-fired turbines, in addition to its coal-fired generation and nuclear businesses. Zwirn spoke with Forbes about the importance of energy and climate policy to the future of the green energy sector, and on what the most likely sources of new electricity generation will be as global environmental concerns grow. Forbes: How important is energy and climate (carbon cap and trade) legislation, currently ... (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Forbes

7. Glory Days May Be Gone For Green Energy Explore Forbes.com (Jun 8 2009) Solar , Wind Big banks that invested in clean tech for tax breaks no longer have an incentive, and private equity and the government may not fill the void. Proponents of renewable energy may come to savor memories of 2006-08, boom years when record investment flowed into green energy projects and wind and solar electric generating capacity grew exponentially. It's doubtful whether the rapid pace of development will be repeated soon, despite the best efforts of Congress to promote green projects via climate and energy legislation. Why the pessimism? Banks such as Lehman Brothers ( LEHMQ - news - people ), that, in the run-up to the financial crisis, financed green projects in return for tax credits, either no longer exist or, if they do, labor on with billions of dollars of losses on their balance sheets. "It's a tax-equity issue," says John P. Gimigliano, head of KPMG's Sustainability Tax Practice in Washington and ... (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Barack Obama

8. Cut Carbon And Stay Competitive: $10 Billion? Explore Forbes.com (May 6 2009) Cap and Trade , Carbon Tax , Emissions As Congress debates how to regulate carbon emissions, business is up in arms over costs they say will leave them handicapped in the face of growing global competition. But an estimate out today says the U.S. government will give away just $10 billion per year in carbon allowances to keep many domestic industries competitive under a federal cap and trade climate scheme--petty cash in the current bailout era. Article Controls EMAIL PRINT REPRINT NEWSLETTER COMMENTS SHARE YAHOO! BUZZ Point Carbon, an energy industry consultancy, analyzed a key provision in climate legislation now under debate in the House of Representatives subcommittee on Energy and Environment. Called the Employ Act, it would provide chemical, metals and cement producers--energy intensive industries exposed to global competition--with free allowances covering 85% of their emissions under the cap and trade scheme proposed in the broad American Clean Energy and Security Act. (Read Full Article)

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