All-of-the-Above Approach to American Energy; $44 Million for Nat Gas & Biofuels; Going Green in North Carolina & Massachusetts; Other U.S. Gov’t News
This week’s summary of U.S. government news starts with President Obama’s “All-of-the-Above Approach to American Energy,” which stresses America’s need to wane itself off foreign energy and shift to renewable sources. The plan involves in part increased research and development on natural gas and biofuels, investment on new nuclear power, and continued efforts at improving energy efficiency. As examples, I note two recent success stories in North Carolina and Massachusetts. There are also summaries of new programs to improve water in the Middle East, the economic gains from America’s national parks, a report showing minimal fallout within the U.S. from Fukushima, and NASA’s latest satellite, which will monitor the Earth’s ozone layer.
U.S. Announces “Coalition Against Climate Change”; $2.4 Billion CCS Plant; New Nuclear Reactor Licenses; Other U.S. Government News
This week, I highlight America’s ongoing commitment toward tackling climate change and bringing international stakeholders together to achieve specific, measurable results. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on February 16 the formation of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, a new global initiative to combat climate change and reduce short-lived climate pollutants—methane, black carbon, and many hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs)—that account for approximately one-third of the current global warming. Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) are other coalition partners. I describe several efforts by the Departments of Energy, Commerce, EPA, and USAID to invest millions of dollars in new clean energy projects and training programs. There is also a summary of newly released climate change research from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
$120 Million Storage Hub, NY Tidal Energy Project, CCS Research, and other U.S. Government News
This week, I highlight several developments in clean energy technology and energy efficiency: a new battery storage “catapult-style” technology hub, the first commercially licensed U.S. tidal energy project, an Energy Department carbon capture storage (CCS) research agreement, new energy efficiency awards, and a publically-accessible clean energy database. The federal government also launched several new initiatives toward preserving America’s forests, cleaning up its beaches, investing in STEM education, and taking a first step toward eradicating malaria. I finish with two videos, the first from NASA’s GRAIL satellite of the far side of the moon and the second from the Washington Monument during last year’s earthquake. In follow up to last week’s blog entry, here is a fact sheet released by the White House that explains President Obama’s energy agenda in simplified, graphic representation. Read more 
Weekly Highlights of U.S. Government News
In his third State of the Union Address last Tuesday, President Obama outlined his vision for “an America that lasts”—one that will bring about a new era of American manufacturing, and promote homegrown and alternative energy sources—and presented a blueprint to achieve that vision. Check out this video that goes behind the scenes as President Obama prepared the speech.
In this week’s U.S. Government Highlights, I provide a read out on President Obama’s announced American-made energy policy, the results from America’s version of the Red Tape Challenge, new pollution transparency tools from the EPA, the first WaterSense label award, several grants to improve energy efficiency, and advances in science and technology. Read more
Risk Perceptions about Nuclear Power and the UK’s Energy Infrastructure
Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee held its second inquiry into “Risk Perception and Energy Infrastructure” on January 25 to investigate public perceptions toward the risk of nuclear power in the UK. The first inquiry took place on January 18. In this second inquiry, two panels of experts testified. The science media panel — Sense about Science Managing Director Tracey Brown, Science Media Centre Director Fiona Fox, and former Science Editor for The Times Mark Henderson — testified about the responsibility journalists and government officials have in presenting accurate scientific assessments of risk to the public during crises, rather than sensationalized headlines. Read more