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Energy News- President Obama Announces Three Steps to Boost Biofuels February 3, 2010President Obama has announced three actions to boost U.S. biofuel production, including the final rule implementing the Renewable Fuel Standard, which calls for 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022; a proposed rule for biomass crop assistance; and a report that establishes a roadmap for biofuel growth. […]
- President Obama: Federal Government to Cut GHG Emissions 28% by 2020 February 3, 2010A 2009 Executive Order that requires federal agencies to cut their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will result in a 28% overall reduction by 2020. The figure is the aggregate of targets set by 35 federal agencies, which will comply by increasing their use of energy efficiency and renewable energy. […]
- Under the Copenhagen Accord, 55 Countries Agree to Cut GHG Emissions February 3, 2010Countries representing 78% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy use have submitted their national pledges to the United Nations. The pledges mark the first follow-up to the Copenhagen Accord, an agreement reached in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009. […]
- President Obama Announces Three Steps to Boost Biofuels February 3, 2010
- Renewable Energy
- NREL Battery Testing Capabilities Get a Boost NRELRecovery Act funding will be used to enhance battery testing equipment and facilities, helping NREL continue to support industry. […]
- Smart Windows: Energy Efficiency with a ViewBuildings consume 40 percent of our nation's energy. NREL is testing and researching electrochromic windows that could knock that back significantly. […]
- NREL to Help Scale Up Biofuels OperationsThanks to a partnership with DOE and NREL, companies are getting the cash and expertise needed to jumpstart biofuels production scale-up. […]
- NREL Battery Testing Capabilities Get a Boost NREL
- Energy And The Environment
- CONFERENCE CALL: Top Administration Officials to Discuss Energy Announcements February 3, 2010WASHINGTON — Today at 3:00 p.m. – following a meeting with President Obama, Vice President Biden, and a bipartisan group of governors from across the country – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa P […]
- EPA’s Energy Star Leaders Quadruple Energy Savings In One Year February 2, 2010WASHINGTON - In 2009, EPA’s Energy Star Leaders prevented the equivalent of more than 220,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and saved more than $48 million across their commercial building portfolios […]
- EPA and DOE Join States to Speed Energy Efficiency Progress in the United States February 2, 2010WASHINGTON – As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced today the creation of the State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network […]
- CONFERENCE CALL: Top Administration Officials to Discuss Energy Announcements February 3, 2010
- Energy Research
- Strange matters February 8, 2010The result from a years-long effort at DOE's Jefferson Lab (known as the G-Zero experiment) to measure strange matter in the proton has revealed that strange matter doesn't magnetize the proton or distort its charge distribution all that much. […]
- Unique glass microspheres show promise for medicine, energy February 8, 2010Networks of interconnected pores in the shells of the Savannah River National Laboratory???s?? Porous Walled Hollow Glass Microspheres give the tiny ???microballoons??? unique capabilities for potential use in targeted drug delivery, hydrogen storage and other uses. […]
- Theory, simulations explain DNA sequencer surprise February 8, 2010Researchers working toward a low-cost DNA sequencing tool for medical diagnostics and other uses have proposed a microfluidic device that uses a single-walled carbon nanotube as a nanopore conduit to thread, or translocate, a single strand of DNA from one reservoir with electrolyte to another, analyzing and sequencing the DNA in the process. […]
- Strange matters February 8, 2010
- Agriculture
- Barley Protein Concentrate Could Replace Fishmeal in Aquaculture FeedsRead the magazine story to find out more. ARS fish physiologist Rick Barrows and Montana Microbial Products have developed a barley protein concentrate that could replace fishmeal to make a less expensive feed for trout and other commercially produced fish. Vitamin mix helps health of farmed fish Ethanol co-products could lower cost of freshwater fish pro […]
- ARS Scientists Turn to a Wild Oat to Combat Crown RustRead the magazine story to find out more. ARS plant pathologist Martin Carson is using genes from a wild oat, considered by some to be a noxious weed, to help combat crown rust, the most damaging fungal disease of oats worldwide. ARS photo. Heading off world wheat threat Sentry lab searches for threats to U.S. grains ARS, cooperators fight new strain o […]
- Secrets to Superb Malting Barleys Explored by ARS ResearchersRead the magazine story to find out more. ARS chemist Mark Schmitt is discovering what happensbiochemicallyinside malting barley grains as they sprout, so that plant breeders will have a better basis for developing superior varieties. New USDA cereal crops laboratory dedicated New enzymes boost alcohol production New barley bred for candymakers, br […]
- Barley Protein Concentrate Could Replace Fishmeal in Aquaculture Feeds
- Food, Drugs And Health
- FDA Issues Guidance to Help Streamline Medical Device Clinical TrialsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued guidance on Bayesian statistical methods in the design and analysis of medical device clinical trials that could result in less costly and more efficient patient studies. […]
- FDA Updates Statement on the Investigation into the Salmonella Montevideo OutbreakThe Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, continues to work closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health and other states in the investigation of an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections associated with certain Italian […]
- United States Seizes more than 1500 Cases of Food from Wisconsin Distribution WarehouseAt the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals on Tuesday seized a wide range of human and animal food products stored under insanitary conditions at Mid-States Closeouts, a distribution warehouse in Ellsworth, Wis. The products were seized under a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. […]
- FDA Approves Xiaflex for Debilitating Hand ConditionThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum) as the first drug to treat a progressive hand disease known as Dupuytren's contracture, which can affect a person’s ability to straighten and properly use their fingers. […]
- FDA Requests $4.03 Billion to Transform Food Safety System, Invest in Medical Product Safety, Regulatory ScienceThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting $4.03 billion to promote and protect public health as part of the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget – a 23 percent increase over the agency’s current $3.28 billion budget. The FY 2011 request, which covers the period of Oct.1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, includes increases of $146 million in budge […]
- FDA Issues Guidance to Help Streamline Medical Device Clinical Trials
Making the Federal Government More Sustainable
by Nancy Sutley
Yesterday I had the opportunity to co-convene a meeting with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and leaders from across the Federal community who are helping to make sustainability a reality for the Federal government. Following up from President Obama’s announcement on Friday when he set a government-wide greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 28 percent by 2020, I can speak for all who were there when I say there is a lot of excitement in the air!
So what does this goal mean? Achieving this 28 percent reduction will reduce Federal energy use by 646 trillion BTUs, which is equal to 205 million barrels of oil, or taking 17 million cars off the road for one year. And this is also equivalent to a cumulative total of $8 to $11 billion in avoided energy costs through 2020 based on current energy prices. Now that is impressive.
The next step towards Federal Sustainability is an important one: each agency is developing a “Sustainability Plan” that defines how they’ll meet their GreenGov goals, reduce energy use, drive long-term savings, save taxpayer dollars, and help create local clean energy jobs.
Cities, states, and American businesses have helped to forge the way by showing that greening their operations is not only good for the environment, but good for business; we have ample best practices and lessons to look to from our colleagues around the country.
And Federal Departments and Agencies are already taking actions to achieve greenhouse gas pollution reductions, such as installing solar arrays at military installations, tapping landfills for renewable energy, putting energy management systems in Federal buildings, and replacing older vehicles with more fuel efficient hybrid models. You can view examples of projects that are underway here.
The 28% Federal target announced on Friday is the aggregate of 35 Federal Agency self-reported targets. For example, the Department of Defense announced it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from non-combat activities by 34% by 2020 and the Department of the Treasury will reduce its emissions by 33%.
We are very excited by the progress that is already occurring, and will continue to watch these developments in the future. Moving forward, implementation of the Executive Order will focus on integrating achievement of sustainability goals with agency mission and strategic planning. The goal is to optimize performance and minimize costs.
You will all be able to chart the Federal government’s progress through “scorecards” that will grade each agency on how well it is meeting its performance targets. And to ensure transparency and accountability, annual progress will be reported online to the public. I’m looking forward to sharing more updates in the months ahead!
Nancy Sutley is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality