tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17849849309597769882024-02-18T22:55:00.759-08:00SECTEURSSecteurs de l'activité internationaleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-79324559037914498922011-07-21T15:16:00.000-07:002011-07-21T15:17:00.625-07:00Les Européens face au risque nucléaire<br />
<div class="date">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Les Européens face au risque nucléaire</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.automatesintelligents.com/">par Jean-Paul Baquiast et Christophe Jacquemin</a><br />
</span></div>
<div class="titre">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Nombre
de mouvements politiques et d'associations militent actuellement
en Europe pour une fermeture sans délais des centrales nucléaires
en activité sur le continent. Certains se limitent à
demander la fermeture des sites les plus anciens, entre 30 et 40
années d'âge. Qu'en penser ? <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Les tests de résistance</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Les
chefs d'Etat européens viennent de décider à
Bruxelles (24 mars) de faire passer à l'ensemble des réacteurs
nucléaires du continent des «tests de résistance».
On ne sait pas trop en quoi consisteront ces tests. Les résultats
ne seront pas obtenus avant plusieurs mois. Par ailleurs, ce seront
en principe les autorités nucléaires nationales qui
auront la charge de ces tests, avec un risque certain de complaisance.
<br />
<br />
Il s'agit cependant, malgré ces réserves, d'un premier
pas dans la bonne direction – à supposer qu'un large
dialogue s'établisse sur les tests et leurs résultats
au niveau de l'Europe tout entière. <br />
<br />
Reste que cela ne doit pas suffire à clore le débat
sur les risques du nucléaire. Un calcul simple proposé
par Paul Jorion sur son blog montre qu'au plan mondial la probabilité
d'un accident majeur dans le monde, pour 443 réacteurs installés,
est de 8,4% par an, ce qui n'est pas négligeable<a href="http://www.automatesintelligents.com/echanges/2011/mar/europeen_et_nucleaire.html#nuc1"><i>(1)</i></a>.
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Les centrales de type Tchernobyl</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Dans
l'immédiat, au-delà des tests, le premier point à
évoquer, dont assez curieusement on parle peu, est la présence
en Europe-même et surtout dans son voisinage immédiat,
de centrales de type Tchernobyl dont nul n'envisage la fermeture,
au prétexte de leur caractère indispensable et du
coût de leur remplacement. </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">En
Europe-même se trouve aussi la centrale d'Ignalina, en Lituanie.
Elle devrait en principe cesser son exploitation dans un an. Mais
la Lituanie, qui s’y était engagée dans son Traité
d’adhésion, a depuis tout tenté pour retarder
sa fermeture, y compris en organisant un référendum.
Finalement, elle a cédé en décembre 2010, lorsque
ses partenaires européens lui ont promis des compensations,
notamment des permis de polluer supplémentaires. <br />
<br />
Mais les risques de type Tchernobyl sont infiniment plus grands
en Russie. Ils ne concernent pas seulement ce pays mais l'Europe
tout entière puisque les nuages ne reconnaissent pas les
frontières. On dénombre actuellement dix centrales
nucléaires en activité en Russie, dont huit dans la
partie européenne du pays. Elles comprennent au total 31
réacteurs, dont onze utilisent la technologie RBMK de première
génération, identique à celle du réacteur
4 de Tchernobyl. Ces réacteurs sont structurellement dangereux
car ils ne sont pas dotés de dômes de protection. La
Russie cherche néanmoins à prolonger la durée
de vie de plusieurs d’entre eux. Elle envisage par ailleurs
de construire 40 nouveaux réacteurs (utilisant une autre
technologie) d’ici 2030. Seront-ils construits avec des technologies
récentes supposées être plus sûres ? <i>(voir
note <a href="http://www.automatesintelligents.com/echanges/2011/mar/europeen_et_nucleaire.html#nuc2">(2) </a>ci-dessous). </i><br />
<br />
La même question se pose à propos de l’Ukraine.
En échange de la fermeture définitive du site de Tchernobyl
en décembre 2000 (soit quatre réacteurs de type RBMK),
ce pays a obtenu une aide de l’Union européenne pour
achever la construction de deux réacteurs à Rovne
et Khmelnitski. Elle ambitionne d’en construire onze autres,
doublant ainsi sa capacité d’ici 2030.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Le coût de la sécurité
dans les nouvelles centrales</b></span></span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Un
autre point essentiel concerne la sécurité et donc
les coûts qu'il faudrait consentir pour la construction de
nouvelles centrales, destinées soit à remplacer des
centrales jugées défectueuses, soit à poursuivre
l'augmentation des puissances installées. Pour les anti-nucléaires,
le problème ne doit même pas être posé.
Si l'on veut vraiment, même à échéance
de 20 à 30 ans, sortir du nucléaire, il ne faut pas
installer de nouvelles centrales ayant une durée de vie de
plus d'un demi-siècle. Mais raisonner ainsi n'est pas réaliste.
Que ce soit en Europe ou ailleurs, à moins que ne se généralisent
des catastrophes en chaîne sur le modèle de celle du
Japon, les Etats vont construire de nouvelles centrales. Va-t-on
retenir des versions low-cost dangereuses, ou au contraire des versions
assurées beaucoup plus sûres, telles que celles utilisant
la technologie EPR d'Areva et surtout celles dites de 4e voire de
5e génération, en attendant la fusion nucléaire
proprement dite ? Même si des solutions telles que l'EPR ne
sont pas indemnes de risques (on pourrait d'ailleurs les améliorer
encore au vu de l'expérience japonaise récente) le
différentiel de prix n'est pas tel qu'il faudrait renoncer
à les installer<a href="http://www.automatesintelligents.com/echanges/2011/mar/europeen_et_nucleaire.html#nuc2"><i>(2)</i></a>.<br />
<br />
La question se posera prochainement en Europe. Quel type de centrale
retiendra la Grande Bretagne, qui semblait jusqu'à ces dernières
semaines envisager une relance du nucléaire ? On pourrait
craindre que par souci d'économie, le gouvernement conservateur
actuel adopte des solutions bon marché et donc peu sûres.
</span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Si
la privatisation rampante du secteur nucléaire se poursuivait
en France, le même risque menacera quand il s'agira de remplacer
les 4 centrales les plus anciennes dont celle de Fessenheim. Il
est curieux de ne pas entendre sur cette question ni les gouvernements
concernés ni la Commission européenne. </span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">******<br />
Nous pensons que l'ensemble de ces questions devraient être
mises rapidement sur la table dans la discussion s'engageant actuellement
entre pro- et anti-nucléaire. L'adoption de solutions à
sécurité accrue coûtera nécessairement
plus cher, ce qui se répercutera sur le prix du Kwh<a href="http://www.automatesintelligents.com/echanges/2011/mar/europeen_et_nucleaire.html#nuc3"><i>(3)</i></a><i>.</i>
Mais pour les pays qui ne renonceront pas dans l'immédiat
au nucléaire - quels que soient par ailleurs les investissements
consentis en faveur des technologies vertes - il s'agira d'une dépense
incontournable. <br />
</span></div>
<div align="left">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Notes</b><br />
(1) <a href="" name="nuc1"></a> <i>Selon Paul Jorion (<a href="http://www.pauljorion.com/blog/"><span style="color: #339999;">http://www.pauljorion.com/blog/</span></a>):</i>
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><i>"J’ai proposé à
la discussion la question suivante; Quelle est la probabilité
durant une année quelconque qu’il y ait un accident
nucléaire majeur, connaissant la probabilité d’accident
majeur par réacteur et le nombre de réacteurs en service ?<br />
Comme je n’ai plus fait de combinatoire depuis longtemps, je
demandais aux commentateurs de me corriger si nécessaire.
L'un d'eux m’assure que ma formule est correcte, je la reproduis
donc ici.<br />
· R = risque d’accident majeur durant une année
x<br />
· p = probabilité d’accident sur une année
pour un réacteur<br />
· n = nombre de réacteurs<br />
R(n) = 1 – (1-p)^n<br />
Disons que le risque pour un réacteur est d’un accident
majeur tous les cinq mille ans. S’il n’y a qu’un
réacteur au monde, le risque d’un accident majeur pour
une année x est de 0,2 %o. Si j’ai 443 réacteurs
en service dans le monde – ce qui est apparemment le cas aujourd’hui
– quel est le risque d’un accident majeur sur une année,
et par exemple, sur l’année en cours ?<br />
R(443) = 1 – (0,9998)^443 = 8,48 %<br />
On voit donc que même avec une probabilité d’accident
qui paraît extrêmement faible : un accident seulement
tous les 5 000 ans pour un réacteur, on débouche pourtant
sur une probabilité de 8,48 % d’accidents majeurs par
an si l’on a 443 réacteurs en service, c’est-à-dire
un niveau très loin d’être négligeable."</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
<i><br />
(2) <a href="" name="nuc2"></a>On se référera à un
article du NewScientist argumentant que la technologie EPR est plus
sûre (relativement) que celles actuellement en service et
notamment que celles de Fukushima, âgées de 40 ans
(<a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928053.700-how-newer-reactors-would-have-survived-fukushima.html%20" target="_blank"><span style="color: #339999;">http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928053.700-how-newer-reactors-would-have-survived-fukushima.html</span></a>).
<br />
Selon Alexis Marinvic, ingénieur en charge chez Areva, "l''European
Pressurised Reactor (EPR) dispose de plusieurs niveaux de générateurs
diesel susceptibles d'assurer le back-up des systèmes de
refroisissement en cas de tsunami ou tremblement de terre. Ils sont
situés dans des enceintes isolées entourant le coeur
de centrale et susceptibles de résister notamment au crash
d'un avion de ligne. <br />
Par ailleurs l'EPR dispose de quatre circuits de secours séparés
concernant l'électronique, les pompes, les valves et les
canalisations de refroidissement destinés à maintenir
le coeur froid en cas d' accident. <br />
Enfin, pour éviter que l'eau de refroidissement au contact
du combustible surchauffé ne se décompose comme à
Fukushima en hydrogène hautement détonnant, l'EPR
dispose d'un système catalytique permettant de recombiner
l'H avec l'O pour reconstituer de l'eau, avant explosion. En ce
qui concerne le confinement, qui s'est révélé
particulièrement déficient à Fukushima, le
réacteur de l'EPR est enfermé dans un container à
double paroi destiné à empêcher les fuites de
gaz. Il s'agit de bétons armés pré-stressés
d'1m d'épaisseur, soit 2 m au total."<br />
On peut noter que le concurrent d'Areva, Westinghouse Electric,
racheté par Toshiba, propose dans la version AP1000 de son
réacteur de 3e génération, dont un modèle
est en cours d'installation en Chine, des solutions de même
nature. Le réacteur lui-même est surmonté d'une
vaste réserve d'eau douce susceptible de refroidir un certain
temps le combustible en cas d'urgence. <br />
</i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
(3) <a href="" name="nuc3"></a>L'augmentation de ce prix aura un effet utile
sur la baisse souhaitable des consommations. Il pourra être
compensé par des allocations destinées aux consommateurs
les plus pauvres.</span></i><br />
</div>
<hr align="center" noshade="noshade" size="1" width="350" />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Post-scriptum</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Quid
d'Iter ?</b></span><br />
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Un
de nos lecteurs s'étonne de voir que personne ne profite
des problèmes actuels (et futurs) du nucléaire de
fission pour relancer les moyens mis à la disposition du
programme Iter de fusion. De l'avis général, même
si le confinement du plasma sera difficile et si des neutrons rapides
(donc dangereux) seront produits, les risques et les déchets
seront sans comparaisons. Les pays qui maîtriseront la fusion
se donneront un avantage considérable par rapport aux autres.
Or on pourrait gagner des années sur le programme aujourd'hui
financé en augmentant un petit peu les moyens alloués.
Cela vaudrait bien la peine de le faire, alors que des milliards
seront engloutis pour décontaminer les sols, au Japon ou
ailleurs.</span></div>
<div align="justify">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Or
si la France a joué un rôle non négligeable
dans le lancement du programme Iter, il est probablement vrai que
les industriels actuels du nucléaire (Areva et Edf) ne veulent
pas vraiment de ce concurrent qui n'intéresse guère
que le CEA.</span></div>
<hr />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">© Automates
Intelligents 2011</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-78155948506538513012011-07-13T02:56:00.001-07:002011-07-13T02:57:02.718-07:00PERSPECTIVES AGRICOLES FRANCE EUROPE<br />
<div id="header" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', arial, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 22px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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Perspectives agricoles en France et en Europe</h1>
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<strong class="spip" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Philippe Chalmin, Dominique Bureau</strong></div>
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<i class="spip" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Parution : 30.08.2007</i></div>
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<span class="spip_document_242 spip_documents spip_documents_right" style="float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113px;"><img alt="" class="" height="176" src="http://www.cae.gouv.fr/local/cache-vignettes/L113xH176/070-fef28.jpg" style="background-color: #efefef; border-bottom-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; height: 176px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 113px;" width="113" /></span></div>
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Le secteur agricole est en pleine mutation. Il doit faire face, en même temps, à la libéralisation des marchés et à une société toujours plus exigeante en termes de qualité : qualité des produits, mais aussi préservation de l’environnement. Pour répondre à ces défis, les auteurs de ce rapport s’accordent sur le caractère légitime de l’intervention publique et sur la nécessité de préserver la Politique agricole commune (PAC). Ils préconisent toutefois de poursuivre les réformes pour intégrer davantage les mécanismes de marché et prendre en compte mieux encore la dimension environnementale. Ils refusent d’ailleurs l’idée selon laquelle économie et environnement s’opposeraient, l’environnement constituant toujours un élément structurant de l’économie agricole.</div>
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Le rapport se compose de deux contributions principales : la première, par Philippe Chalmin, s’interroge sur la place, le rôle et la fonction de l’agriculture dans une société développée postindustrielle ; la seconde, par Dominique Bureau, traite du lien entre agriculture et environnement et examine le cadre général de régulation (ou « level playing field ») à mettre en œuvre. À ces deux rapports s’ajoutent deux compléments (concernant les négociations sur l’agriculture dans le cadre de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce et la politique de soutien des revenus agricoles dans l’Union européenne) ainsi que deux commentaires, par Jean-Paul Betbèze et Gilles Saint-Paul.</div>
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<a class="spip_out" href="http://www.cae.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/070.pdf" style="color: #23416c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong class="spip" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Télécharger le rapport</strong></a></div>
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<a class="spip_out" href="http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/catalogue/9782110068569/index.shtml" style="color: #23416c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><strong class="spip" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Commander le rapport</strong></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-35738899842543031982011-07-13T02:54:00.000-07:002011-07-13T02:54:33.731-07:00PERSPECTIVES AGRICOLES<br />
<h3 class="spip" style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 23px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 2em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', arial, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;"><a class="spip_in" href="http://www.cae.gouv.fr/spip.php?article79" style="color: #23416c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Perspectives agricoles en France et en Europe</a> <br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Rapport n° 70, Philippe Chalmin, Dominique Bureau, 30 août 2007</span></h3>
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<h3 class="western">
<a href="" name="__RefHeading__122_545785908"></a>Opportunities
and Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
House Committee on Agriculture –
Hearing - June 23, 2011
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetails.aspx?NewsID=1400">http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetails.aspx?NewsID=1400</a></u></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Witness Testimonies</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Charles F. Conner, President and Chief
Executive Officer, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives,
Washington, D.C.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Roger N. Beachy Ph.D, President
Emeritus, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Calestous Juma Ph.D, Professor of the
Practice of International Development, John F. Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>Brian Briggeman </i>
</div>
<h3 class="western">
<a href="" name="__RefHeading__124_545785908"></a>Farm
Balance Sheets: The Hidden Risk of Non-Real Estate Debt</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City –
Main Street Economist – Issue 2 – 2011 – 5 pages</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.kansascityfed.org/publications/research/mse/index.cfm?ealert=MSE0624">http://www.kansascityfed.org/publications/research/mse/index.cfm?ealert=MSE0624</a></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Today's soaring farmland values have
boosted farm wealth and driven the U.S. farm balance sheet to its
strongest level since the 1970s farm boom. If farmland values were to
fall sharply, as they did in the farm crisis of the 1980s, both farm
balance sheets and farm wealth could suffer, especially for farmers
with high levels of non-real estate debt. This issue of The Main
Street Economist explores the effects of the falling farmland values
on farm balance sheets, wealth and insolvency.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-11274705667598669712010-07-31T07:01:00.000-07:002010-07-31T07:01:54.065-07:00ENERGY-ON-LINE A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS May/June/July 2010PUBLIC AFFAIRS - American Embassy<br />
Sylvie VACHERET<br />
Tel: 01 43 12 29 28<br />
E Mail: vacheretsr@state.gov <br />
<br />
GENERAL INTEREST<br />
<br />
Annual Energy Outlook 2010 with Projections to 2035<br />
Energy Information Administration – May 11, 2010 – 231 pages<br />
http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2010).pdf<br />
<br />
This report “presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2035, based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS).” “In addition to considering alternative scenarios for oil prices, economic growth, and the uptake of more energy-efficient technologies, the AEO2010 includes cases that examine the impact of changes in selected policies, such as the extension of existing policies that are currently scheduled to sunset as well as the sensitivity of natural gas shale production to variations in drilling activity and the size of the resource base.”<br />
<br />
<br />
U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009: A Retrospective Review<br />
Environmental Protection Agency – May 5, 2010 – 15 pages<br />
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/environment/emissions/carbon/pdf/2009_co2_analysis.pdf<br />
<br />
“While emissions have declined in three out of the last four years, 2009 was exceptional. As discussed below, emissions developments in 2009 reflect a combination of factors, including some particular to the economic downturn, other special circumstances during the year, and other factors that may reflect persistent trends in our economy and our energy use.”<br />
<br />
<br />
A Pivotal Industry: Energy’s Ups and Downs Drive Economies<br />
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – TEN magazine – Spring 2010 – 6 pages<br />
http://www.kansascityfed.org/PUBLICAT/TEN/PDF/Spring2010/Pivotal_Industry.pdf<br />
<br />
This article discusses the central role of the energy industry in some U.S. states and the effect of the recession on these industries.<br />
<br />
<br />
Growing Challenges of Energy and Environment – Part I and II<br />
Susan Froetschel - BP unleashed the oil spill disaster, but all Americans are complicit<br />
Olivier Cattaneo -Taxing carbon at the border could be protectionism in disguise<br />
YaleGlobal – June 22 and 24, 2010<br />
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/growing-challenges-energy-and-environment-part-i<br />
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/growing-challenges-energy-and-environment-part-ii<br />
<br />
“Emerging economies have joined developed nations in the wild scramble for energy, all taking greater risks in drilling for oil and gas supplies while largely shrugging about effects on climate, the environment or public health. Nations and corporations go to great lengths to explore and drill, but repairs are not so easy, as seen with a broken well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20. This two-part series examines governments’ failure to end dangerous dependence on fossil fuels. The first article analyzes what the Gulf oil spill reveals about the intricate global connections and entrenched interests of the energy industry and the second article describes US and European proposals to impose tariffs on nations that lag in limiting carbon emissions.” <br />
<br />
<br />
ENERGY POLICY<br />
<br />
Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options (1)<br />
Resources for the Future – Study – July 2010<br />
http://www.rff.org/toward-a-new-energy-policy<br />
<br />
“This two-year study analyzes and appraises U.S. energy policy choices and provides policymakers with a wealth of valuable information for developing a coordinated national energy policy. Carried out by RFF and the National Energy Policy Institute with support from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, it assesses 35 different policies and policy combinations based on their societal costs and their ability to reduce oil consumption and CO2 emissions. Each is evaluated and ranked using a consistent and rigorous methodology, underpinned by an RFF version of the Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options (2)<br />
Resources for the Future – Event – June 23, 2010<br />
http://www.rff.org/Events/Pages/Toward-a-New-National-Energy-Policy-Assessing-the-Options.aspx<br />
<br />
“Among the many pressing issues facing Congress is the drive to create a new and comprehensive national energy policy, one that will make significant progress on addressing the twin challenges of energy security and climate change…. As the dialogue continues to unfold on Capitol Hill, how should policymakers choose among these different options and potential combinations of options?”<br />
<br />
<br />
Promoting a Clean Energy Economy<br />
U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee – Hearing - July 27, 2010<br />
http://jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=b41ac54d-53f8-42ae-94c3-eeb99a151905<br />
<br />
The hearing focused on ways to promote innovation in clean energy technologies. In particular, this JEC hearing explored the critical role of federal investments in spurring energy innovation. Innovation in both the production and consumption of energy can achieve the dual goal of helping the US economy recover while preserving and promoting a cleaner environment. Witnesses include Dr. Michael Greenstone, an MIT professor specializing in estimating the costs and benefits of environmental quality and the consequences of government regulation; Mr. Anthony Malkin, a leader in existing building energy efficiency retrofits who is coordinating the Empire State Building project; and, Dr. E.G. (Skip) Ward, a specialist in ultra-deep water gas and petroleum exploration and development. <br />
<br />
<br />
Policy Leadership Forum: The Road to a Low-Carbon Energy Future<br />
Resources for the Future – Event – May 12, 2010<br />
http://www.rff.org/Events/Pages/The-Road-to-a-Low-Carbon-Energy-Future.aspx<br />
<br />
John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Exelon Corporation “discussed U.S. legislative and regulatory actions to address climate change, and why we must focus on economic approaches that will provide the country with cleaner, more secure energy while minimizing the costs to consumers and putting more people to work.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Assessing the American Power Act: The Economic, Employment, Energy Security, and Environmental Impact of Senator Kerry and Senator Lieberman’s Discussion Draft<br />
Peterson Institute for International Economics – May 2010 – 18 pages<br />
http://www.piie.com/publications/pb/pb10-12.pdf<br />
<br />
“The senators promised that if passed the bill will: (1) reduce US oil consumption and dependence on oil imports; (2) cut US carbon pollution 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and over 80 percent by 2050; and (3) create jobs and restore US global economic leadership. In this policy brief we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed American Power Act in achieving those goals.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Daniel J. Weiss<br />
The “Energy-Only Bill” Mirage: Why an Energy Bill Could Fail Without Pollution Reduction Measures or Revenue<br />
Center for American Progress – June 25, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/energy_mirage.html<br />
<br />
“The time for Senate action on clean energy legislation is rapidly leaking away, yet some senators continue to advocate passage of an ‘energy-only’ bill that ignores comprehensive reductions in global warming pollution…. CAP analysis determined that the clean energy incentives and loan guarantees in these bills would cost $70 billion.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Daniel J. Weiss and Susan Lyon<br />
Senate Oil Savings' Greatest Hits: The Best Provisions to Cut Our Consumption<br />
Center for American Progress – June 29, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/oilsavings_greatest_hits.html<br />
<br />
“There are three primary ways to reduce oil use: make cars much more fuel efficient, launch cleaner alternative fuels such as electricity for cars and natural gas for trucks, and invest in public transportation. CAP evaluated the major oil savings proposals in senators’ bills that address all three of these needs and chose the provisions with the most oil savings in each category.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill Energy Title<br />
House Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research – Hearing - June 9, 2010<br />
http://agriculture.house.gov/testimony/111/h060910/CookCoppessBailey.pdf<br />
<br />
Cheryl Cook, Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development discuss successes and challenges of implementing Title IX, the Energy Title, of the 2008 Farm Bill.<br />
<br />
<br />
Van Jones<br />
Speaking of “Small People”: Will the Energy Bill Hurt or Help All Americans?<br />
Center for American Progress – June 18, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/jones_small_people.html<br />
<br />
“Overall, the present version of the American Power Act is quite promising. It does include some strong provisions to lower consumer costs and provide access to new clean energy jobs. But it lacks some fundamental provisions to truly scale up the clean energy economy, ensure that green jobs are good jobs, and put some green rungs on the ladder out of poverty.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Power to the People: Renewable Energy for Underserved Communities<br />
Santa Clara University – Event – April 22, 2010<br />
http://www.scu.edu/sts/PublicEngagement/conferences/archives/20092010/powertothepeople.cfm#delio<br />
<br />
Power to the People brought together social benefit entrepreneurs, investors, policy innovators, energy technologists, and community organizations to examine innovations in technology, business models, and public policy required to deliver cost-effective renewable energy solutions to the underserved both domestically and in the developing world.<br />
<br />
<br />
STATE POLICIES<br />
<br />
Energy Regulation in the States: A Wake-up Call<br />
Institute for Energy Research – 191 pages<br />
http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/pdf/statereport.pdf<br />
Interactive map: http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/states/<br />
<br />
“Some of the most contentious of these ongoing [energy regulation] battles are happening right now in state capitals across the country. This report analyzes many such policies and explains how state governments are increasing the price of energy and the price of using energy through additional regulations.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Advancing Clean Energy: A Report on the Clean Energy States Grant Program<br />
National Governor’s Association – April 2010 – 36 pages<br />
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/1004ADVANCINGCLEANENERGY.pdf<br />
<br />
“Throughout the decade, states have launched initiatives to improve energy efficiency, promote alternative energy sources and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The report profiles the work of 12 states, which were selected for participation in the Clean Energy States Grant Program, as part of the Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative. The program provided states an opportunity to explore and expand new techniques for promoting clean energy, as well as develop and implement their own state programs.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Araceli Ruano and Sean Pool<br />
A California Campaign with Global Consequences: Proposition 23 Puts Clean Energy in Danger<br />
Center for American Progress – July 15, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/prop23.html<br />
<br />
“Texas oil companies have taken advantage of California’s quirky initiative system to place Proposition 23 on the ballot. This proposition has one purpose: to undo California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (also known as Assembly Bill 32, or ‘A.B. 32’), which stands as a landmark piece of bipartisan clean energy legislation and is a model for federal action.”<br />
<br />
<br />
ENERGY EFFICIENCY<br />
<br />
Green Housing for the 21st Century: Retrofitting the Past and Building an Energy-Efficient Future<br />
Senate Committee on Banking – June 30, 2010<br />
http://banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=523fdfb6-9876-44a2-b69d-2f99e0e0ef9e<br />
<br />
“I hope that this hearing will make clear that energy-efficient housing connects tackling climate change and reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels to cutting government outlays and trimming household budgets, to renovation, design, and construction jobs that can’t be exported. Despite this promise, energy efficient options in housing are not well understood by consumers, and homebuyers today often pass up green opportunities that are in their economic interest. Our challenge as legislators is to devise programs to inform consumers and jumpstart the green housing economy.”<br />
<br />
<br />
RESEARCH<br />
<br />
Sean Pool<br />
How to Power the Energy Innovation Lifecycle: Better Policies Can Carry New Energy Sources to Market<br />
Center for American Progress – June 2010 – 21 pages<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/pdf/energy_innovation.pdf<br />
<br />
“We’ll first define the different stages of the innovation lifecycle, then describe the network of players engaged at each stage of the process. This ‘network lifecycle’ approach can help us better understand who does innovation, the processes that drive it, and the opportunities for public policy to aid it at various points in the process. As you’ll see, our innovation economy in the energy arena needs some key reforms to perform at its peak again.”<br />
<br />
<br />
White House Innovation Conference: Summary Report<br />
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – May 7, 2010 – 21 pages<br />
http://www.energyinnovationnetwork.org/en/Backpages/~/media/Files/WH_summary_report.ashx<br />
<br />
“The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation co-convened a conference on Energy Innovation…. The conference was designed to bring together diverse stakeholders in a forum for discussion on how to leverage private- and public-sector investments and direct philanthropic support to accelerate innovation and job creation in the energy sector.”<br />
<br />
<br />
James Duderstadt, Mark Muro, and Sarah Rahman<br />
Hubs of Transformation: Leveraging the Great Lakes Research Complex for Energy Innovation<br />
Brookings Institution – June 2010 – 8 pages<br />
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2010/0602_innovation_muro.aspx<br />
<br />
“America needs to transform its energy system, and the Great Lakes region… possesses many of the needed innovation assets. For that reason, the federal government should leverage this troubled region’s research and engineering strengths by launching a region-wide network of collaborative, high-intensity energy research and innovation centers.”<br />
<br />
<br />
TRANSPORTATION<br />
<br />
The Recovery Act: Transforming America’s Transportation Sector – Batteries and Electric Vehicles<br />
U.S. Department of Energy – July 14, 2010 – 8 pages<br />
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/Battery-and-Electric-Vehicle-Report-FINAL.pdf<br />
<br />
“The Obama Administration is investing in a broad portfolio of advanced vehicle technologies…. Investments in batteries alone, for example, should help lower the cost of some electric car batteries by nearly 70 percent before the end of 2015. What’s more, thanks in part to these investments, U.S. factories will be able to produce batteries and components to support up to 500,000 electric-drive vehicles annually by 2015. Overall, these investments will create tens of thousands of American jobs.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Policies to Reduce Oil Consumption Through the Promotion of Accelerated Deployment of Electric-Drive Vehicles, as Proposed in S. 3495, the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2010 <br />
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources – Hearing – June 22, 2010<br />
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=40d7de7c-0bca-170d-d5e8-8e3b4ce8ba0b<br />
<br />
Witnesses:<br />
David Sandalow - Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy<br />
Frederick Smith - Chairman, President, and CEO, FedEx Corporation<br />
Kathryn Clay - Director of Research, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers<br />
Brian Wynne - President, Electric Drive Transportation Association<br />
David Friedman - Research Director, Union of Concerned Scientists<br />
Alan Crane - Senior Program Officer, National Research Council<br />
<br />
<br />
ELECTRICITY<br />
<br />
Smart Grid<br />
Pew Center on Global Climate Change – Fact Sheet <br />
http://www.pewclimate.org/technology/factsheet/SmartGrid<br />
<br />
“The smart grid is a concept referring to the application of digital technology to the electric power sector to improve reliability, reduce cost, increase efficiency, and enable new components and applications.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Smart Power: Climate Change, Smart Grid and the Future of Electric Utilities<br />
Brookings Institution – Event – April 9, 2010 – 60 pages<br />
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2010/0409_electric_utilities/20100409_electric_utilities.pdf<br />
<br />
On April 9, the Brookings Institution hosted Dr. Fox-Penner for a discussion of Smart Power. Following his presentation, a panel of experts shared their perspectives on the future of U.S. energy and climate policy and the importance of the development of the smart grid for meeting our energy goals. Senior Fellow Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated this discussion.<br />
<br />
<br />
Smart Grid’s Future: Evaluating Policy Opportunities and Challenges After the Recovery Act<br />
Brookings Institution – Event – July 14, 2010 <br />
http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/0714_smart_grid.aspx<br />
<br />
“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 earmarked $11 billion for smart grid technologies to modernize and enhance the nation’s electric transmission infrastructure. A year later, what are the most promising benefits for everyday citizens who gain access to the grid? What is the right policy path moving forward to realize the promise of the smart grid?”<br />
<br />
<br />
Smart Grid Architecture and Standards: Assessing Coordination and Progress<br />
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – July 1, 2010<br />
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2866<br />
<br />
“Today we will delve into the standards process in a little more detail, discuss the work that has been done, and see where things are headed. I am particularly interested in the witnesses’ views on the strength of this process thus far and when the witnesses think certification systems will be in place to bring more assurances that the technologies will work together as intended. I will also be interested in the progress of addressing privacy and security challenges posed by the smart grid and the level of international engagement that is necessary for the U.S. to continue its leadership in smart grid technologies.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Real-Time Forecasting for Renewable Energy Development<br />
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – June 16, 2010<br />
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2857<br />
<br />
“Right now, electric grid managers throughout the country are doing their best to integrate and balance several gigawatts of wind with baseload power options on an hour-by-hour and even minute-by-minute basis. To ensure a steady flow of electricity to their consumers, these managers rely on forecasts of power production… <br />
Recent studies led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have shown that improving the accuracy and frequency of these forecasts can have a major impact on the economic viability of renewable energy resources.”<br />
<br />
<br />
The Galvin Electricity Initiative<br />
http://galvinpower.org/about-us/galvin-electricity-initiative<br />
<br />
“The Galvin Electricity Initiative is leading a campaign to transform our nation's power system into one that truly meets our needs for reliable, efficient, clean electricity service. The imperfect quality of power service today robs thousands of dollars a year from each American household, and the transformation of service quality to twenty-first century digital standards is critical to resolving the serious economic and environmental threats facing our nation. The Initiative believes that these threats can only be resolved if we shift to a new industry paradigm that is consumer-centric and driven by entrepreneurial innovation and smart technology.”<br />
<br />
<br />
NUCLEAR<br />
<br />
Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap<br />
Department of Energy – Report to Congress – 60 pages<br />
http://nuclear.gov/pdfFiles/NuclearEnergy_Roadmap_Final.pdf<br />
<br />
“To achieve energy security and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction objectives, the United States must develop and deploy clean, affordable, domestic energy sources as quickly as possible. Nuclear power will continue to be a key component of a portfolio of technologies that meets our energy goals. This document provides a roadmap for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) research, development, and demonstration activities that will ensure nuclear energy remains viable energy option for the United States.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Charting the Course for American Nuclear Technology: Evaluating the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap<br />
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – May 19, 2010<br />
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2818<br />
<br />
“I would like to welcome our expert panelists who will discuss and evaluate the four main objectives highlighted in the Roadmap and help us understand how innovation in nuclear energy can affect our national energy portfolio, our economic competitiveness, and our national security.”<br />
<br />
<br />
OIL<br />
<br />
OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet<br />
Energy Information Administration – May 2010 – 3 pages<br />
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/OPEC_Revenues/pdf.pdf<br />
<br />
“Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could earn $783 billion of net oil export revenues in 2010 and $846 billion in 2011. Last year, OPEC earned $573 billion in net oil export revenues, a 41 percent decrease from 2008. Saudi Arabia earned the largest share of these earnings, $154 billion, representing 27 percent of total OPEC revenues. On a per-capita basis, OPEC net oil export earnings reached $1,553 in 2009, a 42 percent decrease from 2008.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang<br />
Unconventional Oil Production: Stuck in a Rock and a Hard Place<br />
FRB St Louis – The Regional Economist – July 2010 – 2 pages<br />
http://stlouisfed.org/publications/pub_assets/pdf/re/2010/c/oil.pdf<br />
<br />
“Highly variable oil prices and increasing world demand for oil have led producers to look for alternative sources of transportation fuel. Two popular alternatives are oil sands (aka tar sands) and oil shale. However, obtaining usable oil from oil sands or oil shale is more capital-intensive and more expensive than obtaining oil from conventional reserves. At what price of oil do these alternatives become cost-effective?”<br />
<br />
<br />
Nicolas D. Loris, Claude G. Berube, James Jay Carafano, Ben Lieberman, Jack Spencer, and Matt Mayer<br />
Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and Resiliency<br />
Heritage Foundation – June 15, 2010 – 17 pages<br />
http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2010/pdf/SR0080.pdf<br />
<br />
“While the federal government may lack the resources and expertise to stop the flowing oil at the site of the disaster, it has the authority and responsibility to play a more proactive and responsive role in mitigating and recovering from the effects of the disaster. After months of observing the federal response, however, it is clear that the response is inadequate.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Curry L. Hagerty and Jonathan L. Ramseur <br />
Deep Horizon Oil Spill: Selected Issues for Congress<br />
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress – Report - June 18, 2010 – 44 pages<br />
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/143929.pdf<br />
<br />
“On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in 11 worker fatalities, a massive oil release, and a national response effort in the Gulf of Mexico region by the federal and state governments as well as BP. Based on estimates from the Flow Rate Technical Group, which is led by the U.S. Geological Survey, the 2010 Gulf spill has become the largest oil spill in U.S. waters, eclipsing the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill several times over. The oil spill has damaged natural resources and has had regional economic impacts. In addition, questions have been raised as to whether the regulations and regulators of offshore oil exploration have kept pace with the increasingly complex technologies needed to explore and develop deeper waters.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Legislation to Respond to the BP Oil Spill and to Prevent Future Oil Well Blowouts <br />
House -Subcommittee on Energy and Environment – Hearing - June 30,2010<br />
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2055:hearing-on-legislation-to-respond-to-the-bp-oil-spill-and-to-prevent-future-oil-well-blowouts&catid=130:subcommittee-on-energy-and-the-environment&Itemid=71<br />
<br />
The hearing focused on the discussion draft entitled the “Blowout Preventer Act of 2010” which was released on Friday, June 26, 2010.<br />
<br />
<br />
Drilling Down on America’s Energy Future: Safety, Security, and Clean Energy<br />
House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment – Hearing - June 15, 2010<br />
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2034:hearing-on-drilling-down-on-americas-energy-future-safety-security-and-clean-energy&catid=130:subcommittee-on-energy-and-the-environment&Itemid=71<br />
<br />
“The top executives of the five largest oil companies will testify regarding the impacts of the nation’s dependence on oil, the safety of drilling operations and the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and actions to develop and promote the use of renewable and alternative energy sources that can reduce our overall dependence on oil.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Deepwater Drilling Technology, Research, and Development<br />
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – June 23, 2010 <br />
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2862<br />
<br />
“Whether the moratorium on drilling activities in the Gulf is lifted in 30 days or 30 years, we must accept that the hydrocarbon reserves in these fields will be produced someday. And if not there, it will certainly be done somewhere else in the world. Our charge is to understand the technological advances and best practices to further ensure that drilling in the deepwater can be done with minimal risk to workers and the environment.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Daniel J. Weiss<br />
The High Costs of Offshore Drilling: Deepwater Horizon Underscores Need to Find Sustainable Energy Solutions<br />
Center for American Progress – May 3, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/05/oil_costs.html<br />
<br />
“The BP oil disaster will put additional upward pressure on oil prices that were already climbing as global demand for oil increases dramatically over the next two decades. The United States cannot produce its way out of the supply-demand gap. The most cost-effective, speedy way to reduce our oil dependence is not offshore drilling—it is reducing U.S. oil demand.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Toni Johnson<br />
U.S. Deepwater Drilling's Future<br />
Council on Foreign Relations – May 25, 2010<br />
http://www.cfr.org/publication/22204/us_deepwater_drillings_future.html#<br />
<br />
“The Gulf of Mexico oil spill spotlights the growth of deepwater drilling and the challenges of balancing environmental regulation with efforts to expand U.S. domestic oil production.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Stephen P. A. Brown<br />
Some Implications of Tightening Regulation of U.S. Deepwater Drilling<br />
Resources for the Future – June 2010 – 14 pages<br />
http://www.rff.org/rff/documents/RFF-BCK-Brown-Regulations.pdf<br />
<br />
“Can markets, the legal system, and current regulatory policy provide the proper incentives for producers (and consumers) to consider fully the possibility of oil spills and the risks that could ensue while drilling in deepwater offshore areas?”<br />
<br />
<br />
Jonathon L. Ramseur<br />
Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress<br />
Congressional Research Service – April 30, 2010 – 38 pages<br />
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33705_20100430.pdf<br />
<br />
“This report reviews the history and trends of oil spills in the United States; identifies the legal authorities governing oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup; and examines the threats of future oil spills in U.S. coastal waters.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Michael Greenstone<br />
Liability and Financial Responsibility for Oil Spills Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Related Statutes<br />
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – Testimony – June 9, 2010<br />
http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2010/0609_oil_spill_greenstone.aspx<br />
<br />
“My primary argument here today is that the removal, or substantial increase, of the liability cap on economic damages from oil spills is the most effective way to align oil companies’ incentives with the American people’s interests…. [I]f the removal of a cap were to compromise energy security goals, it could be paired with economically sound polices that promote domestic production or reduce oil consumption without putting our environmental goals at risk. Such a pairing would allow us to achieve our energy security and environmental goals.”<br />
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<br />
GAS<br />
<br />
Christopher Flavin and Saya Kitasei<br />
The Role of Natural Gas in a Low-Carbon Energy Economy<br />
Worldwatch Institute – April 2010 – 23 pages<br />
http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Worldwatch%20Gas%20Paper%20April%202010.pdf<br />
<br />
“The report provides an initiative designed to explore and communicate the potential of natural gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency to work together to build a low-carbon economy. The project provides a forum to examine potential environmental, social, and political obstacles that must be addressed if natural gas is to accelerate, rather than delay, a low-carbon energy transformation.”<br />
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<br />
NUCLEAR<br />
<br />
Nuclear Regulation in an Era of Growth and Change<br />
Stanford University Energy Seminar – Event – May 18, 2010<br />
http://energyseminar.stanford.edu/node/241<br />
<br />
“Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko will discuss the simultaneous challenges of overseeing the existing fleet of reactors, managing in parallel multiple reactor design certification requests and multiple plant construction license requests, and overseeing the safety of and licensing an expansion of the nuclear fuel industry to support new plants, not to mention the storage of spent fuel.”<br />
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<br />
BIOFUELS – BIOGAS - BIOMASS<br />
<br />
William T. Coyle<br />
Next-Generation Biofuels: Near-Term Challenges and Implications for Agriculture<br />
U.S. Department of Agriculture – May 2010 – 26 pages<br />
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/BIO0101/BIO0101.pdf<br />
<br />
“In early 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the cellulosic biofuel mandate to 6.5 million gallons, more in line with production prospects. Even so, expansion of next-generation fuels will have to be rapid to meet subsequent annual mandates and the longer term goal of 16 billion gallons for cellulosic biofuel use by 2022. Near-term sector challenges include reducing high capital and production costs, acquiring financial resources for precommercial development, and developing new biomass supply arrangements, many of which will be with U.S. farmers.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Using Biofuel Tax Credits to Achieve Energy and Environmental Policy Goals <br />
Congressional Budget Office – July 2010<br />
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=11477<br />
<br />
“The federal government supports the use of biofuels--transportation fuels produced mainly from renewable plant matter, such as corn--in the pursuit of national energy, environmental, and agricultural policy goals. Tax credits encourage the production and sale of biofuels in the United States, effectively lowering the private costs of producing biofuels, such as ethanol or biodiesel, relative to the costs of producing their substitutes--gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, federal mandates require the use of specified minimum amounts and types of biofuel each year through 2022. Together, the credits and mandates increase domestic supplies of energy and reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases, albeit at a cost to taxpayers.”<br />
<br />
<br />
A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022<br />
USDA – Report – June 23, 2010 – 21 pages<br />
http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_Biofuels_Report_6232010.pdf<br />
<br />
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a comprehensive regional strategy to help recharge the rural American economy. The strategy targets barriers to the development of a successful biofuels market that will achieve, or surpass, the current U.S. Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS2)… USDA’s objectives for this report include: providing the practical knowledge from the field that can enhance various models for biofuel production, identify challenges and opportunities, and help develop solutions to this massive undertaking.”<br />
<br />
<br />
AgSTAR Program<br />
USDA – Website<br />
http://www.epa.gov/agstar/<br />
<br />
“The AgSTAR Program is a voluntary effort jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program encourages the use of methane recovery (biogas) technologies at the confined animal feeding operations that manage manure as liquids or slurries. These technologies reduce methane emissions while achieving other environmental benefits.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Biomass 2010 Conference<br />
U.S. Department of Energy – March 30-31, 2010<br />
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass2010/<br />
<br />
“More than 600 attendees were able to discuss some of the most pressing issues in the biomass community as well as recent accomplishments and the challenges that lie ahead. We were able to focus on the role of biomass in our nation's energy portfolio and address important issues like technology innovation, biopower, rural development, and commercialization and feature a technical program that took a closer look at foundational science and applied R&D, feedstocks, hyrdrocarbon fuels, and sustainability.”<br />
<br />
<br />
SOLAR AND WIND<br />
<br />
Western Wind and Solar Integration Study <br />
National Renewable Energy Laboratory – May 2010 <br />
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/wwsis.html<br />
<br />
This study assesses the operational impacts and economics of increased contributions from wind and solar energy producers on the power grid. It examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35 percent of its electricity by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice.<br />
<br />
<br />
Jenna Goodward<br />
What’s Blocking the Sun?: Solar Photovoltaics for the U.S. Commercial Market<br />
World Resources Institute – May 2010 – 26 pages<br />
http://pdf.wri.org/working_papers/whats_blocking_the_sun.pdf<br />
<br />
“This paper provides a snapshot of the current investment environment for solar PV in the United States from the commercial end user’s point of view…. Solar PV installations are concentrated in states with strong financial incentives and no regulatory barriers to distributed generation. Commercial investments have fared worse than the residential market during the economic downturn of the past two years. The policy landscape has improved since 2008, but multiple regulatory barriers remain at the state level and federal support is less certain after 2010…. An analysis of the hurdles remaining for solar PV finds that they are both economic and regulatory.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, Thilo Hanemann, Lutz Weischer, and Matt Miller<br />
Toward a Sunny Future? Global Integration in the Solar PV Industry<br />
Peterson Institute for International Economics – May 2010 – 66 pages<br />
http://piie.com/publications/wp/wp10-6.pdf<br />
<br />
“This paper analyzes the global integration of the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector and looks in detail at the industry’s recent growth patterns, industry cost structure, trade and investment patterns, government support policies and employment generation potential…. Lowering existing trade barriers—by abolishing tariffs, reducing non-tariff barriers and harmonizing industry standards—would create a positive policy environment for further global integration.”<br />
<br />
<br />
MISCELLANEOUS<br />
<br />
Deborah Seligsohn and Kelly Levin<br />
China’s Carbon Intensity Goal: A Guide for the Perplexed<br />
World Resources Institute – China FAQs – April 20, 2010 – 7 pages<br />
http://www.chinafaqs.org/files/chinainfo/ChinaFAQs_China's_Carbon_Intensity_Goal_A_Guide_for_the_Perplexed_0.pdf<br />
<br />
“In late November 2009, China announced its intention to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions within the Chinese economy by 40-45% by 2020, as compared with a 2005 baseline…. To enhance understanding of China’s commitment, we provide answers to the major questions related to the Chinese carbon intensity target below.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Julian L. Wong<br />
China’s Clean Energy Push: Evaluating the Implications for American Competitiveness<br />
Center for American Progress – June 21, 2010<br />
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/china_clean_energy_push.html<br />
<br />
“Senior staff from the Center for American Progress brought a select group of Senate staffers to visit China in April to meet with policymakers, academics, and companies to better understand China’s clean energy economic development strategy. The visit provided convincing evidence to those involved that China has made large-scale investments in clean energy manufacturing and infrastructure, and that these signal China’s clear desire to lead the world in clean energy technology production, deployment, and eventually innovation.”<br />
<br />
<br />
Country Analysis Briefs: Algeria<br />
Energy Information Administration<br />
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Algeria/pdf.pdf<br />
<br />
“Algeria's hydrocarbons sector accounted for 60 percent of its budget revenues, nearly 30 percent of its GDP, and over 97 percent of its export earnings in 2008, according to the U.S. State Department. Algeria was the sixth largest natural gas producer in the world in 2008 after Russia, the United States, Canada, Iran, and Norway. Algeria produced 3.05 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2008, of which 69 percent was exported and 31 percent was consumed domestically.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-52713988345954473072009-02-07T05:23:00.000-08:002009-02-07T05:47:07.655-08:00U.S. ECO ONLINE - ENERGY 2009<span style="font-family: arial;">U.S. ECO ONLINE - ENERGY</span><br />EnergyOnLine no 8<p style="font-family: arial;" dir="ltr"><a href="http://france.usembassy.gov"><span lang="en-us"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://france.usembassy.gov </span></span></a></p><span style="font-family: arial;">No 8 – December-January 2008</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Annual Energy Outlook 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Energy Information Administration - December 17, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/aeo2009_presentation.pdf [21 pages].</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/appa.pdf [41 pages, Tables]</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">He early release report presents updated projections for U.S. energy consumption and production through 2030. For the first time in more than 20 years, the new reference case projects virtually no growth in U.S. oil consumption, reflecting the combined effect of recently enacted CAFE standards, requirements for increased use of renewable fuels, and an assumed rebound in oil prices as the world economy recovers. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The President’s Agenda on Energy & the Environment </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment/</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn't just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment -- it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Energy Independence and Global Warming: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">110th Congress Final Staff Report </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming – December 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0059#main_content</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“Part I of the report addresses the challenges posed by the climate crisis and America’s growing energy needs. Part II provides recommendations on a series of “win-win” solutions that will bolster America’s energy security while achieving the reductions in global warming pollution needed to save the planet. Part III presents the findings and recommendations resulting from the Select Committee’s oversight activities. Part IV discusses international issues, and reviews the findings of the Select Committee Congressional delegations to Greenland and the EU, Brazil, and India.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Investing in the Future: R&D Needs to Meet America's Energy and Climate Challenges</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - Hearing – September 10, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Investing in the Future - R&D needs to meet America's Energy and Climate Challenges</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs/pubs?id=0053#main_content</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“As we have seen here on Capitol Hill and today’s witnesses from our top universities can attest, young people today are bursting with ideas on how to bring about the green energy revolution.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Witnesses:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Susan Hockfield, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Stephen Forrest, Vice President of Research, University of Michigan</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Jack Fellows, Vice President, University Corporation on Atmospheric Research</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Daniel Kammen, Professor, UC-Berkeley</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Energy Priorities for the Next Congress </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sen. Jeff Bingaman (Senate Energy Committee)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies - November 18th, 2008 </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=f9032d6a-3f9b-469c-bb64-bee84af7fb22&Month=11&Year=2008&Party=0</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“We have just elected a new President, Barack Obama, who campaigned on a strong platform of energy efficiency, energy security, and renewable energy. That gives us the ability to harness his strong interest in energy to an effective bipartisan strategy in Congress. When you can get a combination of White House leadership and bipartisan Congressional engagement, chances of real progress are substantial.” </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Making Domestic Energy Affordable</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Ben Lieberman and Jack Spencer</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Heritage Foundation - Memo to President-elect Obama - December 8, 2008 – 4 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/obamamemo_6.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“Your promise to address the nation’s high energy costs resonated soundly with the voters, and your pledge to use safe nuclear power as a key part of our energy mix makes sense. You should not let the temporary decrease in gasoline prices distract you from keeping these promises. If you persevere and follow the right steps to open and use all domestic energy sources, including nuclear power, energy will become more affordable and plentiful for all Americans, and the nation will be less reliant on hostile nations for energy.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But you should not undercut these goals by shackling energy with costly restrictions and mandates…”</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Investments in Clean Energy and Natural Resources Projects and Programs to Create Green Jobs and to Stimulate the Economy</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Senate – Energy Committee – Hearing – December 10, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=f950a2d8-bd94-5d1f-ec07-a93bf518e2e5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">A Framework for Achieving Energy Security and Arresting Global Warming</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Ken Berlin Center for American Progress – Report - December 2008 – 34 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/energy_security.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Addressing energy security and arresting climate change will require a transition to a non-carbon based economy and more fuel-efficient vehicles. This will take decades, even with strong measures, so new initiatives will have to be durable enough to withstand political vicissitudes and arguments that regulations should be weakened during economic slowdowns. Because efforts to solve both issues are inextricably intertwined, they must be addressed together, and actions to solve one issue cannot compromise the ability to address the other successfully.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Renewing America: A Blueprint for Economic Recovery</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Environment America – Report -November 2008 - 29 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.environmentamerica.org/uploads/SO/o9/SOo90pehULc3juLoBFh4Yg/AME_RenewAmerica.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“To revive the American dream, we need to rebuild our economy on a sound foundation—one that puts people back to work, contributes to long-term prosperity, rebuilds our communities, and protects our environment. There is one path to a renewed economy that achieves all of those goals—one that is increasingly recognized by opinion leaders, politicians, investors and workers as our best chance to work our way out of our current economic troubles, while building a stronger, more self-reliant and environmentally responsible America. It is the path to a clean energy future.”</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">IER’s Bold Stimulus Plan:</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> A Roadmap to Improving the Economy and Creating Jobs, All at No Cost to the Taxpayer</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Institute for Energy Research – January 27, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2009/01/27/ier-offers-economic-stimulus-plan-urges-president-obama-to-adopt-historic-change/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“IER supports government policies that encourage private investment, foster job creation, and provide American consumers access to the vast, proven, affordable energy supplies they own beneath the 2.3 billion acres of government lands not leased for responsible energy production. These enormous taxpayer-owned resources, and the American jobs they would create, have been held hostage by a decades-long government policy of saying, “No, we can’t”… IER’s plan represents the most significant change in government energy policy in more than three decades. We urge the Obama Administration to say, “Yes, we can” to our two-part plan, which begins by embracing the fundamental medical precept: First, Do No Harm.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Putting Energy in the White House</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dave Edwards</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President – January 15, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900202&contentID=254867</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“Without a transformation of the energy industry, the unchecked American reliance upon fossil fuel will diminish our economy, distort our foreign policy, and further disrupt our natural environment. We can do better -- much better. The United States has the opportunity to be the world's energy innovation leader, creating a cleaner, more secure, and more prosperous future.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Stimulus Package and Energy: Creating Green Jobs, Opportunities for All</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming – Hearing – January 15, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs/pubs?id=0062#main_content</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Committee devoted its first hearing of the 111th Congress to creating jobs and stimulating our economy through renewable energy and efficiency programs. The panel included Van Jones, founder of Green for All, an organization promoting green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged; Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia; Trevor Houser, an expert on energy markets and climate change; and Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Rethinking “Energy Independence”</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Pietro S. Nivola The Brookings Institution – Study -December 29, 2008, – 12 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2008/1230_energy_nivola/1230_energy_nivola.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Political leaders repeatedly point out that our current addiction to foreign oil is a matter of national security. The author challenges the assumption that the less oil the U.S. buys from abroad, the more insulated our economy will be from vagaries of the international oil market.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Current Energy Security Challenges </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Senate – Committee on Energy and Natural Resources – Hearing – January 8, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=a7191f17-ce69-0588-430b-afe1a28d41b8</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">ENERGY EFFICIENCY</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Energy Efficiency as Economic Stimulus</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Daniel Sosland, Derek Murrow, and Samuel Krasnow Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - December 12, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254849</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Energy efficiency -- a huge economic category that includes the design and installation of "green" insulation, lighting, building materials, appliances, vehicles, heating-and- cooling systems, and countless other technologies -- fits your economic-stimulus needs ideally, with important additional benefits for the health of our environment and the security of our nation.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Assessment of Achievable Potential from Energy Efficiency</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and Demand Response Programs in the U.S. (2010-2030)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Electric Power Institute - Web posted January 22, 2009 – 342 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://my.epri.com/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_1630_277_848_43/http%3B/myepri10%3B80/EPRIDocumentAccess/popup.aspx/000000000001016987</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Energy efficiency programs in the United States could realistically reduce the rate of growth for electricity consumption by 22 percent over the next two decades if key barriers can be addressed, according to the analysis. The potential energy savings in 2030 would be 236 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 14 New York Cities. However, achieving the ideal would require costly investments as well as political and regulatory support.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Measuring and Reducing Americans' Indirect Energy Use </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kenneth P. Green and Aparna Mathur</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">AEI Online - Energy and Environment Outlook - December 4, 2008- 6 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.29020/pub_detail.asp</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“The focus on direct energy use obscures the fact that Americans have many choices when it comes to reducing their energy and environmental footprint besides cutting back on the direct use of oil, natural gas, and electricity. Those who want to reduce their energy consumption but are unable or unwilling to forego the roomier house or car can cut down on discretionary medical purchases; minimize pharmaceutical waste; cut back on air travel; and replace high-energy foods (beef and refined grain products) with lower-energy foods such as poultry, legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Can we both preserve consumer choice and expand options for energy conservation? Yes, we can.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Green Affordable Housing: Within Our Reach</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> David M. Abromowitz Center for American Progress - December 2008 - 30 pages.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/green_housing.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The incoming Obama administration is poised to join with the 111th Congress on an ambitious agenda of reducing energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating a viable green jobs sector. To achieve these goals, one cannot afford to ignore housing, in particular the currently existing affordable housing. Affordable housing, consisting of almost 4.75 million apartments (nearly 14 percent of the nation’s 35 million rental units), is federally assisted in some way and thus open to clearly targeted green policies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Lowering the Cost of Play: </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;"> Improving Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) - Issue Paper - November 2008 - 29 pages.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/files/consoles.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">More than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Video game consoles consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. This issue paper provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines.0</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">OIL</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The Oil-Price Roller Coaster: Global Challenges for the Obama Administration</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., and Owen Graham The Heritage Foundation – Backgrounder – December 18, 2008 – 16 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/bg_2216.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The U.S. should increase pressure on OPEC and non-OPEC countries, which are failing to meet production forecasts, to open access to IOCs while authorizing oil production in ANWR, other promising Arctic areas, and the lower 48 states to expand domestic energy production. Rising oil consumption within key oil-producing states leaves less oil for export, posing a significant constraint on future supply.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Research and Development: </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> DOE Could Enhance the Project Selection Process for Government Oil and Natural Gas Research</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">GAO – Report -December 29, 2008 - 37 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-186</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“A recent GAO report noted important criteria for the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider in evaluating its oil and natural gas R&D efforts—including the likelihood that industry would perform the research without federal funding. The Office of Management and Budget has raised similar concerns. In this context, GAO was asked to review (1) how much U.S. industry has invested in oil and natural gas R&D over the last 10 years, and the current focus of these activities; (2) how DOE’s oil and natural gas R&D funding and activities compare with industry’s; and (3) to what extent DOE ensures that its oil and natural gas R&D would not occur without federal funding.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Drilling in the Great Lakes: Background and Issues</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Pervaze A. Sheikh and Adam Vann Congressional Research Service (CRS) - November 11, 2008 - 24 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/112526.pdf (Tip: copy and paste in your browser)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Drilling for oil and gas in or under the Great Lakes has generated interest among Great Lakes stakeholders, states, and Congress. Some opposed to drilling are concerned about the potential environmental, economic, and public health consequences. They contend that drilling will raise the risks of oil spills, hazardous gas leaks, and pollution that may harm lakeside residents and the Great Lakes ecosystem. Proponents of oil and gas drilling contend that drilling will increase local and regional tax revenues and employment, increase domestic energy production, and not be an environmental problem because of new technologies that lower the risks of oil spills and other accidents.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">How to Save Gas</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Phil Davies FRB Minneapolis – The Region – December 2008 – 8 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.minneapolisfed.org/pubs/region/08-12/davies.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Pricing mechanisms, not fuel-economy standards, offer the best hope for reducing motor fuel consumption.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">COAL</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The True Cost of Coal</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Greenpeace – Report - Web posted December 1, 2008 -92 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/true-cost-coal.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">According to the report, the global cost of coal was at least €360 billion last year alone. The figure arrives from CO2 damage costs, health costs and mining accidents. Coal burning has existed for centuries, and its use as a fuel has been recorded since the 1100s. It powered the Industrial Revolution, changing the course of first Britain, and then the world, in the process. In the U.S., the first coal-fired power plant opened on the shores of the lower East River in New York City in September 1882. Today, coal is used to produce nearly 40% of the world’s electricity. However, burning coal is one of the most harmful practices on the planet. 0</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The Hidden Costs of Clean Coal:</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> The Environmental and Human Disaster of Longwall Mining</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Center for Public Integrity - January 13, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/longwall/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Longwall mining is a highly productive underground process employed to quickly and cheaply extract coal, but the practice comes with a steep environmental price, as documented in a year-long investigation by the Center for Public Integrity. The report turns a spotlight on a devastating mining method that most Americans outside northern Appalachia have never heard of. An estimated 10 percent of all U.S. electricity now depends on coal from longwall mining, which has grown over the years in Appalachia and in the states of Illinois, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The Clean Coal Smoke Screen</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Daniel J. Weiss, Nick Kong, Sam Schiller, Alexandra Kougentakis </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Center for American Progress – Analysis - December 22, 2008 – 5 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/clean_coal.html</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“Despite the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity's attempts to convince Americans that “clean coal” is the solution to global warming, a CAP analysis determined that ACCCE’s companies spend relatively few dollars conducting research on carbon capture and storage, the most promising clean coal technology to reduce global warming pollution from coal-fired power plants. The coal and utility industries have spent millions of dollars to oppose mandatory reductions in global warming pollution until CCS is commercialized. Yet their paltry CCS research investment demonstrates that the ads and other public clean coal activities are merely designed to delay global warming solutions without suffering a public relations black eye.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Producing Liquid Fuels from Coal: Prospects and Policy Issues</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> James T. Bartis et al. RAND Corporation – Monograph - January 2009 – 199 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG754.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The federal government can spark the creation of a commercially competitive coal-to-liquids industry by fostering early development of plants that would produce transportation fuels from coal, according to the study. It finds that a commercially competitive U.S. coal-to-liquids industry could produce as much as three million barrels of high-quality liquid fuels per day by 2030, an amount equivalent to 15 percent of current U.S. oil demand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Importing Pollution: Coals’s Threat to Climate Policy in the U.S. Northeast</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Union of Concerned Scientists - December 2008 – 44 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/importing-pollution_report.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The Northeast’s cap-and-trade system for global warming pollution will be compromised unless utilities are prevented from importing additional coal-fired electricity, according to the report. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which applies to power plants in 10 Northeastern states, does not preclude the utilities that supply electricity to Northeast homes and businesses from buying more electricity from coal-fired power plants outside the region. That could increase the carbon dioxide emissions from those plants outside the region, offsetting emissions reductions under RGGI. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">NUCLEAR</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Protectionism Won't Fuel a Nuclear Renaissance</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Jack Spencer and Daniella Markheim The Heritage Foundation – Backgrounder – December 16, 2008 – 8 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/bg_2221.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Expansion of nuclear power will result in increased demand for uranium. Growing fuel markets will create the environment that can sustain new enrichment capacity; artificially protecting domestic suppliers will not. The U.S. needs a domestic supplier of enriched uranium for national security purposes. The U.S. and Russia must continue to convert Russian weapons-grade uranium for use in peaceful power reactors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Prime Numbers: The Nuclear Option</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Charles D. Ferguson and Michelle M. Smith</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Foreign Policy – Article - January/February 2009 </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4586</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“After a decades-long slowdown, nuclear power once again dominates global energy debate. Dozens of countries are vying to join the nuclear power club, and hundreds of new reactors are on the drawing board. But nuclear energy will not be the miracle cure for energy dependence or global warming that its proponents promise.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Business Risks and Costs of New Nuclear Power</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Craig A. Severance</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Climate Progress – Study – January 5, 2009 - 37 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nuclear-costs-2009.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Several U.S. utilities are now advancing proposals for a new generation of nuclear power plants. Though massive cost overruns and construction delays in the 1970's and 1980's caused U.S. utilities to cancel over 130 nuclear plant orders 1, the nuclear industry is now hoping to ride a wave of concern over global warming. Can new nuclear power help the U.S. electric power industry cut greenhouse gas emissions, at a reasonable cost?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">America's Nuclear Waste and What to Do With It</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Bill Magwood and Mark Ribbing </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - November 7, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254827</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A candid discussion is needed -- within your new administration and in the country as a whole -- about nuclear energy, a non-climate- changing power source that is actually capable of generating significant amounts of energy in the near term. The key to making nuclear energy a more viable alternative is the adoption of advanced spent-fuel recycling techniques to deal with one of nuclear power's most vexing problems -- the presence of radioactive waste material.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Creating a Nuclear-Fuel Bank</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sen. Evan Bayh Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - December 5, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254843</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">How do we respond to valid and growing demands for civilian nuclear energy worldwide without permitting more countries to acquire nuclear weapons? The answer, in my view, is to set up an international nuclear-fuel bank that would supply fuel to any country that agrees not to develop its own enriching and reprocessing facilities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Demonstration of the Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel </span><span style="font-family: arial;">from Decommissioned Nuclear Power Reactor Sites</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Department of Energy - Report to Congress - December 2008 – 26 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/info_library/program_docs/ES_Interim_Storage_Report_120108.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s report discusses the status of the commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) inventory in the United States, at both decommissioned and operating commercial nuclear power reactor sites. It also summarizes the contractual arrangement the Government and utilities have under the Standard Contract for Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or High-Level Radioactive Waste (10 CFR Part 961), related litigation, and the financial liabilities resulting from the Department’s delay in performance under these contracts. Further, the report identifies legislative changes and actions that would be necessary for the Department to develop an interim storage facility and demonstration program for commercial SNF from the decommissioned reactor sites.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">RENEWABLES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Toward a Just and Sustainable Solar Energy Industry</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Dustin Mulvaney et al. Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition January 14, 2009 – 48 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.etoxics.org/site/DocServer/Silicon_Valley_Toxics_Coalition_-_Toward_a_Just_and_Sust.pdf?docID=821</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The report documents and analyzes the environmental and health hazards of solar panel systems in a supposed “win-win” solution to global warming. It covers the health and safety concerns as well as recommendations for building a just and sustainable solar energy industry. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Wind Energy Grows by Record 8,300 Mw in 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">American Wind Energy Association - January 27, 2009 – </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/wind_energy_growth2008_27Jan09.html</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity, enough to serve over 2 million homes, reports the study. The massive growth in 2008 swelled the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 50% and channeled an investment of some $17 billion into the economy, positioning wind power as one of the leading sources of new power generation in the country today along with natural gas. At year’s end, however, financing for new projects and orders for turbine components slowed to a trickle and layoffs began to hit the wind turbine manufacturing sector. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Wind Energy for a New Era </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">American Wind Energy Association – November 2008 – 24 pages </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.newwindagenda.org/documents/Wind_Agenda_Report.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Developed for the new President and Congress, Wind Energy for a New Era presents the wind energy industry’s federal policy agenda. An overview of the recommendations as well as the full report are available.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">ELECTRICITY</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Electric Power Industry 2007: Year in Review</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Energy Information Administration - January 21, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epa_sum.html</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2007, average retail electricity prices increased 2.6 percent from 8.9 to 9.1 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) This followed a 3-year period during which average fossil fuel prices for electricity generation increased a cumulative 30.2 percent. As fuel prices increased 30.2 percent, the National average retail price of electricity increased 17.0 percent from 7.6 cents per kWh in 2004 to 8.9 cents per kWh in 2006. Fossil fuel prices increased an additional 7.0 percent in 2007, contributing to the 2.6 percent average retail electricity rate increase.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Identifying Hurdles to Renewable Electricity Transmission</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Kit Batten, Kari Manlove Center for American Progress – Report - December 18, 2008 – 8pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/renewable_transmission.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The electricity grid in the United States is often heralded as one of the world’s first great technological achievements in modern history. The grid pioneered national access to electricity and spurred prosperity, and it now represents a central piece of economic and societal infrastructure. But nearly a century after grid construction began, no major updates have occurred. The current grid configuration cannot handle the growth in electricity demand expected over the next few decades unless we act quickly to modernize it. Our electricity grid is an integral but often overlooked element in the shift to a low-carbon economy. This report seeks to highlight the multiple challenges and opportunities for action to vastly increase our nation’s renewable energy generation and connect this clean energy to the grid via advanced electrical transmission construction.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Affordable Home Energy </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Joy Moses Center for American Progress – Report - December 2008 - 46 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/liheap.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“It is imperative that Americans prioritize a policy agenda that solves the problem of unaf¬fordable home energy for low-income households—health, safety, and other relevant concerns dictate this course of action.” The author offers recommendations to help low-income households with their energy costs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Lights Out for Thomas Edison</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sterling Burnett and Amanda Berg National Center for Policy Analysis - January 11, 2009</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba637/</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Although touted by many as the smart energy choice, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are not suitable for many common uses and should not be required by the government, according to the report. The authors argue: “For many uses, compact fluorescent bulbs may be more costly and troublesome than they’re worth.” The report concludes that despite manufacturer claims, many CFLs don’t come close to lasting the 10,000 hours they are supposed to last. In addition, CFLs also contain potentially toxic mercury, therefore, CFL disposal and breakage presents numerous health and environmental concerns. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">CARBON EMISSIONS</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Low-Carbon Energy: A Roadmap</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Christopher Flavin Worldwatch Institute - January 6, 2009 – 52 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.worldwatch.org/press/prerelease/EWP178.pdf</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">New technologies will permit rapid de-carbonization of the world energy economy in the next two decades, according to the report. These new energy sources will make it possible to retire hundreds of coal-fired power plants that now provide 40 percent of the world’s power by 2030, eliminating up to one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions while creating millions of new jobs. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels will diminish the climate crisis and will also act as an agent of recovery for an ailing global economy. Rebuilding the global energy system has the potential to create thousands of new businesses and millions of new jobs. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">CO2-Emission Cuts: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">The Economic Costs of the EPA's ANPR Regulations</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., and Karen A. Campbell, Ph.D. The Heritage Foundation - Center for Data Analysis – Report - 29 October 2008 – 16 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/CDA_08-10.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) proposes an unprecedented expansion of federal ability to regulate CO2 emissions. Its limits on CO2 emissions would impose significant costs on virtually the entire American economy. Even under a fairly optimistic set of assumptions, the economic impact of the ANPR is likely to be serious for the job market, household budgets, and the economy overall.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-43862639335974045212009-02-07T02:17:00.000-08:002009-02-07T02:21:21.464-08:00AGRICULTURE - FOOD USA<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Source:<a href="http://france.usembassy.gov/"> http://france.usembassy.gov</a> </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Million-Dollar Farms in the New Century</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Robert A. Hoppe et al. U.S. Department of Agriculture - Web posted January 1, 2009 – 47 pages http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib42/eib42.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Million-dollar farms, those with annual sales of at least $1 million, accounted for about half of U.S. farm sales in 2002, up from a fourth in 1982, with sales measured in constant 2002 dollars. By 2006, million-dollar farms, accounting for 2 percent of all U.S. farms, dominated U.S. production of high-value crops, milk, hogs, poultry, and beef. The shift to million-dollar farms is likely to continue because they tend to be more profitable than smaller farms, giving them a competitive advantage. Most million-dollar farms, 84 percent, are family farms, that is, the farm operator and relatives of the operator own the business. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Organic Agriculture in the United States</span>: Program and Policy Issues</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Renée Johnson Congressional Research Service (CRS) - November 25, 2008 - 13 pages http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/113547.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990 as part of a larger law governing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs from 1990 through 1996 (P.L. 101-624, the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990). The act authorized the creation of a National Organic Program (NOP) within USDA to establish standards for producers and processors of organic foods, and permit such operations to label their products with a “USDA Organic” seal after being officially certified by USDA-accredited agents. The new omnibus law that will govern USDA programs and policies through FY2012 (P.L. 110-246; the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008) contains several provisions affecting organic agriculture and the NOP.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fisheries Economics of the United State</span>s 2006</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Rita Curtis et al. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Marine Fisheries Service – Report - January 6, 2009 – 166 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/st5/publication/econ/EconomicsReport_ALL.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The United States commercial and recreational fishing generated more than $185 billion in sales and supported more than two million jobs in 2006, according to the study.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 403(A) of the Magnuson-Stevens <span style="font-weight: bold;">Fishery Conservation and Management</span> Reauthorization Act of 2006</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - January 2009 – 146 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/msa2007/docs/biennial_report011309.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has produced the first ever report to Congress identifying six nations, France, Italy, Libya, Panama, People's Republic of China, Tunisia , whose fishing vessels were engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2007 or 2008. Annual global economic losses due to IUU fishing are estimated to be about $9 billion, according to an international task force on IUU fishing.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >A Comparison of Household Food Security in Canada and the United States</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mark Nord and Heather Hopwood Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Web posted January 9, 2009 – 50 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR67/ERR67.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Food security, consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, is essential for health and good nutrition. The extent to which a nation’s population achieves food security is an indication of its material and social well-being. Differences in the prevalence of household-level food insecurity between Canada and the United States are described at the national level and for selected economic and demographic subpopulations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Agricultural Markets and Food Price Inflation </span>— A conference summary FRB Chicago - Chicago Fed Letter - January 2009 – 4 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">http://www.chicagofed.org/publications/fedletter/cfljanuary2009_258a.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On October 2, 2008, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago held a conference that focused on the economic impacts of volatile agricultural prices and food policy, especially their intersection with the macroeconomy through food price inflation. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-40480592211671682772009-02-07T02:12:00.000-08:002009-02-07T02:16:06.254-08:00TRANSORTS USA<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Source:<a href="http://france.usembassy.gov"> http://france.usembassy.gov</a> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Making America the World's Clean-Car Leader</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Jan Mazurek Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President – January 15, 2008</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900202&contentID=254868</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs account for nearly one-half of the 20 million barrels of oil consumed in the U.S. each day. If we are to sustain a car-centered national lifestyle, we must usher in a new era of clean, energy-efficient cars and trucks… You should therefore phase out CAFE and replace it with a new policy that focuses on cutting carbon emissions from cars and trucks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cash for Clunkers </span>Center for American Progress and Smart Transportation.org – November 2008 – 5 pages</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/pdf/cash_for_clunkers.pdf</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“Cars which are 13 years or older account for only 25 percent of total miles driven in the US, but they produce 75 percent of all pollution from automobiles. ..An effective “Cash for Clunkers” program would target Americans who own older, inefficient vehicles, often those of more limited means who would benefit most from upgrading to a more economical model. The program would offer a premium rate for these vehicles, which would be subsequently scrapped, with the owner agreeing to acquire a more efficient vehicle or use the voucher for mass transit.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Putting America's Transportation System on Track</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul Weinstein Jr. Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President – January 15, 2008 </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900200&contentID=254865</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">“If we choose to live in the past, America's transportation system will just keep creaking along. But if we take a regional approach, high-speed trains and traditional rail can serve an important transportation role in the 21st century. Such a breakthrough will not come cheap, and choosing five corridors to start the process will take political courage. However, the economic, environmental, and transportation benefits of high-speed rail are clearly worth the expense and the effort.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Freight and Passenger Rail: </span>Present and Future Roles, Performance, Benefits, and Needs</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">House – Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – January 28, 2009<br /> http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=800</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Background on on the roles of freight and passenger railroads in the U.S. economy; the impact of the current economic crisis on the railroad industry, its suppliers, and employees; the benefits of freight and passenger rail; and freight and passenger rail investment needs. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-5014420551059849502008-06-13T03:04:00.000-07:002008-06-13T03:10:29.497-07:00LE MARCHE DES MATIERES PREMIERES VU PAR LE FMI<span><b><a onclick="'var" x=".tl(" s_objectid="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/fre/2008/03/pdf/helbling.pdf_1" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/fre/2008/03/pdf/helbling.pdf">Vague porteuse</a></b></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Thomas Helbling, Valerie Mercer–Blackman et Kevin Cheng</i><br />Les consommateurs et les pays importateurs de matières premières commencent à souffrir de la hausse des cours des matières premières, et on s’inquiète des répercussions sur les pauvres dans les pays émergents et les pays en développement. L’envolée des cours pourrait avoir des effets durables.<br />(936 kb fichier pdf)<br /></span> Voir <a onclick="'var" x=".tl(" s_objectid="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/fre/2008/03/pdf/tamirisa.pdf_1" href="http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/fre/2008/03/pdf/tamirisa.pdf"></a><a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/sources/INTERNET/n51min.php">Mineraux sur Internet</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-6724230733885009172008-06-04T03:12:00.000-07:002008-06-04T03:12:15.968-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI50kOUYinafDyzNiERToW5ymer3TgLWWGcJP0lSgud1QFoOA2_K2fuqUMxC7GCnJpwXPjmuK_o1Tcw1pTlEK4opf96_DQrxz1L-ar_HeL4qie5AyiRQ8l0IyFywq8zKkY_m13krMUyXIR/s1600-h/industry_03.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="CLEAR: both; FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI50kOUYinafDyzNiERToW5ymer3TgLWWGcJP0lSgud1QFoOA2_K2fuqUMxC7GCnJpwXPjmuK_o1Tcw1pTlEK4opf96_DQrxz1L-ar_HeL4qie5AyiRQ8l0IyFywq8zKkY_m13krMUyXIR/s160/industry_03.jpg" border="0" /></a><div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-6553734034420671422008-02-08T01:40:00.000-08:002008-02-08T01:42:36.512-08:00USA ENERGY<p style="margin-right: 0.95cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">PUBLIC AFFAIRS - American Embassy</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Sylvie VACHERET</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="fr-FR">Tel: 01 43 12 </span><span lang="fr-FR">29 28</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="fr-FR">E Mail: vacheretsr@state.gov</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p><p style="text-indent: 1.27cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><b>U.S. ENERGY ONLINE </b> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><b>A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON THE WEB</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><b>N</b><sup><b>o</b></sup><b> 2 – September/October 2007</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="center"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">ENERGY POLICY</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Cutler J. Cleveland and Robert K. Kaufmann</h1> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>The Bush Energy Policy</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Center for Energy and Environmental Studies - Boston University – 14 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.bu.edu/cees/research/workingp/pdfs/Bush_Policy0102.pdf">http://www.bu.edu/cees/research/workingp/pdfs/Bush_Policy0102.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Like his four predecessors, President Bush has identified dependence on imported oil as an urgent energy, economic, and national security concern. To close the 'oil supply gap' the President promotes the development of domestic resources of oil and natural gas. Will this policy succeed? This project assesses the economic, energy security and environmental issues surrounding the Bush Energy plan.” </p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Gregory J. Lengyel </h1> <h2 class="western">Department of Defense Energy Strategy</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Brookings Institution - Paper - August 2007</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/lengyel20070815.htm">http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/lengyel20070815.htm</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The United States has a National Security problem, energy security, in which the Department of Defense has a unique interest. The United States imports 26% of its total energy supply and 56% of the oil it consumes. The DOD is the largest single consumer of energy in the United States and energy is the key enabler of US military combat power. Huge energy consumption, increased competition for limited energy supplies, ever increasing energy costs, and no comprehensive Energy Strategy or oversight of energy issues in the DOD have created vulnerabilities.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;" align="left"><b>Federal Electricity Subsidies: Information on Research Funding, Tax Expenditures, and Other Activities That Support Electricity Production</b></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">US Government Accountability Office – October 26, 2007 – 67 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-102">http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-102</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Because of electricity’s importance to producers, consumers, and businesses, the federal government has undertaken a wide range of programs to develop the electricity sector, which includes fuel suppliers, electric utilities, and others in the electricity industry. These programs have sought to, among other things, develop the nation’s electrical infrastructure, influence the types of fuels used to produce electricity, increase the use of renewable energy, and limit the harmful effects of electricity production.”</p> <h2 class="western">Reaping the Rewards: How State Renewable Electricity Standards Are Cutting Pollution, Saving Money, Creating Jobs And Fueling A Clean Energy Boom</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Federation of States PIRGs – September 17, 2007 – 64 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.uspirg.org/uploads/n9/pG/n9pGh-1aBbt5IAFiNOvCQQ/Reaping-the-Rewards-USPIRG.pdf">http://www.uspirg.org/uploads/n9/pG/n9pGh-1aBbt5IAFiNOvCQQ/Reaping-the-Rewards-USPIRG.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“America now generates twice as much electricity from the wind and the sun as it did just four years ago. RES policies have been among the most important factors in encouraging the development of renewable energy. This report documents the benefits that have already been achieved by states that have adopted renewable electricity standards.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Energy Efficiency: Opportunities Exist for Federal Agencies to Better Inform Household Consumers. </h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate – Report to the Chairman - September 26, 2007</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1162"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u>http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-07-1162</u></span></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Overall, opportunities exist for the EnergyGuide program to improve how it provides information that could help consumers improve their households’ energy efficiency and decrease energy consumption nationally.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Trends in Energy Derivatives Markets Raise Questions about CFTC's Oversight</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">United States Government Accountability Office - Testimony Before the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management - Committee on Agriculture - House of Representatives - October 24 – 25 pages </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-174T">http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-174T</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Energy prices for crude oil, heating oil, unleaded gasoline, and natural gas have risen substantially since 2002, generating questions about the role derivatives markets have played and the scope of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) authority. This testimony focuses on (1) trends and patterns in the futures and physical energy markets and their effects on energy prices, (2) the scope of CFTC’s regulatory authority, and (3) the effectiveness of CFTC’s monitoring and detection of abuses in energy markets.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Energy Market and Economic Impacts Of S.280, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy - July 2007 – 92 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/csia/pdf/sroiaf%282007%2904.pdf">http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/servicerpt/csia/pdf/sroiaf(2007)04.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“This report provides estimates of the economic impact of Senate Bill S.280, the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007. This bill would establish a series of caps on greenhouse gases starting in 2012 and continuing to 2050. The report provides estimates of the effects on energy markets and the economy through 2030.” </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">TAXES</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Kevin A. Hassett and Gilbert E. Metcalf </h1> <h2 class="western">An Energy Tax Policy for the Twenty-First Century</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">American Enterprise Institute Online - August 9, 2007 – 5 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.26625/pub_detail.asp">http://www.aei.org/publications/filter.all,pubID.26625/pub_detail.asp</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The United States' energy tax policy is rooted in a twentieth-century objective to encourage the development of the domestic energy sector. With the new geopolitical realities of the twenty-first century, it is an opportune time to revisit our policies.”</p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Eric Toder </h1> <h2 class="western">Eliminating Tax Expenditures with Adverse Environmental Effects</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">WRI and Brookings - Policy brief - June 2007 - 12 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://pdf.wri.org/Brookings-WRI_TaxExpenditures.pdf">http://pdf.wri.org/Brookings-WRI_TaxExpenditures.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“This policy brief examines four tax expenditures listed by the Joint Committee on Taxation—each with an annual revenue loss of over $1 billion—that increase consumption of fossil fuels. The first three—expensing of exploration and development costs, percentage depletion, and the alternative fuel production credit—encourage domestic production of fossil fuels. The fourth—exemption of qualified parking expenses—encourages commuting by automobile.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Gilbert E. Metcalf </h1> <h2 class="western">A Green Employment Tax Swap: Using a Carbon Tax to Finance Payroll Tax Relief</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Brookings Institution and World Resource Institute – Policy Brief – June 2007 - 8 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://pdf.wri.org/Brookings-WRI_GreenTaxSwap.pdf">http://pdf.wri.org/Brookings-WRI_GreenTaxSwap.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“A carbon tax is another way to limit emissions. This policy brief describes how a carbon tax could be implemented and presents an analysis of a Green Employment Tax Swap (GETS). Under this proposal, a national tax on carbon emissions is paired with a reduction in the payroll tax. In particular, the brief assesses the impact of a tax of $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is used to rebate the federal payroll tax on the first $3,660 of earnings per worker. This reform is both revenue-neutral and distributionally neutral.”</p> <h2 class="western">BILATERAL AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS</h2> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Frank Verrastro and Sarah Ladislaw</h1> <h2 class="western">Providing Energy Security in an Interdependent World</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Washington Quarterly – Autumn 2007 – 10 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_verrastro.pdf">http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_verrastro.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Concern over the continued ability to secure energy supplies from an increasing list of inaccessible, high-risk, or less than reliable parts of the world has prompted policymakers to once again raise the issues of the desirability and achievability of energy independence. Yet, focusing on energy independence, although politically attractive, is a misguided quest that can actually distract from the more important objective of managing the transition to a more sustainable and secure energy future.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Zha Daojiong and Hu Weixing</h1> <h2 class="western">Promoting Energy Partnership in Beijing and Washington</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Washington Quarterly – Autumn 2007 – 11 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_zha-hu.pdf">http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_zha-hu.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“In an age of global interdependence, Beijing and Washington should seek to ameliorate differences on tense energy issues. Although dialogues on energy security conceptualizations and policy preferences are positive, they must move beyond talking toward a true partnership that can confront the common challenges they face as importers.”</p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Mark P. Sullivan, Clare M. Ribando, and Nelson Olhero</h1> <h2 class="western">Latin America: Energy Supply, Political Developments, and U.S. Policy Approaches.</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Congressional Research Service (CRS), Library of Congress - Updated May 8, 2007 – 23 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/07Jun/RL33693.pdf">http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/07Jun/RL33693.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela supply the U.S. with almost 50% of its imported oil and petroleum products. The oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere are approximately 24% of worldwide reserves. The U.S. has the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the hemisphere—approximately 37%. However, most Latin American and Caribbean countries are net energy importers. This report examines the current political environment in Latin America and its effect on energy production in the region. The report also discusses efforts to help Latin American and Caribbean countries that are dependent on energy imports. Lastly, it examines proposed policies for increased hemispheric energy cooperation and security.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Zeyno Baran</h1> <h2 class="western">EU Energy Security: Time to End Russian Leverage</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Washington Quarterly – Autumn 2007 – 14 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_baran.pdf">http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_baran.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Questions regarding the security and sustainability of energy supply have mostly been left to individual EU member states and to the invisible hand of the market. Many European leaders preferred not to discuss the geopolitics of energy, instead delegating this portfolio to their economic ministries. Russia, the European Union’s primary oil and gas provider, has deliberately taken advantage of this lack of cohesion to gain favorable energy deals and heighten European dependence on Russian supplies. Moscow is pursuing a divide and conquer strategy of amassing bilateral deals with member states..”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Erica S. Downs </h1> <h2 class="western">The Fact and Fiction of Sino-African Energy Relations</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Brookings Institution - China Security - Summer 2007 – 27 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www3.brookings.edu/views/articles/fellows/downs20070913.pdf">http://www3.brookings.edu/views/articles/fellows/downs20070913.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The expanding footprint in Africa of China's national oil companies (NOCs) lies at the heart of concerns of many policy-makers and pundits in the United States and Europe. China's deepening engagement with Africa is viewed as an erosion of their own interests and influence on the continent…This article examines a number of widely accepted "facts" about the growing involvement of China's NOCs in Africa. While some of these have some validity, others simply do not. Contrary to public opinion, China's NOCs are not "locking up" the lion's share of African oil as part of a centralized quest for energy.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">NEW TECHNOLOGIES</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Fred Sissine</h1> <h2 class="western">Renewable Energy: Background and Issues for the 110th Congress</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Congressional Research Service (CRS) - September 6, 2007 - 37 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/92953.pdf">http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/92953.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Renewable energy can be used to produce liquid fuels and electricity. A variety of funding, tax incentives, and regulatory policies have been enacted to support renewables as a means for addressing concerns about energy security, air pollution, international competitiveness, and climate change. This report reviews the background for renewables and describes the current congressional debate.”</p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Brent D. Yacobucci</h1> <h2 class="western">Biofuels Provisions in H.R. 3221 and H.R. 6: A Side-by-Side Comparison</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Congressional Research Service (CRS) - August 21, 2007 - 35 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/92963.pdf">http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/92963.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“With recent high energy prices, concerns over energy security, and the desire to reduce air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, there is ongoing congressional interest in promoting greater use of alternatives to petroleum fuels. Biofuels — transportation fuels produced from plants and other organic materials — have attracted particular interest. Ethanol and biodiesel, the two most widely used biofuels, receive significant federal support in the form of tax incentives, loan and grant programs, and regulatory programs.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">National Geothermal Initiative</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Senate Energy Committee - Hearing - September 26, 2007 </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1656">http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=1656</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 1543, a bill to establish a national geothermal initiative to encourage increased production of energy from geothermal resources by creating a program of geothermal research, development, demonstration and commercial application to support the achievement of a national geothermal energy goal.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Witnesses: President of Icelqnd Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, Alexander Karsner, U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Myers, Director, USGS, Susan Petty, AltaRock Energy; Dr. Lisa Shevenell, University of Nevada; Dr. David R. Wunsch, New Hampshire Geological Survey; Dr. Kenneth H. Williamson, Geothermal Consultant</p> <h2 class="western">GAS AND OIL</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Josef Braml</h1> <h2 class="western">Can the United States Shed Its Oil Addiction?</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Washington Quarterly – Autumn 2007 – 14 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_braml.pdf">http://www.twq.com/07autumn/docs/07autumn_braml.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Since the 1950s, U.S. energy consumption, mainly driven by the transportation sector and fed by oil, has almost tripled. Because the cultivation of domestic resources has not been able to keep up with demand, the United States has become increasingly dependent on energy supplies from unstable regions of the world. The costs and risks to national security provide the first major incentive for a readjustment of U.S. energy policy. U.S. dependency on foreign energy creates immense economic challenges and vulnerabilities as well.”</p> <h2 class="western">Facing the Hard Truths about Energy: A Comprehensive View To 2030 Of Global Oil And Natural Gas: Draft Report</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">NPC Global Oil and Gas Study - National Petroleum Council (NPC) - July 18, 2007 – 422 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.npc.org/Facing_Hard_Truths-71807.pdf">http://www.npc.org/Facing_Hard_Truths-71807.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“This study found that global energy demand is projected to grow by 50-60 percent by 2030. At the same time, there are risks to the supply of reliable, affordable energy. The risks, as outlined in this report, are political, infrastructure requirements, and lack of a trained workforce. The report concludes with strategies to meet these challenges.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Joseph G. Haubrich and Brent Meyer</h1> <h2 class="western">Peak Oil</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland – Economic Commentary – August 15, 2007 – 4 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/Commentary/2007/0815.pdf">http://www.clevelandfed.org/research/Commentary/2007/0815.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“When will the world’s production of oil peak, and what will the economic consequences be?<br />Calculating when turns out not to be so straightforward as it seems, but predicting the likely<br />economic consequences is—and they’re not as bleak as many fear.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Toni Johnson</h1> <h2 class="western">Non-OPEC Oil Production</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Council on Foreign Relations – October 19, 2007</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.cfr.org/publication/14554/">http://www.cfr.org/publication/14554/</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Oil producers operating outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are responsible for producing 60 percent of the world’s oil and face increasing production hurdles. Experts say many of the non-OPEC producers have older, less productive wells, rising costs for new projects, and in some cases rising demand at home that may cut into exports.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;font-size:85%;" ><span lang="en-US"><b>Federal Trade Commission Report On Spring/Summer 2006 Nationwide Gasoline Price Increases</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Federal Trade Commission – August 2007 - 27 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.ftc.gov/reports/gasprices06/P040101Gas06increase.pdf">http://www.ftc.gov/reports/gasprices06/P040101Gas06increase.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“In response to the President’s April 2006 directive, staff of the Commission conducted an economic analysis and investigation of the national average gasoline price increases that began during the spring of 2006 and continued through the summer. Using this information, staff identified six factors that appear to explain the national average price increases that occurred during the spring and summer of 2006, and then quantified the price impact of each of those six factors.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">NUCLEAR AND FUSION ENERGY</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Jack Spencer</h1> <h2 class="western">The Nuclear Renaissance: Ten Principles to Guide U.S. Policy</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Heritage Foundation – WebMemo #1640 – September 26, 2007 – 4 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/wm_1640.pdf">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/wm_1640.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Nuclear power has many advantages over other power sources, but a global expansion of peaceful nuclear technology could present risks if not managed properly. To reap the benefits of nuclear power, while minimizing the risks, the United States must commit to reestablishing itself as a technology leader in commercial nuclear power, avoid unwanted foreign dependencies, modernize its approach to waste disposal, promote marketplace freedom, and modify its approach to nonproliferation. The 10 straightforward principles laid out in this paper should guide Congress and the Administration's actions.”</p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Mark E. Gaffigan</h1> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;font-size:85%;" ><span lang="en-US"><b>Nuclear Energy: NRC Has Made Progress in Implementing Its Reactor Oversight and Licensing Processes but Continues to Face Challenges</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, Committee on Environment and Public Works – U.S. Senate - October 3, 2007 – 17 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-114T">http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-114T</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is responsible for overseeing the nation’s 104 commercial nuclear power reactors to ensure they are operated safely. This testimony is based on GAO reports that reviewed (1) how NRC implements the ROP, (2) the results of the ROP over several years, (3) the status of NRC’s efforts to improve the ROP, (4) NRC’s efforts to prepare its workforce and manage its workload for new reactor licensing, and (5) NRC’s efforts to develop its regulatory framework and review processes for new reactor activities.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Nuclear Energy: NRC's Workforce and Processes for New Reactor Licensing Are Generally in Place, but Uncertainties Remain as Industry Begins to Submit Applications</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">United States Government Accountability Office – Report to Congressional Committees – September 2007 – 41 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071129.pdf">http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d071129.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Nearly three decades after the last order for a new nuclear power reactor in the United States, electric power companies plan to submit 20 applications in the next 18 months to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for licenses to build and operate new reactors. Since 1989, NRC has developed a new license review process that allows a power company to obtain a construction permit and an operating license through a single combined license (COL) based on one of a number of standard reactor designs. NRC expects its new process to enhance the efficiency and predictability of its reviews. GAO reviewed NRC’s readiness to evaluate these applications by examining the steps NRC has taken to (1) prepare its workforce and manage its workload and (2) develop its regulatory framework and review process for new reactor activities.”</p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB"><br /></h1> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Jack Spencer</h1> <h2 class="western">Congress Must Implement CSC Treaty to Reinvigorate U.S. Nuclear Industry</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">The Heritage Foundation – Web Memo #1658 – October 9, 2007 – 2 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/wm_1658.pdf">http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/wm_1658.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“September 29 marked the 10-year anniversary of the United States signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC).<span style="font-size: 9pt;font-size:85%;" > </span>The House of Representatives has failed to pass legislation to implement the treaty. As it stands, U.S. firms are exposed to unlimited liability in U.S. courts, virtually barring them from competing for nuclear energy projects abroad.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Participating in the CSC will better enable U.S. companies to engage in peaceful international nuclear commerce. Congress should quickly adopt implementing legislation that will increase American competitiveness, demonstrate American leadership, and come at no cost to taxpayers.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Fusion Energy: Definitive Cost Estimates for U.S. Contributions to an International Experimental Reactor and Better Coordinated DOE Research Are Needed</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">United States Government Accountability Office – Report to Congressional Committees - October 26 – 38 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-30"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u>http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-30</u></span></a></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“The United States is pursuing two paths to fusion energy—magnetic and inertial. On November 21, 2006, the United States signed an agreement with five countries and the European Union to build and operate the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadarache, France, to demonstrate the feasibility of magnetic fusion energy. The United States also built and operates facilities to pursue inertial fusion energy research. This report discusses (1) U.S. contributions to ITER and the challenges, if any, in managing this international fusion program and (2) the Department of Energy’s (DOE) management of alternative fusion research activities, including National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) initiatives.”</p> <h2 class="western">MISCELLANEOUS</h2> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Lisa Margonelli</h1> <h2 class="western">Start-Up U</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">New America Foundation – California – September/October 2007</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://newamerica.net/publications/articles/2007/start_u_5890">http://newamerica.net/publications/articles/2007/start_u_5890</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“With global warming breathing down our necks, energy is hot. And Berkeley, where brainpower is mingling with government power-brokers to implement the state’s greenhouse gas legislation, is even hotter. Having just announced a $500 million ten-year deal with oil giant BP to found a new Energy Biosciences Institute on campus, Steven Chu, the Nobel Prize winner and head of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), made a pitch for more: “We are seeking industry partnerships ... We seek solutions. We don’t seek, dare I say, science papers anymore.””</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h1 class="auteur-western" lang="en-GB">Rajeev Dhawan and Karsten Jeske</h1> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;font-size:85%;" ><span lang="en-US"><b>What Determines the Output Drop after an Energy Price Increase: Household or Firm Energy Share?</b></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Working Paper 2007-20 – August 2007 – 12 pages</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.frbatlanta.org/filelegacydocs/wp0720.pdf">http://www.frbatlanta.org/filelegacydocs/wp0720.pdf</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“During the past thirty-five years, energy use as a fraction of output has dropped significantly at both the household and the firm levels. Therefore, we investigate a dynamic stochastic generalized equilibrium model economy’s response to an energy price hike for different firm and household energy shares. Simulation results indicate that the economy’s output response is mainly determined by the firm energy share. Increasing the household energy share while keeping firm energy share constant actually decreases the output response.”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <h2 class="western">Green Energy News</h2> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color:#0000ff;"><u><a href="http://www.green-energy-news.com/index.html" target="_top">http://www.green-energy-news.com/index.html</a></u></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Bruce Mulliken has been covering news and commentary on the world of clean, efficient, and renewable energy since 1996. His Green Energy News site is geared towards a broad audience that includes the general public, industry professionals, and government officials. First-time visitors will want to look at the "News Stories" on the front page which in recent editions have included pieces on the growing hydrogen economy, the potential of parking lots as a form of solar power, and the possibility of a zero emission electric vehicle with two wheels. Those looking for previous news features can browse the "Archives and Resources" area, which dates back to April 1996. Those looking for "green" events should browse over to the "Events Calendar" section, which provides links to upcoming events such as renewable energy conferences.”</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-42953580764101236252007-03-21T03:39:00.000-07:002007-03-21T04:08:04.990-07:00Daniel Cohn-Bendit sur l'energieExtraits de son article dans le Monde du 22/03/2007<br /><br /><p><table style="float: left; clear: both; padding-right: 6px;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td align="center"><center><script language="JavaScript">if (provenance_elt !=-1) {OAS_AD('x40')} else {OAS_AD('Middle')}</script><!-- ceci est un essai --></center> <div class="lien-2"> </div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Cinquante ans après le traité sur le charbon et l'acier les Européens doivent réduire leur dépendance énergétique, assurer la sécurité d'approvisionnement, mais en tenant compte cette fois de la dégradation climatique.</p><p>L'UE ne pourra plus compter sur ses ressources en pétrole et en gaz de la mer du Nord en cours d'épuisement . Selon la Commission européenne : sans changement radical de nos habitudes de consommation et de production énergétiques, la dépendance énergétique de l'UE d'ici à 2030 atteindra les 70 % de sa consommation - respectivement 80 % pour le gaz, 66 % pour le charbon et 90 % pour le pétrole. L'Europe importe déjà la quasi-totalité de son uranium, en provenance de pays instables.<br /></p><p>Les litiges entre la Russie, l'Ukraine,et la Biélorussie invitent à une stratégie commune des sources d'approvisionnement: par ex. oléoducs evitant la Russie à travers des pays de transit déjà membres de l'Union (sauf la Turquie)...</p><p>Le volet énergétique devrait être inclus dans la future politique étrangère et de sécurité commune (PESC) toujours exclue du champ communautaire.<br /></p><p>Ll'UE devra investir massivement dans les énergies renouvelables, pour des raisons économiques et ecologiques. 25 % de la consommation au moins devraient être assurés à partir des sourcesrenouvelable d'ici à 2020.<br /></p><p>Mais il faudra également l'Allemagne et la France scinder les secteurs de la production et de la distribution. La consommation elle-même doit être maîrisée...<br />Technologies innovantes dans la rénovation et la construction des bâtiments (secteur qui consomme 40 % de l'énergie utilisée dans l'Union), ainsi que des voitures, des appareils électroménagers et domestiques plus économes.</p><p>Changement des comportements? suite aux efforts de Al Gore, Nicolas Hulot ou Nicholas Stern ( rapport au gouvernement britannique : si dans les dix années à venir nous n'avons pas trouvé les moyens de réduire la production des gaz à effet de serre, le coût pour l'économie mondiale d'ici à 2100 excédera celui des deux guerres mondiales pour s'élever à 5 500 milliards d'euros. Quant aux effets sociaux, il les compare à ceux subis lors de la crise de 1929 et estime à 200 millions le nombre de personnes déplacées pour cause d'inondations ou de sécheresse. Cela dépasse le cadre d'une élection...</p><p>L'exigence climatique nous invite à reprendre le modèle du pacte de stabilité pour l'appliquer au climat.Moratoire sur la construction de nouvelles centrales, viser à terme la fermeture des anciennes, tout en élaborant une politique des transports durable, notamment par une internalisation des coûts et une taxation spécifique (près de 30 % des gaz à effets de serre proviennent des transports responsables de 70 % de la consommation de l'UE en pétrole quand leur dépendance aux produits pétroliers est de 96 %), nous pouvons réduire d'au moins 30 % les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, en particulier le CO<sub>2</sub> d'ici à 2020 et de 40 % d'ici à 2030 sans pour autant recourir au nucléaire.</p><p>L'objectif doit être la stabilisation de la température à l'échelle planétaire qui ne devra excéder que de 2 degrés celle rencontrée à l'époque préindustrielle. L'UE se positionnerait en tête de la course à l'innovation et à la compétitivité. Le monde de l'entreprise comprend aussi que la lutte contre le changement climatique est une affaire rentable . La British Petroleum a investi dans l'énergie solaire.</p><p>Un chantier gigantesque que nous pouvons pourtant lancer en attendant que les Etats-Unis élisent un nouveau président qui respectera le protocole de Kyoto. Le nouveau traité constitutionnel aura conservé la base juridique nécessaire: le principe de lutte contre la dégradation climatique comme principe régissant toutes les politiques de l'Union.<br /></p><hr /><p><b>Daniel Cohn-Bendit est député Verts au Parlement européen</b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-62146849947846464332007-03-20T03:20:00.000-07:002007-03-20T03:25:38.838-07:00ENERGIE: Le mixe énergétique du futur<span id="lblContenuTexte"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><div class="Section1"> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></b><b style=""><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;"><span style=""></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Arial;"> Le mixe énergétique du futur (Source: Ambassade d'Allemagne)<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;">La protection de l'environnement, la rentabilité et la fiabilité de l'approvisionnement<b> </b>sont les piliers du nouveau concept de politique énergétique pour<b> </b>l'Allemagne. Le secteur de l'économie et le gouvernement veulent investir<b> </b>des milliards dans l'énergie<b><br /><br />L</b>es prix du pétrole et du gaz battent tous<b> </b>les records, les ressources en énergies fossiles<b> </b>diminuent et la lutte contre le gaz à<b> </b>effet de serre est loin d'être terminée. L'énergie<b> </b>est un thème d'actualité. A quoi ressemble<b> </b>le mixe énergétique de l'avenir ? Comment s'assurer<b> </b>l'approvisionnement en matières premières ?<b> </b>Ce sont des questions que se posent<b> </b>aussi bien des organisations mondiales comme<b> </b>le G8 que les gouvernements nationaux.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">Le 3<b> </b>avril a marqué le début d'un nouveau concept<b> </b>de politique énergétique pour l'Allemagne: la<b> </b>chancelière Angela Merkel a invité à la chancellerie<b> </b>des représentants de la politique et de<b> </b>l'économie à un sommet sur l'énergie.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">D'ici<b> </b>mi-2007, le concept de l'énergie, basé sur la<b> </b>fiabilité de l'approvisionnement, la rentabilité,<b> </b>la compétitivité et le caractère non polluant<b> </b>sera élaboré lors de plusieurs rencontres au<b> </b>sommet. La première a déjà été un véritable<b> </b>succès: d'ici 2012, les entrepreneurs allemands<b> </b>veulent investir un total de 70 milliards d'euros<b> </b>dans l'approvisionnement en énergie.<b> </b>40 milliards seront affectés aux énergies<b> </b>renouvelables, 30 milliards à de nouvelles centrales<b> </b>et de nouveaux réseaux. De plus, le<b> </b>gouvernement fédéral consacre deux milliards<b> </b>d'euros à la recherche sur l'énergie. Une autre<b> </b>chose est claire: on maintient la sortie du<b> </b>nucléaire au cours de la législature allant<b> </b>jusqu'en 2009, comme cela figure au contrat<b> </b>de coalition, en dépit des opinions divergentes<b> </b>des partenaires.<b> </b><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Les <b>énergies renouvelables </b>sont l'un des<b> </b>principaux éléments du nouveau concept<b> </b>énergétique. La biomasse, l'énergie solaire et<b> </b>éolienne ainsi que la pile à combustible sont<b> </b>les vecteurs d'énergie du futur. Aujourd'hui<b> </b>encore le pétrole et le gaz arrivent en tête: La part des énergies renouvelables est de 4,6 pour cent de la consommation d'énergie et place l'Allemagne parmi les leaders mondiaux. Cette part augmente chaque année. Dès 2010 elle doit représenter au minimum 12,5 pour cent de la production d'électricité et doit même atteindre 20 pour cent d'ici 2020.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;"> La <b>biomasse</b> devra apporter une contribution importante. Il n'est donc pas étonnant qu'à Berlin on ait abordé le thème de la stratégie nationale en ce qui<b> </b>concerne les matières premières biologiques. En effet, la biomasse est la plus polyvalente des énergies renouvelables. Elle permet de produire aussi bien des carburants que de la chaleur et de l'électricité. Presque toutes les matières organiques sont d'excellents vecteurs d'énergie – aussi bien le colza que les roseaux, le lisier ou la bouse de vache. Contrairement au pétrole ou au gaz naturel, la biomasse réduit l'émission de gaz à effet de serre, elle est disponible en permanence et est indépendante du vent ou du temps. Les entreprises allemandes sont très innovatrices dans le domaine des énergies renouvelables. C'est le cas, par exemple de la société <span class="SpellE">Choren</span>, de Freiberg dans l'est de l'Allemagne, qui, en collaboration avec le groupe pétrolier Shell, investit des centaines de millions d'euros dans la production de "<span class="SpellE">SunDiesel</span>". Ce carburant non polluant est fabriqué essentiellement à partir de bois, de paille et de déchets agricoles. Ce carburant liquide est considéré comme le diesel le plus propre du monde: il émet 30 à 50 pour cent de moins de gaz d'échappement que le diesel fossile, il ne contient pas de goudron, est biodégradable et est neutre pour ce qui est du CO2 car, en se consumant, il n'en rejette pas plus que les plantes utilisées n'en ont absorbé lors de leur croissance. Grâce à leur brevet enregistré dans le monde entier, les responsables de <span class="SpellE">Choren</span> ont pu également convaincre les constructeurs automobiles <span class="SpellE">DaimlerChrysler</span> et Volkswagen qui, tous deux, soutiennent <span class="SpellE">Choren</span> Industries dans la recherche. A partir de 2007, <span class="SpellE">DaimlerChrysler</span> livrera tous ses modèles diesel équipés pour ce biocarburant. La biomasse est en plein essor, pas seulement à Freiberg: rien que l'année dernière 800 nouvelles installations de biogaz ont vu le jour en Allemagne. En 2005 on a produit près de dix milliards de kilowattheures – quatre milliards de plus qu'une année auparavant. Selon les estimations du ministère fédéral de l'Environnement, à long terme, en Allemagne, la biomasse permettra d'assurer dix pour cent de l'ensemble de la production d'électricité et 20 pour cent de la production de chaleur.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">En matière d'<b>énergie éolienne</b>, l'Allemagne occupe déjà la place de leader: des installations d'une puissance de 18000 mégawatts y ont été mises en place. Aucun autre vecteur d'énergie ne fournit autant d'électricité que la force du vent. On trouve en Allemagne environ un tiers des éoliennes installées dans le monde entier et à peu près la moitié des centrales éoliennes de l'<span class="SpellE">UE</span>. Ces installations produisent près du double d'électricité que n'en consomme Berlin en une année. A partir de 2008, au plus tard, la part en énergie éolienne de l'approvisionnement en électricité croîtra largement: dans deux ans débutera l'installation de plus de 30 parcs éoliens offshore dans la mer du Nord et <st1:personname productid="la Baltique. D'ici" st="on">la Baltique. D'ici</st1:personname> 2030 ils devront fournir jusqu'à 25.000 mégawatts. Le secteur de l'énergie éolienne enregistre également des records. Les sociétés <span class="SpellE">Enercon</span>, <span class="SpellE">Nordex</span> et <span class="SpellE">Repower</span> <span class="SpellE">Systems</span> comptent parmi les leaders mondiaux en technologie. <span class="SpellE">Repower</span> <span class="SpellE">Systems</span> est le premier à construire une éolienne de catégorie cinq mégawatts – la plus grande et plus puissante éolienne ayant jamais existé.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">L'<b>industrie solaire </b>allemande est également en plein essor. Elle réalise un chiffre d'affaires de trois milliards d'euros et croît chaque année de 20 pour cent. Le leader, <span class="SpellE">SolarWorld</span>, grâce à la reprise de la production de cellules solaires de Shell, il y a quelques mois, s'est même placé en tête du marché des Etats-Unis. En Allemagne également la photovoltaïque représente un potentiel important: en 2005, elle participait pour 1,6 pour cent à l'approvisionnement en énergie par des énergies renouvelables. Ce chiffre est amené à augmenter – grâce aux récents développements d'entreprises allemandes. D'ici 2010, le fabricant berlinois <span class="SpellE">Sulfurcell</span> veut produire des modules dits à couche fine pour la moitié des coûts actuels. En effet, la nouvelle génération de cellules solaires est fabriquée sans silicium utilisé jusqu'à maintenant. Les ingénieurs de <span class="SpellE">Schott</span> <span class="SpellE">Solar</span> optent pour une voie complètement nouvelle: ils ont développé des modules à couche fine semi transparents pouvant remplacer les vitres sur les bâtiments et produire ainsi de l'électricité. L'institut Fraunhofer pour les systèmes d'énergie solaire va encore plus loin: les modules des scientifiques de Freiburg atteignent un rendement de 25 pour cent – supérieur à celui de toutes les cellules solaires. Dans deux ans au plus tard les premiers modules de la troisième génération devraient arriver sur le marché.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">Il faudra attendre beaucoup plus longtemps pour la fabrication en série de la <b>pile à combustible</b> – du moins pour les véhicules. Selon les experts, ce ne sera pas avant 2020, au plus tôt, que l'on verra sur les routes un grand nombre de véhicules fonctionnant à l'hydrogène. L'ère du pétrole sera alors complètement révolue. En effet, la pile à combustible transforme l'hydrogène en électricité et en chaleur, sans aucun gaz d'échappement. Dans le monde entier, des techniciens travaillent à son développement, essentiellement en Allemagne. On est prêt à passer à la production en série de petites piles à combustible pouvant alimenter en énergie des ordinateurs et des téléphones portables. Des fabricants tels que Vaillant, <span class="SpellE">Viessmann</span> et <span class="SpellE">Buderus</span> se préparent à une révolution en matière de chauffage. Ils développent des piles à combustible stationnaires pouvant alimenter les maisons en électricité et en chaleur dont l'introduction est prévue pour <st1:metricconverter productid="2007. A" st="on">2007. A</st1:metricconverter> cette époque, en Allemagne, il faudra revoir le mixe énergétique.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">Pour des milliers d'Allemands, la question du chauffage ne se pose plus ; souvent, ils n'en ont même pas besoin. Car ils vivent dans <b>des maisons</b> <b>dites passives</b>, à très basse consommation d'énergie. La chaleur dégagée par le corps de deux adultes suffit en général comme source de chaleur. Cela semble être de la science-fiction mais n'est rien d'autre qu'une interaction sophistiquée entre différents composants techniques. Entre autre un isolement efficace des murs extérieurs, des fenêtres à triple vitrage, des collecteurs solaires sur le toit et un système de ventilation automatique. Son élément central est un échangeur de chaleur qui chauffe d'abord à température ambiante l'air frais aspiré à l'extérieur avant de le diffuser dans la maison. Et l'échangeur récupère la chaleur de l'air vicié qu'il expulse. Pour les propriétaires de maisons dites passives, les discussions sur la hausse des coûts du pétrole relèvent du passé. Une maison passive consomme 80% moins d'énergie qu'une maison à faible consommation d'énergie, et même plus de 90% de moins qu'un bâtiment conventionnel. Une maison passive consomme l'équivalent de moins d'un litre et demi de fuel par mètre carré et par an. Les maisons à faible consommation d'énergie, dont les standards en matière d'environnement sont obligatoires depuis 2002 pour tous les nouveaux bâtiments, consomment de 8 à <st1:metricconverter productid="10 litres" st="on">10 litres</st1:metricconverter>. Et les bâtiments anciens non isolés gaspillent jusqu'à <st1:metricconverter productid="40 litres" st="on">40 litres</st1:metricconverter>. Aujourd'hui, 6.000 bâtiments passifs sont construits chaque année en Allemagne et leur nombre devrait sensiblement augmenter. Car les surcoûts engendrés par les exigences de la construction passive (10% environ) ont beaucoup baissé. Et plus le prix du pétrole augmente et plus une maison passive est vite amortie. La construction économisant l'énergie est un marché d'avenir. Le gouvernement fédéral y veille aussi. Car il ne soutient pas seulement la construction de maisons passives, il aide aussi à la réhabilitation des bâtiments anciens. Si le propriétaire remplace sa vieille chaudière et améliore l'isolation de sa maison, il obtient des crédits particulièrement intéressants de <st1:personname productid="la Kreditanstalt" st="on">la <span class="SpellE">Kreditanstalt</span></st1:personname> <span class="SpellE">für</span> <span class="SpellE">Wiederaufbau</span> (<span class="SpellE">KfW</span>), une caisse de crédit à la construction détenue par <st1:personname productid="la F?d?ration. Plus" st="on">la Fédération. Plus</st1:personname> on économise d'énergie, et plus le taux d'intérêt est bas. Avec quelque 40 millions de logements en Allemagne, on comprend que cela représente un immense potentiel d'économie d'énergie.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family: Arial;">Une chaleur enfouie au plus profond de <st1:personname productid="la Terre" st="on">la Terre</st1:personname> : <b>la</b> <b>géothermie </b>fournit de l'énergie presque partout sur la planète, sans aucune émission, 24 heures sur 24, et indépendamment du soleil et du vent. Quelque 99% de la masse terrestre ont une température supérieure à 1000°. Le potentiel de l'énergie géothermique est donc à l'avenant. Théoriquement, elle suffirait pour couvrir les besoins en énergie du monde entier pendant 100.000 ans. Mais comme l'utilisation de la géothermie dépend fortement de la géologie des sols, la transformation de cette énergie en chaleur ou en électricité s'avère souvent trop chère. En Allemagne, les réservoirs de chaleur naturelle exploitables sont très profonds, un énorme investissement technique et financier est donc nécessaire pour les atteindre. C'est pourquoi la géothermie ne joue – encore – qu'un rôle modeste dans le pays. Elle ne couvrait en 2004 que 0,04% des besoins allemands en énergie primaire. Mais, depuis que le prix des énergies fossiles explose et gr'ce au soutien de la loi sur les énergies renouvelables, le secteur de la géothermie connaît une croissance de 14% par an. Actuellement, 24 centrales géothermiques sont en service en Allemagne, avec un rendement allant jusqu'à 20 mégawatts. Le groupe <span class="SpellE">Enro</span>, à Essen, travaillera dans des dimensions tout autres à partir de 2007 : il investit 250 millions d'euros au Brandebourg dans la construction de la plus grande centrale géothermique allemande qui aura un rendement de 25 mégawatts. Et un nombre croissant de propriétaires découvre cette source d'énergie non polluante. Ils obtiennent la chaleur nécessaire à leur chauffage avec des sondes géothermiques pouvant aller jusqu'à <st1:metricconverter productid="90 m?tres" st="on">90 mètres</st1:metricconverter> de profondeur. Un liquide y circule, collecte la chaleur de la terre et l'envoie à une pompe de chaleur installée dans le bâtiment. L'année dernière, 15.000 installations géothermiques ont été mises en place en Allemagne, au lieu de 10.000 les années précédentes. <st1:personname productid="la F?d?ration" st="on">La Fédération</st1:personname> allemande de géothermie estime que les nouvelles installations seront au nombre de 30.000 en 2006. Les installateurs, explique la fédération, arrivent d'ailleurs à la limite de leurs capacités.<br /><br /><br /><b>Initiative d'exportation</b></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">En Allemagne, les énergies renouvelables créent de plus en plus d'emplois. Rien qu'entre 2004 et 2005 <span class="GramE">le nombre</span> d'emplois dans ce secteur n'est passé de 157.000 à 170.000. Le développement permanent en Allemagne, tout comme l'exportation de la technologie allemande permettent d'atteindre d'importants taux de croissance. Depuis <st1:metricconverter productid="2002, l" st="on">2002, l</st1:metricconverter>'Agence allemande de l'énergie (<span class="SpellE">Dena</span>), par son initiative d'exportation des énergies renouvelables, aide des entreprises à se placer sur le marché mondial. Elle élabore, entre autres, des stratégies de commercialisation et organise de forums d'experts. <st1:personname productid="La Dena" st="on">La <span class="SpellE">Dena</span></st1:personname> donne des informations actuelles et détaillées sur les pays et les marchés intéressants pour l'exportation. Actuellement, les sociétés allemandes peuvent s'informer sur 40 pays. L'agence allemande de l'énergie propose également un dossier en plusieurs langues, destiné aux salons et foires à l'étranger, présentant les réalisations allemandes en matière d'énergies renouvelables. Cette initiative est couronnée de succès: aujourd'hui, environ 50 pour cent des installations hydrauliques du monde entier sont le fruit du savoir-faire allemand. Le taux à l'exportation de ce domaine représente 80 pour cent. L'industrie éolienne allemande a réalisé environ la moitié du volume mondial des ventes, dépassant les douze milliards d'euros. Les cellules solaires d'Allemagne ont une part de marché mondial de 16 pour cent.<br /><br /><br /><b>Calendrier 2007<br /><br /></b>En coopération avec les Chambres du commerce<b> </b>à l'étranger, l'initiative de promotion des<b> </b>exportations de l'Agence allemande pour l'Energie (<span class="SpellE">Dena</span>) présente des entreprises allemandes<b> </b>et leurs technologies utilisant les<b> </b>énergies renouvelables à l'étranger : du 14<b> </b>au 17 février à Lyon en France, du 28 février<b> </b>au 2 mars à Madrid en Espagne, du 19 au 21<b> </b>avril à <span class="SpellE">Verona</span> en Italie, du 14 au 16 mai à<b> </b>Casablanca au Maroc, et du 16 au 18 mai à<b> </b><span class="SpellE">Daegu</span> en Corée du Sud. Autres rendez-vous<b> </b>à l'adresse : <b><a href="http://www.exportinitiative.de/">www.exportinitiative.de</a><br /><br /><br />La loi sur les énergies</b></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">renouvelables</span></b><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Pratiquement aucun autre secteur en Allemagne n'a d'aussi belles perspectives de croissance que celui des énergies renouvelables. Selon <st1:personname productid="la F?d?ration" st="on">la Fédération</st1:personname> des énergies renouvelables, 300.000 nouveaux emplois devraient être créés dans ce secteur d'ici à 2020. Des chiffres que l'on doit en grande partie à la loi sur les énergies renouvelables (l'EEG). Car cette EEG prévoit un prix d'achat minimum garanti par l'Etat pour l'électricité produite avec des énergies renouvelables. L'objectif de l'EEG est de faire passer le pourcentage d'énergies renouvelables dans la production totale d'électricité en Allemagne à au moins 12,5% d'ici à 2010 et au moins 20% d'ici à 2020. La dernière mouture de la loi, entrée en vigueur en août 2004, prévoit par exemple un prix minimum d'achat de 9,5 centimes d'euro par kilowattheure pour l'électricité tirée de la biomasse, et ce pendant 20 ans. Cette promotion des énergies renouvelables a coûté quelque 2,4 milliards d'euros en 2005. Un bon investissement, comme le montre une étude réalisée par le Centre allemand de recherches spatiales et aéronautiques. Car la production d'électricité avec les énergies renouvelables a évité pendant la même période des dommages – par émissions, par exemple – s'élevant à au moins 2,8 milliards d'euros. Le bilan écologique de l'EEG est impressionnant : en 2005, elle a permis d'éviter l'émission de 57 millions de tonnes de dioxyde de carbone. L'objectif pour 2020 : éviter 110 millions de tonnes.<br /><br /><br /><b>L'énergie nucléaire</b></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Une journée au caractère symbolique : la loi sur " la fin programmée de l'utilisation de l'énergie nucléaire pour la production commerciale d'électricité " est entrée en vigueur le 26 avril 2002 en Allemagne, seize ans après l'accident de la centrale ukrainienne de Tchernobyl. La coalition gouvernementale de l'époque, composée du SPD et des Verts, déterminait les grands axes de cet adieu au nucléaire : la construction de nouvelles centrales n'est plus autorisée, et la durée de vie des centrales existantes est limitée à 32 ans après leur mise en service. Comme la grande coalition actuelle composée de <st1:personname productid="la CDU" st="on">la CDU</st1:personname>, de <st1:personname productid="la CSU" st="on">la CSU</st1:personname> et du SPD a convenu – malgré des opinions divergentes – de ne pas réviser la décision du gouvernement précédent, la dernière centrale nucléaire allemande devrait être déconnectée du réseau en 2023. Actuellement, 17 centrales nucléaires couvrent 26% des besoins allemands en électricité. En 2020, par contre, leur pourcentage sera infime, conformément à la loi sur la sortie du nucléaire. L'énergie nucléaire devrait être remplacée par les énergies renouvelables.<br /></span><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Infos sur l'Internet</span></b><span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: Arial;"><br /><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.bmu.de/">www.bmu.de</a></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />Ministère fédéral de l'Environnement, de <st1:personname productid="la Protection" st="on">la Protection</st1:personname> de la nature et de <st1:personname productid="la S?curit?" st="on">la Sécurité</st1:personname> des réacteurs<br /><b><a href="http://www.erneuerbare-energien.de/">www.erneuerbare-energien.de</a></b><br />Infos sur les énergies renouvelables en Allemagne<br /><b><a href="http://www.dena.de/">www.dena.de</a></b><br />Agence allemande de l'Energie<br /> <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div> </span></span> <img src="http://www.amb-allemagne.fr/bilderleisten-buttons/separatbas.gif" usemap="#separatbasbb8648a1" border="0" height="15" width="767" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-4401343570847397932007-03-13T02:38:00.000-07:002007-03-13T02:40:41.790-07:00Energies renouvelables en EuropeLes dirigeants des 27 ont adopté vendredi 9 mars un objectif contraignant de développement des énergies renouvelables pour qu'elles représentent 20% de la consommation énergétique de l'UE d'ici 2020, afin de limiter le réchauffement climatique, selon des sources européennes.<br />Les chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement n'avaient pas pu conclure jeudi soir sur le caractère contraignant de l'objectif général de 20% de renouvelables, la question la plus controversée du sommet. Ils ont donc dû examiner vendredi matin la nouvelle version des conclusions du sommet.<br />Certains Etats initialement réticents, comme la France, la Finlande ou la Pologne, s'étaient dits prêts jeudi à rallier l'objectif européen moyen de 20% (contre environ 7% aujourd'hui) à condition que la répartition future de l'effort entre Etats tienne compte de leurs spécificités énergétiques.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-80145027009134200332007-03-09T01:18:00.000-08:002007-03-09T01:20:37.131-08:00ENERGIE EN EUROPE<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><p><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 51);font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" >La Commission européenne a dévoilé le 10 janvier les bases d'une politique énergétique des 27, jugée incontournable au vu du réchauffement climatique et de la flambée des prix des hydrocarbures.</span></span><br />Les ministres de l'Energie des 27 ont entamé jeudi à Bruxelles une réunion qui donnera le coup d'envoi des gouvernements européens à une politique énergétique commune, sans fixer toutefois d'objectifs contraignants comme le voulait la Commission européenne. </p> <p>"Les 27 pays membres affichent des idées différentes sur les façons d'atteindre l'objectif" d'une politique énergétique commune, a reconnu au début de la réunion le ministre allemand de l'Economie Michael Glos, dont le pays préside l'UE jusqu'en juin.</p> <p>"Mon but est d'encourager la Commission européenne à suivre le chemin vers davantage de concurrence", a souligné M. Glos.<br /></p> <p>Les ministres européens de l'Energie doivent trouver un compromis qui sera soumis aux chefs d'Etat et de gouvernement au sommet européen des 8-9 mars, qui sera largement consacré à l'énergie. Mais les ministres de l'Energie se divisent sur les deux sujets sur lesquels la Commission a recommandé des mesures contraignantes.</p> <p>Elle a suggéré de porter à 20% en 2020 la part de ces énergies renouvelables dans la consommation globale de l'UE, contre 7% actuellement. Elle veut aussi instaurer pour les bio-carburants utilisés dans les véhicules des objectifs minimums nationaux de 10% des carburants consommés d'ici 2020.</p> <p>La Commission a préconisé aussi de scinder le patrimoine des producteurs d'énergie et des gestionnaires des réseaux de transport. Une démarche qui permettrait selon elle de stimuler la concurrence et les investissements et de faire baisser les prix.</p><p>Voir<a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/sources/INTERNET/n51ene.php"> ENERGIE SUR INTERNET</a></p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-5618098281652750322007-03-09T01:03:00.000-08:002007-03-09T01:13:58.861-08:00Les aspects internationaux de la politique énergétique"Les aspects internationaux de la politique énergétique" - Discours prononcé par M. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, ministre fédéral des Affaires étrangères, à l’occasion du deuxième Sommet du gouvernement fédéral sur l’énergie à Berlin, le 9 octobre 2006<br /><br /><br />Il y a dix ans, expliquer en quoi consiste la "politique étrangère énergétique" aurait sans doute pris beaucoup de temps. Aujourd’hui, les préoccupations quant aux réserves de matières premières - pas seulement le pétrole et le gaz - modifient les équilibres à l’échelle mondiale. Le pouvoir et la formation de contre-pouvoirs autour des questions énergétiques développent partout dans le monde une dynamique interne dangereuse. La faim de ressources à l’échelon planétaire et la gouvernance mondiale risquent de plus en plus d’entrer en collision. Notre politique dans les domaines de l’énergie, des affaires étrangères et de la sécurité doit faire face à ces défis. Elle doit être vouée à désamorcer en amont les potentiels de conflit d’une concurrence accrue concernant les ressources. Les présidences de l’Union européenne et du G8, qui débuteront prochainement, nous offrent la possibilité de formuler dans ses grandes lignes la politique énergétique de l’Europe et au-delà, et d’améliorer ainsi directement notre sécurité d’approvisionnement.<br /><br />Il convient de souligner trois aspects essentiels. Premièrement, la Russie est et reste le facteur clé de notre approvisionnement en énergie, en particulier en ce qui concerne le gaz. À moyen terme, le défi consiste à préserver l’interdépendance, sur un pied de réciprocité et d’égalité, moins entre la Russie et l’Allemagne qu’entre la Russie et l’Union européenne. Pour cela, il a fallu notamment renforcer le maillage dans le secteur de l’énergie. Certains y voient de la naïveté. Moi, je conseille au contraire de rechercher de telles possibilités tant que nous, et nos entreprises productrices d’énergie, sommes forts. La redécouverte du mercantilisme n’est sûrement pas un bon conseil. Nous devrions rechercher de telles possibilités sur la base de principes solides, notamment : la réciprocité de l’accès aux marchés, l’acceptation des règles de concurrence communautaires sévères s’appliquant à toutes les entreprises actives en Allemagne et au sein de l’UE, ainsi que la stabilité ! et la fiabilité du cadre juridique des deux côtés. Comme le montre l’exemple de Sakhaline, procéder a posteriori à des changements nuit au climat de coopération. Nous devons transposer dans les rapports UE-Russie les principes de la Charte de l’énergie, tels la fiabilité, la transparence et la sécurité de l’investissement, auxquels s’est associée la Russie lors du sommet du G8 de Saint-Pétersbourg. La renégociation de l’accord de partenariat et de coopération avec la Russie nous donne pour cela des points d’appui tant que tous n’ont pas ratifié la Charte de l’énergie.<br /><br />Le deuxième facteur clé de notre sécurité d’approvisionnement future est une plus grande diversification de nos zones d’approvisionnement. Pour y parvenir, nous développerons encore davantage notre coopération dans le domaine énergétique avec la Norvège, l’Afrique du Nord et aussi les pays d’Asie centrale. Concernant cette dernière région, nous lancerons sous présidence allemande une stratégie communautaire.<br /><br />Le troisième facteur clé est la coopération à l’échelle du globe en matière énergétique. Il nous faut des institutions énergétiques internationales et performantes qui associent encore plus étroitement les nouveaux pays émergents. C’est également dans ce sens que va une conférence dans le cadre du G8 en projet au ministère fédéral des Affaires étrangères pour l’automne prochain. Cette conférence vise à engager un processus de dialogue sur la sécurité énergétique conjointement avec les partenaires de Chine, d’Inde, du Brésil, du Mexique et d’Afrique du Sud. Il existe en outre des potentiels transatlantiques notamment dans le domaine du développement des technologies - un domaine loin d’être épuisé - pour l’ère de l’après-pétrole, et en particulier aussi sur le long chemin qui mène à l’hydrogène.<br /><br />Des champs essentiels de notre politique énergétique et de notre politique étrangère énergétique ont de plus en plus tendance à s’inscrire dans un contexte européen. La présidence allemande de l’Union européenne est tout spécialement appelée à ficeler un paquet global cohérent tout en sauvegardant nos intérêts. Cela s’applique également au marché intérieur de l’énergie. En effet, si ce marché intérieur ne fonctionne pas, il ne saurait y avoir de concurrence loyale en Europe, et sans marché intérieur, pas de reprise E.on - Endesa. La solidarité européenne dans le domaine de la sécurité des approvisionnements gaziers sera également un sujet abordé. Nous ne nous fermerons pas complètement à cette idée, mais nous ne pouvons pas non plus accepter une solution communautarisant les prestations fournies au préalable par l’Allemagne.<br /><br />La sécurité énergétique est indissociablement liée à la politique du climat et de l’environnement. L’efficacité énergétique, la promotion des énergies renouvelables, le transfert des technologies et les partenariats énergie-climat sont autant de termes clés. Dans la politique internationale du climat, le gouvernement fédéral continuera de jouer un rôle moteur, surtout pendant nos présidences, l’objectif devant être de faire participer, outre les États-Unis, les grands pays consommateurs en plein développement à un accord "après-Kyoto". Nous devons surmonter les fossés artificiels entre une approche technologique et des engagements quantitatifs. Notre crédibilité en matière de politique climatique et notre compétence technologique constituent ici une excellente base dans le domaine de l’efficacité énergétique et des économies d’énergie. La demande énergétique ainsi évitée soulage le marché mondial de même que l’environnement.<br /><br />La politique étrangère énergétique et l’économie extérieure disposent d’un potentiel commun que nous devons et pouvons exploiter encore davantage. Les entreprises allemandes dominent les secteurs mondiaux de la construction mécanique, de l’isolation des bâtiments, des techniques de mesure et réglage ainsi que de la gestion des processus. Nous voulons faire le maximum en politique pour valoriser ces atouts à l’échelle internationale. Nous voulons également miser sur une étroite coopération entre l’État et les milieux économiques dans le domaine de l’application conjointe (AC). Car ce mécanisme permet des situations internationales "gagnant-gagnant". L’attribution de droits d’émission supplémentaires au niveau national et la promotion des exportations de technologies profitent en définitive à toutes les parties prenantes ainsi qu’à la protection mondiale du climat. La restructuration du parc de centrales en Europe orientale, qui s’impose à bref délai, offre également des possibilités importantes pour le secteur économique allemand. Des projets pilotes, en Russie ou en Ukraine par exemple, au carrefour des politiques de l’énergie, de l’environnement et des technologies, donnent un nouvel élan à notre coopération avec ces pays dans le domaine de l’énergie.<br /><br />Voir<a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/sources/INTERNET/n51ene.php"> ENERGIE SUR INTERNET</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/sources/INTERNET/n51oil.php">PETROLE SUR INTERNET</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1784984930959776988.post-67509850355696569222007-03-09T00:39:00.000-08:002007-03-09T01:02:04.767-08:00INTRODUCTION AUX SECTEURS DANS LA VIE INTERNATIONALELa vie internationale est le plus souvent étudiée dans son approche géographique . Au sein des <a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/ESPACES/index2.php"><span style="font-weight:bold;">ESPACES</span></a> les acteurs sont principalement les Etats, parfois les sous-ensembles régionaux et locaux (nationalismes provinciaux...), parfois des regroupements continentaux (Union européenne, marchés sud-américains...), voire intercontinentaux (ONU, OTAN etc...) . <br />Ils traitent de pouvoirs et d'influences, d'intérêts économiques etc...dans l'esprit d'une souveraineté héritée des Traités de Westphalie .<br /><br />Cependant certains <span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.geoscopies.net/THEMES/t60sec.php">secteurs</a></span> d'action ne sont pas spécifiquement nationaux, ni même géographiques. <br /><br />Cela peut resulter de leur importance transfrontière (énergie) , d'une spécificité au delà des états (agriculture) , d'une localisation hors des territoires nationaux (mer, pôles, atmosphère...)<br /><br />Ces secteurs sont principalement d'ordre économique (energie, alimentation, transports...)<br /><br />Mais aussi social (santé, éducation...) voire intellectuel (recherche, diffusion des idées etc...) <br /><br />Avec la mondialisation ces "grands sujets" prennent une place croissante à côté de la "grande politique" internationale, celle de la sécurité ou des identités nationales... <br /><br />Ils méritent notre attention.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0