After speaking with a few EPA employees, I have some follow-up information related to the

Canary in a Coal Mine article from October 6th.

The EPA intends to propose a rule on the status of fly ash by the end of 2009. There are three broad options for what this rule might be:

1. All residue of coal combustion may be treated as a hazardous waste.
2. All residue of coal combustion may be regarded as non-hazardous.
3. A hybrid approach to regulation. For example, disposal may be considered hazardous while some beneficial uses are considered non-hazardous.

Further information about fly ash is available from the Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C²P²).

Click here to learn more about Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and Global Warming.

Click here to learn more about the Cap and Trade system.

It’s not a secret that a big draw-back of renewable energy is cost. The direct financial costs borne by the producers, and therefore consumers, of electricity created from fossil fuels is lower than that of renewable sources like wind and solar. However, the argument in favor of renewable energy is that there are indirect costs of electricity generated from fossil fuels that are not borne directly by the producers or consumers, but by society at large.

These are environmental and health costs that do have a direct and meaningful impact on our quality of life, but are not directly paid by producers and consumers of electricity generated from coal and other fossil fuels.

These indirect costs are not as tangible as the direct costs: you feel the impact of your electricity bill on your budget immediately, while the health and environmental impacts of coal usage are hard to quantify. …read more of Canary in a Coal Mine here

A new study from the Environmental Law Institute in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, “Estimating US Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008,” shed light on US energy subsidies.

The study finds that fossil fuels received almost two-and-a-half times more subsidies over the 7 year period than renewables: $72 billion for fossil fuels compared to $29 billion for renewables.

Of equal concern is that 58% of renewables subsidies ($16.8 billion) went towards corn-based ethanol, a fuel that’s carbon credentials are in question and has been linked to increasing world food prices. …read more of The Truth About US Energy Subsidies here

Time to turn that old “icebox” into a “nice box” of money.

Okay, bad pun.  But the point is: yep, cash for refrigerators.  The new measure from the Obama Administration’s national economic stimulus plan will provide you with a rebate for replacing your old “clunker” of a fridge for a shiny, new, high-efficiency model.

While the act will give consumers a nice cash break, it’s doubtful it will do much to revitalize the ailing appliance industry.  The more efficient appliances will also help consumers cut down on their monthly electricity bills, while eliminating millions of tons of CO2.

Program Details

This new act is based on the popular Cash for Clunkers program for old, inefficient cars, except this one will include refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioners, and other energy-hogging household appliances. …read more of Cash for Refrigerators here

The term “alternative energy” has been around for a long time, and surely the words “solar panels” and “wind turbines” no longer sound futuristic, but the fact of the matter is that emerging energy technologies are coming out everyday, and sometimes with a strange twist.

Here are four of the oddest and most extraordinary alternative energies to date. From kites to entire islands, the future of replacing fossil fuels is getting creative.

High Flying Wind Turbines and Kites

Source: Sky WindPower

At an altitude of 30,000 feet the wind power is 20 times greater than what it is available on the ground. That being said, manufacturers at Sky WindPower are attempting to capture this potential energy by sending up giant wind turbines high into the air that could convert it to electricity to be used back on earth. …read more of Stranger than Fiction Energies of the Future here