News brief extra

1. Victory for energy bills and renewable standard, but veto likely
The House of Representatives adopted an energy package 242-172 Saturday afternoon that included a renewable electricity standard. The (Udall-Platts) RES amendment had earlier passed by a 220-190 vote. Also approved was a separate energy tax bill, 221-189, that would take billions in oil and gas subsidies and steer them toward renewable energy. The White House said President Bush would veto the measures. The energy bill had been expected to pass. The RES provision, requiring investor-owned utilities to get 15% of their power from renewable sources by 2020, and the tax bill had been less certain. Some provisions in the energy bill would improve energy efficiency of appliances, lighting and buildings; increase biofuels development and delivery; make the federal government carbon neutral; boost development and demonstration of carbon sequestration programs; and help create a "smart" electrical grid. Those wanting to know how their representative voted can find out at http://clerk.house.gov. Click on Roll Call Votes (bottom of page) and then on 110th Congress (2007). The roll call votes you want to check are 827 (Udall), 832 (energy package) and 835 (tax bill). (Sources: Greenwire, New York Times, C-Span, Sierra Club, CQ.com)

2. Bush invites major polluting countries to climate conference
President Bush has invited presidents and prime ministers of the top 15 GHG-emitting countries (after the U.S.) to meet in Washington Sept. 28-29. Bush said he hopes they will reach consensus on steps to be taken after the Kyoto accord expires in 2012. Invited are (listed in order according to amount of GHG they emit) China, the European Union, Russia, India, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Canada, the U.K., Italy, Mexico, South Korea, France and Indonesia. Also included are Australia, South Africa, Portugal, the European Commission and the U.N. While Bush said he will speak, he’s leaving the details to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Jim Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The conference comes right after the Sept. 24 General Assembly climate change debate at the U.N. and prior to the formal U.N. climate change meeting Dec. 3-14 in Bali. Avaaz.org, international sister organization of Moveon.com and a partner of LiveEarth, is saying Bush envoys are putting pressure on foreign governments to avoid a climate treaty with binding emissions targets. Avazz is mobilizing a campaign to try to counteract that. Those who want to contribute can do so at http://www.avaaz.org/act/?r=donate&lang=en.

3. Smog will accelerate Global Warming, study warns
Ozone smog damages vegetation and therefore hurts its ability to act as a “carbon sink,” according to a new study in the British journal Nature. Ozone hinders photosynthesis and so causes more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere, which accelerates Global Warming, the study said. The researchers found highly ozone-sensitive plants had a 23% decreased capacity to absorb CO2, compared with low- sensitivity plants at 14%. Climate models have not taken ozone into account, the authors said, and it could add 0.5-1.25 degrees Celsius (0.9-2.25 F) to predictions of temperature change. In pre-industrial times ozone averaged 17 parts per billion. Today it is double that and expected to rise to 54 ppb by the end of the century. (Sources: E&E Daily, Nature, ELPC, PhysOrg.com)

4. New coal-fired plants likely to increase emissions 34%
At a time when we’re looking to cut greenhouse gas emissions, a new wave of coal-fired plants being planned and built across the country could increase them 34% by 2030, says an Environmental Integrity Project study released in July. A tally of the dirtiest plants in the U.S. shows Texas in the lead with 5; followed by Ind. and Pa. with 4 each; and Ala., Ga., N.C. and Ohio (3 each). Coal-fired plants usually release about a ton of CO2 for every megawatt-hour. Some plants in N.D. and Texas release more because they use low-grade lignite coal plentiful in those states. The best way to cap emissions in the short run is to reduce demand for electricity, the study said. Power plants account for about 40% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere here. (Source: E&E News PM)

5. Warming, coastal erosion threaten Alaskan oil wells
Warming temperatures and erosion along the coast of the National Petroleum Reserve could send oils wells into the sea, warns the U.S. Geological Survey. Erosion of parts of the coast has doubled in the past half century, as permafrost thaws and salt water intrudes into coastal fresh-water lakes. The Bureau of Land Management says 30 coastal oil wells in Alaska must be plugged before the erosion gets much worse. (Source: Greenwire)

6. Shell and TXU announce plans for largest wind farm yet
Royal Dutch Shell’s wind division and a subsidiary of TXU have agreed to cooperate on a 3,000-megawatt wind project in the Texas panhandle. They say it would be the largest in the world and would supply the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. The project would capture wind in off-peak hours, compress and store it, and then use it to run natural gas turbines. This technology would make intermittent wind much more reliable, the two companies said. Total wind capacity in the U.S. is now less than 12,000 MW. Worldwide it is about 75,000, up 26% in the past year, according to the Worldwatch Institute. Germany, Spain and the U.S. generate about 60% of the wind power today, but rapid growth is expected in Canada, France, Portugal, Australia and Brazil. (Sources: Greenwire, PlanetArk.com)

7. Japanese try out hybrid train on short mountain run
The East Japan Railway Co. has begun service of its first commercial hybrid train to a mountain resort. The train has a diesel engine, which it uses going uphill, and lithium ion batteries to charge the electric motors under each car. The hybrid reduces emissions 60% but costs twice as much as a standard train. Amtrak and Deutsche Bahn AG are also investing in hybrid train technology. Meanwhile, Japan has admitted it’s not on track to meet its Kyoto goal of reducing GHG 6% (below 1990 levels) by 2012. (Source: Greenwire)

8. Parisiens take to the streets on 10,000 loaner bicycles
Residents and visitors to Paris seem to have taken to a new bike program blanketing the city. More than 600,000 users have signed up to pick up the “velibs” at 750 locations throughout the city, and take them where they want to go – be it work, pleasure or shopping. There are 10,000 of the gray-green bikes, a number that is expected to double by the end of the year, according to City Hall. The pickup points will increase as well, to more than 1,400. A few kinks need to be worked out – like the tendency to pick up bikes at high points in the city, such as Montmartre, and ride them downhill, then leave them and take the metro home. C’est la vie. (Source: PlanetArk.com)


Xtreme weather watch

• New Zealand reader Andrea Needham writes they’ve had 10 tornados this year in her area on the north island – “very, very unusual” – and massive flooding where it hasn’t flooded before.
• Montana has been engulfed by dozens of fires in a wildfire season that began earlier than usual. One, north of Helena, burned 37,000 acres. Another, 26 miles north of Whitefish, had burned 14,000 acres by Saturday. Montana was abnormally hot in July, with more than a week of 100-plus temperatures. (AP)
• Almost half of Bangladesh was submerged last week, driving snakes to share higher ground with fleeing residents. Flooding is an annual event in the low-lying nation, but this year is worse than usual, with rainfall totaling 29 inches in July, double the average. Also affected by torrential rains are Nepal and India, where Bihar state had the worst floods in 30 years. (New York Times, PlanetArk)
• South Africa has suffered both wildfires in the east, which drove thousands from their homes in Swaziland, and flooding in Capetown, where 38,000 were affected. (PlanetArk)
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