Grist - Comment Feed for The economic-recovery bill includes green funding and drops nuclear and coal subsidies

Comment #1 by davedenali

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:20:28 -0800

Good

Thanks for an update I've been eagerly awaiting.

Comment #2 by bburtis

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:23:31 -0800

ARPA-E

Clean Air - Cool Planet is at work on a key report detailing the creation of an Advanced Research Projects Administration - Energy (ARPA-E) program.

Inclusion of the $400 million for an Advanced Research Projects Administration - Energy program in the stimulus bill is a huge step forward, recognizing that transformative energy research and development is a critical component to the nation's economic future. Getting this kind of program going is a key element in solving our security and climate problems and promoting an energy revolution in this country.

CA-CP's report will detail how such an agency would work to bring transformational energy solutions from the basic science stage to marketability. It includes information on staff development, structure, process and fund allocation.

Bill B.

Comment #3 by Erik Hoffner

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:15:03 -0800

good

That's good news that nukes and CCS got stripped out. Wondering though, I've heard some smart people say that CCS needs to be developed somewhere, even if it's not going to be used in the US, b/c China and India are going to be burning lotsa coal for lots more years after the US hopefully is not, and ought to be capturing that.

Anyone know if other countries or companies are working to develop it? Not that I think it's necessarily wise that they do, but just curious.

Erik

The Orion Grassroots Network: supporting grassroots groups working for conservation, justice, & more

Comment #4 by lgcarey

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:32:37 -0800

CCS Projects

Erik,
A CCS pilot project in Denmark just opened.
http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_5790_en.h ...

Norway's Vattenfall has been operating small CCS pilot plant in Germany for awhile. http://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/10/carbon-capture-and-st ...

One possibility is that we will eventually need CCS to draw down (not just reduce) atmospheric CO2, by using CCS with thermal power plants converted to be fired with biomass (rather than coal).

Comment #5 by populus

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:26:40 -0800

Clean Coal may not be out of the stimulus bill

I have just read the final stimulus bill as posted on the House Appropriations Committee web site. The statement that clean coal R&D is out of the stimulus is not correct. The bill provides $3.4 billion for fossil fuel R&D for the Department of Energy. It is going to be up to DOE to decide how to spend the money, and I am sure the coal lobby is gearing up to get some of that money to the Future Gen or other carbon capture and sequestration projects. More at Sustainable Kentucky.

Comment #6 by wesslam6

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:09:37 -0800

nukes?

Nuclear energy has NOTHING to do with "nukes"! Do some research...
bad move cutting funding for nuclear power... I guess yay for foreign energy dependence!