·:[ Environmental News Bits ]:·
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Read the full story in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette.

Despite protests and a “suggestion,” when it came to a vote by the Champaign County Board on Thursday night, approval of a county wind farm ordinance was a breeze…

The ordinance, which would allow wind farms to be built in the county, sets a limit – no more than 30 hours annually – on the amount of “shadow flicker” that can affect the dwellings of people who aren’t participating in a wind farm project. Shadow flicker is a phenomenon where sunlight streaming through a turbine’s rotating blades creates a constant strobe effect.

Read the full story at CNN.

The public discussion of energy options tends to be emotional, polarized, mistrustful and destructive. I hope that focusing attention on the numbers may make it possible to develop honest and constructive conversations about energy.

It’s not going to be easy to make a energy plan that adds up, but it is possible. We need to get building.

Read the full story in the Chicago Tribune.

In the early 1990s, Mary Dye began walking her dog in a large, grassy meadow at the Miller Meadow Forest Preserve in Maywood.

Back then, piles of limestone sat in a fenced-off area, the result of the ongoing Deep Tunnel project. As she strolled through fields of wildflowers, Dye said she waited for the day when Miller Meadow would be restored to its original state.

Today, Dye said she is still waiting, and now environmental groups have joined her in raising concerns about the restoration of Miller Meadow, contending that the site poses hazards to visitors and the environment.

Specifically, they are concerned about numerous shards of broken concrete, glass, brick and metal pipes that are scattered across the site — and the erosion that is carrying debris and gray sludge, used to promote vegetation, toward the nearby Des Plaines River.

Via Docuticker.

Fact Sheet: Obama Administration National Fuel Efficiency Policy: Good For Consumers, Good For The Economy And Good For The Country
Source: White House Press Office

The proposed national autos program adopts uniform federal standards to regulate both fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions while preserving the legal authorities of DOT, EPA and California. The program covers model year 2012 to model year 2016 and ultimately requires an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016. The result is a projected reduction in oil consumption of approximately 1.8 billion barrels over the life of the program and a projected total reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 900 million metric tons. This groundbreaking policy is good for consumers, good for the auto industry and it helps our country by reducing pollution and promoting energy independence.

Ten car companies and the UAW have embraced the national program because it provides certainty and predictability to 2016 and includes flexibilities that will significantly reduce the cost of compliance. The program also honors President Obama’s commitment to reconsider the denial of the California waiver by the Bush Administration.

See also: President Obama Announces National Fuel Efficiency Policy

Via Docuticker.

U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Sources 2008 Flash Estimate
Source: Energy Information Administration
From e-mail:

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels decreased by 2.8 percent in 2008, from 5,967 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMTCO2) in 2007 to 5,802 MMTCO2 in 2008, according to preliminary estimates released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This is the largest annual decline in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions since EIA began annual reporting on greenhouse gas emissions.

The economy, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), grew by 1.1 percent in 2008, notwithstanding the economic downturn at the end of the year. Energy demand declined by 2.2 percent indicating that energy intensity (energy use per unit of GDP) fell by 3.3 percent in 2008. Carbon dioxide intensity (carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP) fell by about 3.8 percent.

Factors that influenced the emissions decrease included record-high oil prices and a decline in economic activity in the second half of the year. Oil-related emissions declined by 6 percent, accounting for the bulk of overall reduction in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

Total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have grown by 15.9 percent since 1990. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions account for over 80 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Read the full post at Oh My Gov.

Remember last summer when gas prices spiked to $4 a gallon? It took a bank loan to fill up your car, or maybe a second mortgage if you happen to drive the soon-to-be-discontinued Hummer H2. Good thing the credit markets hadn’t crashed yet. Well, the EPA remembers and they are working to make sure those days don’t return.

Unveiling the new Renewable Fuel Standards Program on May 5th, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson wants Americans to start using more locally-produced biofuels in an effort to save money. Changes to renewable fuel standards were also mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.