I coordinate NRDC's work on renewable energy--fuels and power--and policies that will advance them. For the last few years, I've spent the lion's share of my time working on biofuels, biopower, wind, solar, and geothermal. Along with a great team from our land, water, oceans, and climate programs, I try to understand what these technologies are capable of, what are the research, development, and economic challenges standing in their way, and what standards we need to put in place to make sure they really deliver the environmental benefits they promise. I went to Brown undergrad and Berkeley for my masters. I have just enough science, engineering, and economics to be dangerous and use this training to translate the cutting edge energy technology developments into policy recommendations
Posted January 12, 2012 by Nathanael Greene in Solving Global Warming
A new report by the Brookings Institution details the success and benefits of an important mechanism for funding clean energy growth – state clean energy funds. These funds can be a very effective tool when targeted wisely, and Brookings argues...continued→
Posted December 23, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
Americans want the U.S. to lead the world in renewable energy, but these are screwy times in our nation’s capital. Some people are trying to turn clean, renewable energy into something dirty. The fossil fuel industry and the radical right,...continued→
Posted December 20, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Solving Global Warming
Everyone loves renewable energy – even Grover Norquist, who writes in an otherwise completely inaccurate opinion piece that: Opposition to renewable energy mandates should not be misinterpreted as an aversion to renewable energy. In fact, renewable sources could play a...continued→
Posted December 14, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Solving Global Warming
America can and should be the world leader in renewable energy. America has led every major technological revolution over the last 100 years, from airplanes to the internet, and sold the products from these advances to the world, making us...continued→
Posted November 17, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Friday is scheduled to visit General Electric’s PrimeStar thin-film solar factory in Colorado, where he’ll stress the importance of the clean energy industry to America’s future and reaffirm his commitment to it. It’s...continued→
Posted September 26, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places, Solving Global Warming
Demand for biomass is growing rapidly, as power companies come under increased pressure to find alternatives to fossil fuels like coal. (See NRDC's Forests not Fuel site.) One of the main sources they are targeting is trees harvested as part...continued→
Posted September 8, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Green Enterprise, Solving Global Warming
The recent headline of the $535 million loan loss to the Dept of Energy in backing Solyndra was indeed an eye opener, but not for the reasons you might think or have recently seen written about it. In particular, New...continued→
Posted August 16, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
An economic analysis done for 11 northeast and mid-Atlantic states shows that a clean fuels standard (CFS) is a winning idea for the region. It could save consumers in the region billions, bring in billions more in revenue for these...continued→
Posted July 8, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
Late in June, the Senate voted 73-27 to end the corn ethanol tax credit, which gives oil companies about $6 billion a year to buy corn ethanol--the same corn ethanol the oil companies are obliged by law to buy under...continued→
Posted July 6, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
On July 1, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson signed the final plan giving facilities burning biomass a three-year exemption from Clean Air Act permitting requirements for carbon dioxide emissions while the agency studies the effect of biogenic carbon emissions on climate...continued→
Posted June 17, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Solving Global Warming
When Tom DeKeyser became principal of Whitmore Lake High School in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, he knew he’d have to wear a lot of hats--principals do that. The one hat he wasn’t expecting, though, was that of tour guide. But now,...continued→
Posted June 16, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
This afternoon, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bipartisan amendment offered by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) to end the main corn ethanol tax credit, known as the VEETC, and the ethanol import tariff...continued→
Posted June 14, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
The intricacies of Congressional process trumped common sense today, when the Senate failed to move forward with an amendment offered by Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would have ended decades of wasteful, environmentally harmful subsidies to the corn ethanol industry by sunsetting the...continued→
Posted June 13, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
Today, a diverse coalition of more than 30 organizations again underscored their opposition to wasteful corn ethanol subsidies with a clear message to Congress: it’s time to end the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, the main corn ethanol tax credit...continued→
Posted May 24, 2011 by Nathanael Greene in Moving Beyond Oil, Solving Global Warming
The latest paper on indirect land-use change is getting a lot of press, but unfortunately does not, as some have claimed, prove that the ILUC doesn't exist or isn't happening. To help me explain why, join me for a little...continued→
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