The draft PEIS was opened for public comment on June 13, and it will remain open until 90 days after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes its notice in the Federal Register, an event expected to occur on June 20. The BLM will also hold public meetings in 13 cities throughout the region in July. Approval of the PEIS will allow the BLM to modify its land use plans and to issue decisions on geothermal lease applications that are now pending. It will also help the Forest Service decide when to approve leases in national forests, although the Forest Service will require a separate environmental review process to amend its land use plans. See the BLM press release and the BLM's Geothermal PEIS Web site.
San Francisco Launches Nation's Largest Municipal Solar Incentive
San Francisco, California, passed legislation last week to implement a 10-year solar incentive program that will be the largest municipal solar program in the United States. People and organizations that install solar photovoltaic power systems on their properties will earn taxable solar incentives of $3,000-$6,000 for residences, up to $10,000 for businesses and non-profits, and up to $30,000 for nonprofit affordable housing.
Residents and businesses can earn the highest incentives by employing a solar installer that hires graduates of the city's workforce development program. One sponsor of the legislation claims that the new incentives will significantly expand the use of solar energy in San Francisco, which currently has less than 1,000 solar rooftops. See the press release from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
According to the city's assessor's office, the Solar Energy Incentive Program is expected to launch in the near future with a budget of $3 million, enough to provide incentives for 1.5 megawatts of solar power on residential and business properties. In addition, a one-year pilot program with a budget of $1.5 million will provide incentives to nonprofit organizations and residences for low-income families.
The incentives will be paid on a first-come, first-served basis and are assignable to the building owner, the installer, or a third party. They apply only to new installations at existing buildings. See the assessor's press release (PDF 28 KB) and details about the subsidy on the Web site for supporters of the measure. Download Adobe Reader.
More Studies Say Biofuels Have a Minor Impact on Food Costs
A new report from New Energy Finance concludes that biofuels are responsible for at most 8% out of the 168% rise in grain prices since 2004, and for at most 17% out of the 136% rise in global food prices. As a proportion of the total rise in prices, biofuels can take the blame for less than 5% of the rise in grain prices and at most 12.5% of the rise in global food prices.
The report concludes that population growth placed the greatest pressure on grain prices, and that growth was not matched by increases in yields. The increasing price of fossil fuels also caused 35.2% of the increase in grain prices. See the New Energy Finance press release (PDF 16 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Meanwhile, DOE and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate that the United States would use an additional 7.2 billion gallons of gasoline in 2008 if there were no biofuels available. Ethanol production alone has moderated U.S. gasoline prices by an estimated 20-35 cents per gallon, saving a typical U.S. household as much as $300 per year. In addition, the price of food commodities has a limited impact on retail grocery costs in the United States, so ethanol and biodiesel consumption account for only about 3%-5% of the increase in U.S. retail grocery prices over the past year and a half. These statistics were included in a letter sent to Senator Jeff Bingaman by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer. See the DOE fact sheet and the full letter (PDF 922 KB).
