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Bipartisan House Bill Would Set Renewable Fuels Standard

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) praised Representatives Stephanie Herseth (D-SD), Tom Osborne (R-NE), Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Steve King (R-IA) for introducing a renewable fuels standard (RFS) bill that would require the use of 8 billion gallons of renewable fuels, like ethanol and biodiesel, by 2012. The legislation mirrors S. 650, a Senate RFS bill. According to a recent national survey of registered voters conducted by Moore Information, 74% of registered voters support establishing an 8 billion gallon per year RFS in an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and improve air quality. Support for the RFS is strong regardless of party affiliation or geographic location. The same survey also found that 79% of registered voters support extending the current biodiesel federal tax incentive in order to encourage biodiesel use in the United States. Last fall, Congress approved a two-year tax incentive for biodiesel that took effect Jan. 1, 2005. The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Sam Graves (R-MO), Leonard Boswell (D-IA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Ike Skelton (D-MO), Mark Kennedy (R-MN), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), John McHugh (R-NY), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jim Leach (R-IA), […]

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DOE Grants Petition for New Refrigerator Energy Efficiency Standards

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy reports that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has granted a petition for a new standard for home refrigerators. The petition was submitted by a diverse coalition of state governments, utilities, consumer and low-income advocacy groups, and environmental and energy efficiency organizations. It requests the DOE commence rulemaking to strengthen the existing national standard. By law, the agency must set national standards at the most energy efficient level that is cost-effective for consumers. The petition cited a recent DOE analysis which estimates that new refrigerator standards could save 5.78 quadrillion Btus of energy over the 2010 to 2035 period, which is enough to meet the total electricity needs of 4 out of 10 U.S. homes for one year. According to the petition, a 30% improvement in the standard could net consumers about $10 billion in savings. The Department must now initiate a public rulemaking to determine the appropriate level for the new standard. DOE’s determination of a future standard will likely turn on analysis of what standard level is cost-effective for consumers. DOE has ongoing rulemakings for several other product standards, all of which are years behind schedule.

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Report: Japan Fuel Cell Market at 1.2 Trillion Yen in 2020

According to a report released by Fuji Keizai Co., a Tokyo-based market research firm, Japan’s fuel cell market will be worth 282.8 billion yen (about US$2.7 billion) in 2015 and 1.2 trillion yen (about US$11.7 billion) in 2020. This report on fuel cell development prospects was published on November 15, 2004, and was based on extensive research on technological development and market trends in this field done by the firm. With respect to polymer exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells for stationary applications, the report predicts that commercialisation efforts will be stimulated by a large-scale monitoring project by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that will start in 2005. Similarly, solid oxide fuel cells are expected to enter the practical application phase after ongoing R&D projects commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) are completed in fiscal 2007. The report predicts that these two types of fuel cells will lead the new market. PEM fuel cell vehicles, on the other hand, will be offered mainly to corporate and government customers that own fleets of cars during the period from 2008 to 2015, while mass marketing to the general public will start after that period. As for […]

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