National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration- NOAA: U.S. Winter and February Cooler Than AverageNOAA’s State of the Climate report for the winter season (December through February) and the month of February, state that temperatures were below normal for the contiguous United States. The winter season was wetter than normal; however precipitation in February alone was slightly below average. […]
- NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Propose ESA Listing Changes for the Loggerhead Sea TurtleNOAA’s Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), jointly referred to as the Services, announced today their joint determination that the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is globally comprised of nine distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as “species” for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Sp […]
- Hurricane Forecasters Bring Preparedness Message to Atlantic, Mexico and CaribbeanNOAA and the U.S. Air Force Reserve will host a series of public events from March 18 to 27 in six coastal communities in Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean to urge residents to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. […]
- NOAA: U.S. Winter and February Cooler Than Average
- Sea Shephard Ocean Protection
- Sea Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune Takes on JapanSea Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune Takes on Japan The Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 arrived in Tokyo today with the first New Zealand prisoner of war to be transported to Japan as a political prisoner since World War II. As soon as his foot touched Japanese soil, Captain Bethune reestablished himself as a national hero in New Zealand and an internation […]
- Australian Federal Police Return Sea Shepherd’s LogbooksAustralian Federal Police Return Sea Shepherd’s Logbooks No Charges and All Crew are Free to Go Where They Wish On March 11, the Australian Federal police returned the logbooks for the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker. No arrests have been made following the raid on the two ships based on a request by the Japanese government. Sea Shepherd expects no arrests. […]
- Shepherds Bust the Hump in Santa MonicaShepherds Bust the Hump in Santa Monica The plan to bust the Hump restaurant in Santa Monica was launched months ago when Sea Shepherd Outreach Coordinator Zoli Teglas first told me about a Santa Monica restaurant serving whale meat. I thought he was joking. But it was not a joke, and Zoli set about organizing a sting operation recruiting Charles Hambleton f […]
- Sea Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune Takes on Japan
- Environmental Protection Agency
- A Place I Knew Nothing AboutWe took off with hiking packs, a tent and fins, carrying even fewer plans and expectations; to a place I hardly knew about. The more we discovered that very little was written about our destination, it drew even more appeal. I just couldn’t wait. Over 30 hours after leaving Boston, my adventure companion and I landed [...] […]
- In the Trenches: Moderation for OpenGovI’m a 20 year EPA staffer and Computer Specialist doing much more than computers these days. One of my tasks is to help moderate comments that come in to the EPA’s Open Government discussion forum. I’ve quickly come to realize that moderating comments in the public arena, especially in these sometimes politically-charged times, requires a curious [...] […]
- To Catch Or To Kill (Part 2)Following up on last week’s blog post, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of comments sent in favor of the “catch and release” school when it comes to eliminating rodents. Since my last blog, I’m pleased to report that we have not had any other unwanted visitors of the rodent family. It’s obvious that [...] […]
- A Place I Knew Nothing About
- Environment
- Bust the Hump in Santa MonicaThe plan to bust the Hump restaurant in Santa Monica was launched months ago when Sea Shepherd Outreach Coordinator Zoli Teglas first told me about a Santa Monica restaurant serving whale meat. I thought he was joking. But it was not a joke, and Zoli set about organizing a sting operation recruiting Charles Hambleton from the [...] […]
- Bust the Hump in Santa Monica
Increase In Renewable Fuels
EPA Lays out a Plan for the Nation’s Increase in Renewable fuels
(Washington, D.C. – May 5, 2009) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing its strategy for increasing the supply of renewable fuels, poised to reach 36 billion gallons by 2022, as mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
“As we work towards energy independence, using more homegrown biofuels reduces our vulnerability to oil price spikes that everyone feels at the pump,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said. “Energy independence also puts billions of dollars back into our economy, creates green jobs, and protects the planet from climate change in the bargain.”
Increasing renewable fuels will reduce dependence of foreign oil by more than 297 million barrels a year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 160 million tons a year when fully phased in by 2022. EISA will establish four categories of renewable fuels.
The new categories include:
* cellulosic biofuels;
* biomass-based diesel;
* advanced biofuels; and
* total renewable fuel.
In 2022, the proposal would require:
* 16 billion gallons of cellulosic biofuels;
* 15 billion gallons annually of conventional biofuels;
* 4 billion gallons of advanced biofuels; and
* 1 billion gallons of biomass-based diesel.
To achieve the volume requirements, each year EPA calculates a percentage-based standard that refiners, importers and blenders of gasoline and diesel must ensure is used in transportation fuel. For the first time, some renewable fuels must achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions compared to the gasoline and diesel fuels they displace. Refiners must meet the requirements to receive credit toward meeting the new standards.
The thresholds for new categories would be 20 percent less greenhouse gas emissions for renewable fuels produced from new facilities, 50 percent less for biomass-based diesel and advanced biofuels, and 60 percent less for cellulosic biofuels.
EPA also will conduct peer-reviews on the lifecycle analysis of the four renewable fuel categories. Lifecycle refers to the greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the fuels.
The 60-day comment period on this proposal will begin upon publication in the Federal Register. During the comment period EPA will hold a public workshop on lifecycle analysis to assure full understanding of the analyses conducted, the issues addressed and the options that are discussed.