WASHINGTON, March 12, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 funding is available again through three USDA programs to promote increased production of biofuel and bioenergy. The programs are authorized under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (The Farm Bill).

Mar. 10 -- Again, the year 2009 brought new records for wind energy utilisation around the world: In spite of the global economic crisis, investment in new wind turbines exceeded by far all previous years.
Wind capacity worldwide reached 159’213 MW, after 120’903 MW in 2008, 93’930 MW in 2007, 74’123 MW in 2006, and 59’012 MW in 2005. <<Read full report>>

RE Type: Wind Energy

The Department of Energy recently offered a $117 million conditional loan guarantee to ACORE member First Wind to finance the construction and start-up of a thirty megawatt wind energy project in Kahuku, Hawaii. The proposed Kahuku Wind project, located on the island of Oahu, involves installing a dozen 2.5 megawatt wind turbine generators and an innovative battery energy storage system for electric load stability.

March 10, 2010 -- A group of mostly Republican governors has urged federal lawmakers to stop the Obama administration from regulating greenhouse gases under existing law.  In a letter to Congressional leaders, the twenty governors stated that the EPA is "is not equipped to consider the very real potential for economic harm when regulating emissions.”  << Full Story >>

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Geithner, dated March 5, ACORE respectfully objected to Senator Schumers’ proposal, but fully endorsed the underlying intent of the Senator’s proposal.

Read the Letter

March 9, 2010 -- Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently told participants at a major energy industry gathering that they need to accept a limit on carbon pollution and start finding ways to meet it. "Let's get moving now," Chu told a conference sponsored by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. "That will get the innovation machine moving. Time is running out, and the train is leaving the station." << Full Story >>