Bipartisan bill would include ethanol from fossil fuels in renewable standard

Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) today will introduce bipartisan legislation that would allow ethanol produced from domestic natural gas and coal to be included in the federal renewable fuel standard. The “Domestic Alternative Fuels Act” is intended to allow those sources to compete with corn-based ethanol and stop an escalation in food and feedstock prices, Olson said. It would create a new category for domestic fuels in the renewable fuel standard, allowing U.S. EPA to set volume obligations to meet the standard. [ read more … ]

Brown backs high-speed rail, more green energy

The governor praised California’s efforts on climate and renewable power. The state has set a goal of making one-third of its energy renewable by 2020. It also passed a groundbreaking climate law that includes a cap-and-trade program that starts next year. “The plan will require less carbon in our fuels, more efficient technologies across a broad swath of businesses and a carefully designed cap-and-trade system that uses market incentives instead of prescriptive mandates,” Brown said. [ read more … ]