Obama Administration Rolls Out Series Of New Clean Energy Initiatives

President Barack Obama’s leadership has catalyzed a global transition toward a clean energy economy, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced. Specifically, from 2010-2015 alone, the U.S. invested in more than $11 billion in international clean energy finance – including grant-based assistance, development finance and export credit – to support countries as they work to meet their growing energy needs and reduce carbon emissions.

At the same time, says the DOE, the U.S. has made research and development (R&D) a top priority – decreasing the cost of clean energy technologies substantially – and previously launched several initiatives to enhance universal access to cleaner energy:

Obama Commits $4bn to Form Clean-Energy Investment Clearinghouse

US energy secretary announces new office of technology transitions to help facilitate financing by connecting would-be investors with clean-energy firms.

With $4bn and a new government office, the White House has unveiled its latest clean energy initiative and cast a subtle new role for the federal government: not only is it a funder of new research, of the latest solar converter or biofuel source, but it is also a market builder.

Obama Orders US Agencies to Cut Carbon Emissions 40 Percent by 2025

President Barack Obama ordered the federal government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 2008 levels over the next 10 years by shifting to renewable energy sources such as solar power.

The executive order signed by Obama Thursday builds on a 2010 directive from the White House requiring 35 U.S. agencies to limit their energy consumption to help combat climate change. Private companies that contract with the federal government have also agreed to pursue emissions reductions in concert with the most recent directive.

Obama’s Victory Lap: State of the Union Speech Celebrates Domestic Energy Changes

The president avoided a specific policy agenda and instead focused on America’s domestic successes.

President Obama has outlined energy policy goals in every one of his State of the Union addresses. But he avoided specifics in tonight's speech and instead celebrated positive domestic changes in fossil fuels and renewable electricity.

As gasoline prices continue to drop, low natural gas prices give domestic manufacturers a competitive edge, and the renewable energy industry breaks investment and installation records, the president used his speech to remind Americans how much had changed since he took office.

STATEMENT: WRI Reacts to $3 Billion U.S. Pledge to Green Climate Fund

President Obama announced that the United States will contribute $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund during the G20 Summit held in Australia this weekend.

Yesterday WRI's climate finance experts Alex Doukas and Athena Ballesteros blogged about how a U.S. pledge to the Green Climate Fund would build climate action momentum.

Governments Await Obama’s Move on Carbon to Gauge U.S. Climate Efforts

President Obama is expected to announce on Monday an Environmental Protection Agency regulation to cut carbon pollution from the nation’s fleet of 600 coal-fired power plants, in a speech that government analysts in Beijing, Brussels and beyond will scrutinize to determine how serious the president is about fighting global warming.

The regulation will be Mr. Obama’s most forceful effort to reverse 20 years of relative inaction on climate change by the United States, which has stood as the greatest obstacle to international efforts to slow the rise of heat-trapping gases from burning coal and oil that scientists say cause warming.

President Obama to Make Energy Efficiency a Key Strategy to Tackle Climate Change

Today President Obama is announcing important new commitments and executive actions that represent major steps forward for energy efficiency. The White House projects that these energy saving actions will result in more than $26 billion in savings by government, consumers and businesses, while also creating new jobs and reducing carbon pollution by 380 million metric tons.

The most important efficiency elements that the president is announcing are two major new energy-saving appliance and equipment efficiency standards. These standards, years in development, cover large electric motors that are commonly used in industry and commercial buildings and walk-in coolers and freezers used to store perishable items like milk and eggs at grocery stores. After comparing the savings estimates provided by the White House to levels achieved by the proposed rules issued in late 2013, Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) executive director Andrew deLaski made the following statement:

President Obama Signs Groundbreaking Legislation to Expand U.S. Hydropower Production

Bills to streamline the hydropower licensing process are now law.

Legislation designed to expand hydropower production in the United States by improving and streamlining the licensing process for small hydropower projects is now law. The Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act and the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act were signed into law by President Obama. Previously, the Senate unanimously passed the legislation just before it adjourned for August; the House passed each bill with nearly unanimous support earlier in the year. 

President Obama Touts Renewable Energy, Efficiency in Climate Plan

President Obama announced on his climate action plan at the end of June, which includes significant goals related to renewable energy and energy efficiency. The plan directs the U.S. Department of the Interior to issue permits by 2020 for enough renewable energy projects on public lands to power 6 million homes, while also designating the first-ever hydropower project for priority permitting, setting a new goal to install 100 megawatts of renewable energy on federally assisted housing by 2020, and maintaining the existing commitment to deploy renewable energy projects on military installations.

How Obama and Congress Could Find Common Ground on Energy

Despite divided government, the partisan impasse may be about to end on energy policy. The key lies in a grand bargain.

In 2008, Barack Obama campaigned for the White House on the promise that he would pass a sweeping energy and climate-change law and move the country from dependence on fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy that reduced carbon pollution and addressed global warming. In his first term, Obama inched in that direction: The president rolled out regulations to reduce pollution from tailpipes and coal plants, and his stimulus program pumped $40 billion into clean-energy development.

US policy outlook for renewable energy

The United States went to the polls on November 6. President Obama was returned to another four years in the White House. Democrats picked up another two seats in the US Senate where they are expected to have an effective majority of 55 seats to 45 for the Republicans. The Republicans lost seats in the House, but still retain a majority of 16 out of 435 House seats in total.

A panel of veteran Washington lobbyists for renewable energy companies talked 34 hours after the polls closed about what the election results mean for the US renewable energy market.

White House: Oil companies don’t need 'wasteful' tax breaks

The White House officially endorsed a Democrat-backed bill to repeal billions of dollars in oil industry tax breaks Monday, arguing that major oil companies don’t need “wasteful subsidies” because they are making massive profits.

“This money can be better spent promoting domestic manufacturing, encouraging the development of clean energy technologies that will reduce our dependence on oil, and cutting the deficit,” the White House said in an official “statement of administration policy.”

The statement praised the legislation, which was sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). The bill would repeal $24 billion in tax deductions for the largest oil companies over the next decade. It would also extend a slew of key renewable energy tax credits.

Legislation introduced for National Clean Energy Standard

Legislation introduced this morning would set the first national standard for clean energy in the US.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012, which would require utilities to source a set percentage of their energy from "clean" sources.  Although the kinds of energy defined as "clean" are much broader than Renewable Energy Standards, in place in 29 states, the legislation has little chance of passing the GOP-dominated House. Included in "clean" energy are renewables, nuclear, natural gas and clean coal.

SEIA and Solar Alliance merge to focus on state policy issues

The country’s top solar industry trade association announced Tuesday it is merging with an organization that advocates for solar energy at the state level.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), which represents 1,100 solar companies around the country, said it merged with the Solar Alliance in order to focus more on state-level policy issues.

“The solar energy industry is expanding and it is critical for SEIA to mirror this growth and put our resources and expertise into developing state policy that expand markets for solar energy,” SEIA President Rhone Resch said in a statement.

Obama speech, job plan promote renewables but differ on attention to bio-fuels

President Barack Obama received scores of accolades for his mention of bio-fuels in his speech to the US Congress last Thursday announcing his $447 billion jobs creation plan. However, advocates for alternative fuels would be hard-pressed to find any dedicated follow-through in the actual bill sent from the White House to the Capital the following morning.

Biden calls for new clean energy policy for US

The United States can't lead the world in the 21st century with its current energy policy, Vice President Joe Biden told alternative technology supporters Tuesday at a clean energy summit in Las Vegas.

Wind Industry rallying for tax extension

So far 2011 has been a good year f0or wind energy projects. Installations in the first six months of 2011 were almost double what they were in the comparable period in 2010 in terms of total megawatts (2,151 versus 1,250), according to the American Wind Energy Association. But a bipartisan coalition of 24 state governors, fretting that the industry could lose momentum, has already begun lobbying the Obama administration to improve business conditions for wind energy developers.

In a letter, the Governors Wind Energy Coalition recently urged President Obama to support several industry-specific measures like extending the production tax credit, a federal tax incentive that proponents say is vital to the industry’s progress.

New clean energy incentives on the horizon?

Hoping to find a way around the current political impasse on climate change and energy policy, a former top adviser to President Obama has devised a policy proposal to drive down greenhouse gas emissions from the utility industry over the next 20 years.

The plan, “Promoting Clean Energy in the American Power Sector,” borrows from a range of policy proposals, including President Obama’s latest clean energy policy, the cap and trade plan that foundered in Congress last year, and state-level clean electricity mandates. The proposal sets goals based on emissions intensity — the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity generated — an idea pursued both by the Chinese government and by former President George W. Bush.

On the BP Spill Anniversary -- Has anything changed for clean energy?

On the anniversary of the BP oil spill, cleantechies can take a look back at the progress made in the last year to take steps away from oil and instead toward a renewable energy future.

Despite clean up efforts that are still on-going in the Gulf, a Republican congress continues to push to expand offshore drilling. Obama's energy security speech on March 30 does gives some confidence to renewable energy supporters who wish to overcome this legislative barrier.

Obama reiterates strong support for clean energy

WASHINGTON -- Speaking at Georgetown University, Obama reiterated today his commitment to renewable energy and reducing our dependence on oil. Citing China and Germany as examples of leadership in the wind and solar industries, Obama stated his plans to increase American investment and industry expansion in order to lead the clean energy economy of the 21st century.

"I want America to be that nation. I want America to win the future," the president said.