QUICK NEWS, October 12: TEXAS FIGHTS CLIMATE TRUTH; HUGE NEW OCEAN WIND; MINI-MANHATTAN NEW ENERGY PROJECTS

TEXAS FIGHTS CLIMATE TRUTH
Texas on the verge of limiting academic freedom of climate scientists
Eric Berger, October 11, 2011 (Houston Chronicle)

"…Texas has long been a natural home for climate skepticism given the number of large fossil fuel energy companies with headquarters or major offices in the state…But the state’s prominence has increased recently, beginning with Rick Perry’s very skeptical comments on climate change…[Now,] Rice University oceanographer John Anderson was told he could not discuss sea-level rise and climate change in a chapter for the periodically published, TCEQ-funded “State of the Bay” report about the environmental state of Galveston Bay. The original chapter he submitted had the references removed.

"Anderson was trying to point out that recent, measured rises in sea level were considerably higher than in the historical record, and that this could have important consequences for the bay…[safely tenured,] Anderson pushed back…saying, ‘It’s not about the science. It’s all politics.’"

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"…[M]ore bold is the response of the Houston Advanced Research Center, a non-profit research center…[which] subsists largely on state and federal grants…[A]fter private and tense negotiations broke down and Anderson went public, HARC vice president Jim Lester is standing behind the scientist…

"How this plays out will be interesting…It’s [likely] the first case…in which Texas is overtly acting to suppress scientific inquiry regarding climate change. That would be a huge blow to climate scientists in the state…[W]ill the TCEQ back down? And will HARC see a decline in future state funding?"


HUGE NEW OCEAN WIND
Giant Offshore Wind Farm Planned for Rhode Island, Massachusetts Coast
October 11, 2011 (Sustainable Business)

"…Deepwater Wind Energy Center would be a 200 turbine, 1000 MW wind farm about 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Construction would begin in 2015, with electricity pumping two years later…[This is] a "second generation" offshore wind farm…It will be larger and farther from shore, and will produce lower-priced power, using more advanced technology than any of the offshore projects announced to date…

"… The transmission system needed to transport that power to multiple East Coast states doesn't exist…So, Deepwater says it's developing the New England-Long Island Interconnector (NELI) transmission network, which would send the electricity to nearby states…"

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"Last year, Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and BOEMRE launched the "Smart from the Start" initiative, which seeks to jumpstart offshore wind in the US…[by taking] a proactive approach to siting wind projects which have been held up by siting concerns, lack of a clear regulatory structure, and congressional budget battles…

"The world's offshore wind capacity is expected to surge to 70.1 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2017, up from 4.1 GW in 2011, according to Pike Research. That represents $104 billion by 2017, a 53% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next six years…In a more aggressive scenario, revenues could reach $130.5 billion…About 75% of this growth is expected to be in western Europe…"


MINI-MANHATTAN NEW ENERGY PROJECTS
Sen. Alexander targets energy subsidies, says political furor over climate might ease
Ben Geman, October 5, 2011 (The Hill)

"Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who is leaving his Senate leadership post, has energy subsidies in his crosshairs…[and laid out his energy goals for the next two years in [a recent interview]…"

[Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.):] “First, I would try to swap the money we're spending on permanent subsidies for energy and invest it instead in research. Second, I'd like to focus these funds on the most promising areas of clean energy. I've devised a plan for seven mini-Manhattan Projects for energy independence: solar, batteries, green building, capturing carbon, fusion, making fuels from crops we don't eat and finding better ways to deal with nuclear fuel…”

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"Alexander said he has identified $20 billion annually in energy subsidies that could instead be funneled into clean energy R&D. Alexander is no fan of wind energy, and said he would begin by targeting that sector’s tax breaks…Alexander bucks a GOP trend with his belief in human-induced global warming. He opposes cap-and-trade but is open to some kind of emissions limits on power plants — eventually… But Alexander isn’t expecting agreements on climate anytime soon."

[Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.):] “I also believe the oil companies don't need subsidies beyond those that other manufacturing and producing companies have…At some point we might require a certain limit of carbon on coal plants, just as we limit tailpipe emissions. But before we do that, we have to start with research and development to try to figure out a technological means to capture carbon…Maybe in two to three years I think some of the politicizing which is on both sides will have died down a little bit. But it will be very difficult to get consensus on climate change in the next two to three years…”