Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines

Sandia National Laboratories' wind energy researchers are re-evaluating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) to help solve some of the problems of generating energy from offshore breezes. Though VAWTs have been around since the earliest days of wind energy research at Sandia and elsewhere, VAWT architecture could transform offshore wind technology.The economics of offshore windpower are different from land-based turbines, due to installation and operational...

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Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. To Buy Rival Shaw Group Inc.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company (CB&I) agreed to buy rival Shaw Group Inc. (SGI) in a $3 billion deal that will create one of the world's biggest energy infrastructure companies.  The combined company, to be called CB&I Shaw, will be involved in everything from building nuclear power plants in the U.S. and China to constructing gas-processing plants and oil storage tanks globally.It will have a $28 billion order backlog of projects...

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Green DMV Demos GM's 2013 Hybrid Escalade

Coqui Brand in association with GreenDMV got the privilege to showcase GM's 2013 Hybrid Escalade.Taking Green a step further.Song: The Recipe - Kendrick Lamar ft. Dr. ...

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Portable & Standby Generators

Portable generators are sold at home centers and tool companies and cost several hundred dollars to about $1,000. Most run on gasoline, though some run on propane in canisters, like backyard grills. With a portable generator, you can plug in heavy-duty extension cords (the number of outlets will depend on the generator) and run them directly to the equipment you consider most crucial. Or you can get by with a single extension cord if you install...

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Obama Administration Roadmap To Solar on Public Lands

As part of President Obama’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Department of the Interior, in partnership with the Department of Energy, will publish the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for solar energy development in six southwestern states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The final Solar PEIS represents a major step forward in the permitting of utility-scale solar energy on public lands throughout...

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Green Roofs in Washington, DC

In 2011, the Washington area led the nation, installing 800,000 square feet of green roofs (doubling the amount in 2010), and for the first time surpassed Chicago, which is known for its green roof initiatives. The District now has more than 1.2 million square feet of green roofs, according to the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities survey. DC Greenworks,, a nonprofit helping build green roofs,  believes 2012 probably will surpass 2011....

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EPA Funds Stormwater Mangement Programs

EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure in 17 Communities  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people’s health and benefit communities. Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer...

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Demographics of Fracking Areas in North Carolina

Fracking Counties By Zip Code  Durham 27517, 27519, 27560, 27613, 27701, 27703, 27704, 27705,27706, 27707, 27708, 27709, 27710, 27711, 27712, 27713 Granville 27509, 27522, 27525, 27565, 27581,  Lee 27330, 27332 Chatham 27252,...

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Over 100,000 Protest Nuclear Restart in Tokyo

On hottest day of the year, protesters call for Prime Minister Noda to quitOver 100,000 protesters took to the streets in central Tokyo on Monday to protest the country's return to nuclear power. The demonstration was one of the largest of its kind since Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced that the country would restart its nuclear reactors last month. Protest organizers estimated the crowd at 170,000 people. Demonstrators marched through...

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Obama Administration Reports on Everglades Progress

Obama Administration Releases Report on Progress and Next Steps in Restoring the Everglades, Announces Additional $80 Million in Project Funding  Over $1.5 Billion Invested in the Everglades Since 2009; USDA To Fund Fourth Year of Easements for Water Quality, Wildlife Habitat Improvements in the Northern Everglades Watershed The Obama Administration today released a report outlining the historic Federal investments and progress made in Everglades...

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National Strategic & Critical Minerals Production Act

The House on Wednesday afternoon approved a rule setting up debate and a vote on a bill aimed at streamlining the permitting process for the mining of rare-earth minerals. Members voted 245-180 in favor of the rule, and the House is expected to approve the bill Thursday.Republicans say the bill is needed because the United States is increasingly reliant on imported minerals that are widely seen as key to manufacturing health and national security....

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LNG Exports

The Obama administration, which must approve exports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to all but a handful of countries with free trade agreements, has approved one terminal for exports, Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass. It has delayed decisions on about eight applications for terminals from other companies, including Dominion Resources and Southern Company.In March the Department of Energy delayed an LNG exports study on which it will base the terminal...

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Senate Confirms MacFarlane as Chair of Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Allison MacfarlaneThe Senate confirmed the nomination of Allison Macfarlane to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Kristine Svinicki for a second term on the commission (on Friday, June 29, 2012).Macfarlane takes over from outgoing Chairman Gregory Jaczko, whose tenure on the panel was tumultuous.The nominations of Macfarlane and Svinicki were cleared by the Environment and Public Works Committee last week. At a hearing earlier this month,...

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Does Fracking Pollute Groundwater?

ProPublica posted a story yesterday entitled, “New Study: Fluids From Marcellus Shale Likely Seeping Into PA Drinking Water,” which describes how new research has concluded that salty, mineral-rich fluids deep beneath Pennsylvania’s natural gas fields are likely seeping upward thousands of feet into drinking water supplies. Another paper published on Monday by Duke University researchers found that gas drilling in northeastern Pennsylvania did...

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Department of Labor Proposes Contractors Hire Veterans

Special Projects: Doc SloanSupport Job Goals For Veterans in Federal ContractingThe U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is proposing a new equal-opportunity employment rule that would require all contractors -- construction companies as well as IT firms to airplane manufacturers -- doing business with the government "to set a hiring goal of having 7 percent of their employees be qualified workers with disabilities."...

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We Commend PEPCO For Excellent Performance After Storms

The Center is located in the heart of Washington, DC and we would like to thank the local utility, PEPCO, for its excellent electricity delivery service.  We also think the utility does an incredible job of getting the power back on after very violent storms.  Our area recently experienced a derecho, which is a widespread, long-lived, straight line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. ...

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