Obama's Clean Energy Security Speech

President Obama visited Georgetown University today to deliver an impassioned speech about America's need to once again lead the world in clean and renewable energy. In the speech he pledged to cut America's dangerous dependence on foreign oil by one-third by the year 2025. Obama called for a new clean energy standard to help drive private investment.

Here is an excerpt from the speech followed by video of the entire speech:

"A clean energy standard can expand the scope of clean energy investments because what it does is it gives cutting-edge companies the certainty that they need to invest. Essentially what it does is it says to companies, you know what, you will have a customer if you’re producing clean energy. Utilities, they need to buy a certain amount of clean energy in their overall portfolio, and that means that innovators are willing to make those big capital investments.

And we’ve got to start now because -- think about this -- in the 1980s, America was home to more than 80 percent of the world’s wind capacity, 90 percent of the world’s solar capacity. We were the leaders in wind. We were the leaders in solar. We owned the clean energy economy in the ‘80s. Guess what. Today, China has the most wind capacity. Germany has the most solar capacity. Both invest more in clean energy than we do, even though we are a larger economy and a substantially larger user of energy. We’ve fallen behind on what is going to be the key to our future.

Other countries are now exporting technology we pioneered and they’re going after the jobs that come with it because they know that the countries that lead the 21st century clean energy economy will be the countries that lead the 21st century global economy.

I want America to be that nation. I want America to win the future. (Applause.)"

Improving America's Front Lawn

The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being rehabilitated.

The cherry blossoms aren't the only attraction on the National Mall right now. The National Park Service is busy at work on multiple projects that will restore long-neglected parts of America's front lawn.

Current repair and restoration projects include the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the D.C. War Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Seawall, installing levees, reconstructing Constitution Avenue, building the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, installing center lawn panels, constructing the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, building the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial and constructing the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.

By the end of all these construction projects, we will once again have reason to be proud of our front yard.

Earth Hour Photos

Earth Hour is an annual global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund to raise awareness about climate change. This year's event took place last Saturday night when people across the world turned off all non-essential lights and electrical appliances for one hour.

Since this blog focuses on the United States, here are before and after pictures of American skylines and famous landmarks participating in Earth Hour.

NEW YORK CITY

CHICAGO

SEATTLE

LAS VEGAS

LOS ANGELES

Bikers Need to Follow Rules of Road, Too

This guy should not be riding a bike. Photo: Rex Features

As a bicyclist in the D.C. area there is nothing that ticks me off more than fellow bikers who carelessly defy the rules of the road. These cyclists run red lights, weave through traffic, bike the wrong way, bike on the sidewalk, don't wear a helmet and don't use reflective gear and lights at night.

I understand the frustration many drivers feel about these dangerous idiots on two wheels. The biking community expects drivers to share the road and obey the rules. But it is our community that needs to educate people about bike laws, reinforce positive behavior and work with local law enforcement agencies in enforcing laws.

What we have right now is anarchy on the roads and it is not acceptable. Bikers who run red lights make it harder for bikers such as myself who try to follow the rules of the road. New York City has even started a "Don't Be a Jerk" campaign to encourage better manners amongst bikers in the city.

If bikers want to turn American cities into Copenhagens with more bike lanes, bike parking, complete street designs and traffic calming measures, then we as a community need to stop blaming aggressive drivers and car-dependent politicians and start looking inward at the bad behavior amongst our fellow cyclists.

Bipartisan BUILD Act Would Create National Infrastructure Bank

Republicans and Democrats both have to drive on our crumbling roads, walk on our cracked sidewalks and squeeze like sardines into our antiquated buses and subway cars.

Our post-World War II infrastructure is showing its age. The slow decay is all around us. Sometimes it just inconveniences us, as rusting water pipes burst and flood streets or aging trains stall out on the tracks. Other times, it puts us in mortal danger, as the Minneapolis bridge did when it collapsed, killing 13 people during evening rush hour in August of 2007.

Infrastructure improvements should not be about ideology. They are one of the basic elements of a robust economy and provide the engine for economic growth through "shovel ready" jobs. That's why it is encouraging to see Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) announce recently that they’re introducing the BUILD Act, which would create a National Infrastructure Bank.

The $10 billion initial investment will hopefully spur a private construction boom and create thousands of jobs in the process. It will show the the world that America is ready to make the investments necessary to move its infrastructure into the 21st century.

Here is the statement from Sen. Kerry's press office:

“This is a bi-partisan moment to make a once bi-partisan issue bi-partisan once again,” said Sen. Kerry. “Democrats and Republicans, business and labor, are now united to create an American infrastructure bank to leverage private investment, make America the world’s builders once again, and close the deficit in our infrastructure investments. The BUILD Act will create good jobs, strengthen our competitiveness, and do more with less. Most of all, this bill breaks a partisan stalemate to get America back in the game. When you’ve got a Massachusetts Democrat, a Texas Republican, the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO preaching from the same hymnal, you’ll find a sweet spot that can translate into a major legislative step forward.”

“I have been working to overhaul our nation’s aging infrastructure for nearly 20 years. This national infrastructure bank is an innovative way to leverage private-public partnerships and maximize private funding to address our water, transportation, and energy infrastructure needs. It is essential to think outside the box as we work to solve national challenges, particularly in this fiscal crisis. We must be creative to meet the needs of our country and to spur economic development and job growth while protecting taxpayers from new federal spending as much as possible,” said Sen. Hutchison, who served on the Commission to Promote Investment in America’s Infrastructure in 1993 as State Treasurer of Texas and is the Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

“The United States is spending less than two-percent of its GDP on infrastructure, while India spends five-percent and China spends nine-percent,” said Sen. Warner. “As a matter of global competitiveness, we need to find additional ways to upgrade our nation’s infrastructure, and this bank will help us strike the right balance between near-term discipline and investment in future growth.”

“A national infrastructure bank is a great place to start securing the funding we need to increase our mobility, create jobs, and enhance our global competitiveness,” said Donohue. “With a modest initial investment of $10 billion, a national infrastructure bank could leverage up to $600 billion in private investments to repair, modernize, and expand our ailing infrastructure system. While private capital is badly needed, we must also recognize our public financing mechanism is broken. Receipts to the Highway Trust Fund have fallen dramatically, funds are being diverted to non-infrastructure projects, and the gas tax has not been increased in 17 years. We need a multiyear highway bill to meet immediate needs, but we have to figure out a way to ensure we have adequate public investments for years to come.”

The Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development (BUILD) Act would establish an American Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA) – a kind of infrastructure bank – to complement our existing infrastructure funding. This institution, which would provide loans and loan guarantees, would be both fiscally responsible and robust enough to address America’s needs.

Interview: Composting Advocate Jessica Weiss

There is a food fight being waged on Capitol Hill over the Republicans ending the composting program instituted by the Democrats when they took over the House. If only a referee could enter the fray to set some rules about why composting is so important. While composting advocate and Montgomery County, Maryland-based GrowingSOUL founder Jessica L. Weiss won't be trekking up to the Hill anytime soon, she is working hard to educate citizens about how easy composting is and how important it is to the environment.


Green Center: What is GrowingSOUL?


Jessica Weiss:  We are a sustainable food education center focusing on zero waste food production systems. Our mission is to close the gap in the food system by bringing composting to municipal level.

GC: How did you get interested in the sustainable food movement?

JW: I’m a very bad gardener but I’m very interested in the environment and I'm a foodie. I read Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and got very interested in local foods. I’m from California originally and I grew up going to farmers markets. So I started connecting my family to that and we experimented with just eating local food for a year.

GC: What is the organization working on right now?

JW:  On the commercial level we have several small restaurants, a retirement center in Bethesda, and we now have ten Chipotle restaurants with the go ahead to essentially take over all the Chipotle restaurants that we can drive to.

It's really Montgomery County right now. But by talking to Chipotle, what we are shooting for is to create a franchise program so that nationally we would connect Chipotle restaurants with compost haulers and urban farms and food banks and create more of these loops.

GC: What are the benefits you've seen since you purchased a truck that runs on vegetable oil to do your composting hauls?

JW:  Having a truck that runs on the waste from Chipotle that we are picking up allows us not only to have a smaller carbon footprint, but now we aren’t having to pay money for gas. And that was really our biggest expense.

GC: What are some of the other initiatives you are working on?

JW: We're trying to bring reusable composting to Montgomery County and the Metropolitan D.C. area. So we're going to take the vegetable oil truck and similar to having paper drives when I was little, we are going to have a mobile unit. We'll drive around to specific sites, either people's houses or a grocery store parking lot, and people can bring us their compostables and throw them in the back of the truck for free. And we'll use that to donate to make the compost for the food bank.

We want to get fresh food to the people that need it the most. The tagline is that we are creating the healthy soil in which good food and strong communities grow and thrive. So we want to get people to think about composting the same way they think about recycling. It's what you do. It's how you sort your trash. And we want to instead of calling it trash or waste, we want to call it landfill so that people realize what they are doing when they throw it into the trash.

GC: Why do you think composting is so important to a healthy society and  a healthy planet?

JW: There was a statistic that really struck me -- if you take a piece of organically grown broccoli and compare it to an organically grown piece of broccoli from 50 years ago, it has 75% fewer nutrients in it now then it did back then just because of the soil erosion depleting all the nutrients.

What we can do is take those nutrients and put it back in the ground and grow more nutrients that we can feed people.

GC: Why has there been more awareness about recycling than composting?

JW: Because people are grossed out by composting. People are willing to touch a dirty beer bottle but aren't really happy picking up bones that someone else has eaten or banana peels. It rots and it smells and it gets gross sitting in your trash can.

It's dirty work. I happen to love that. To me it smells like the day after it rains. In some ways it's a mindset about how you feel about nature. Just taking inner city kids and showing them a tree that's growing or seeing how a vegetable grows is mystifying.

GC: How do you change that societal aversion to composting?

JW: We give them compostable liners and we get these free pickle barrels from restaurants. We have these buckets available. They can take them home, put a liner in it like they would put a trash liner in their trash can and throw their coffee grounds into it. It fits under their sink. They can put a lid on top of it so it doesn't smell. If it smells they just put their coffee grounds on top of it so it smells like coffee. And then they just pull the liner out and toss it in our truck. So it makes it pretty clean.

A lot of what you need to do is teach the interconnectedness and how many people are involved in the food system. And food should really cost a whole lot more than it does. So if we don't want to encourage the cost to go up, how do we keep it down. Well, we can do things like use renewable energy. The bulk of the transportation of food in this country is using diesel engines. We can create a network of co-ops around the country where these trucks can fuel up on vegetable oil and cut down on their carbon footprint and cut down on the cost. So we are working more on sustainability. That's an initiative I really want to push through.

GC: Where do you see the composting movement going in the future? Will it get bigger?

JW: Oh yeah. You look at places like San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario. Canada is way ahead of us. They have municipal composting. The reason recycling has caught on in this country is because there are haulers willing to do the recycling. And the biggest problem with recycling is that a lot of times with plastic and stuff we end up crushing the stuff and sending it out to China to do the recycling there because it's unaffordable to do it here.

When I was growing up you had to collect your bottles and take them to the recycling center. The reason it's caught on is because there is a bin everywhere you look now. What we're proposing for municipal composting is that you have a green bin and you have a blue bin and then you have your landfill.

People are inherently lazy but they want to do the right thing. I don't want to say lazy in a bad way. People are really busy and if they have to go out of their way it's not going to happen. Some people can afford to pay someone to make it happen. But most people can't.

If you think about the cost of gardening, it makes sense to recycle your own food scraps. Composting is the recycling of food scraps.

'Into Eternity' Explores Dark Side of Nuclear Energy

What to do with all that radioactive waste? That is a question not asked nearly enough in the debate about nuclear power. There is also the disturbing question about the finite resource of uranium that is needed for nuclear power. Not to mention the harmful environmental impact of uranium mining.

But the uranium question is for another film. "Into Eternity," which screened recently at the Avalon Theatre in Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. as part of the 19th Annual Environmental Film Festival, explores the reality of storing the waste from spent fuel rods.

The nation of Finland is currently carving out of solid rock the world's first permanent repository for nuclear waste. The Onkalo underground storage facility is an enormous system of underground tunnels that is supposed to last 100,000 years. This is because a radioactive element such as plutonium has a half life of 24,100 years.

Through interviews and filming deep under the earth, Director Michael Madsen takes us into uncharted territory and asks many provocative questions about how our use of nuclear energy today will affect future generations. Given the constant news updates on the nuclear crisis in Japan, this documentary couldn't be more timely.

Here is the trailer:

The Awesome Power of Mother Nature

When our heads get too big and we start to think we are kings of the planet, mother nature has a way of smacking us back down and showing us who is really the boss. The triple punch to Japan by way of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis is an example of how a modern, high-tech, industrialized nation can be reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes by a natural disaster.

But there is nothing like seeing the force of nature up close and personal. Below is video of the mighty Potomac River at Great Falls, Virginia a couple of days after a rain storm. Simply awesome.

Momentum Builds for L.A. Transit Plan

Time Magazine recently produced an online video segment with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in which he explains his efforts to establish what is called a "bridge loan" from the federal government to fast track a host of mass transit projects. According to the mayor, this would have the immediate impact of creating jobs while also making important investments in transit and infrastructure. If successful, it could serve as a model for how other major cities could finance needed improvements in transportation and infrastructure.

Here is the video:

National Bike Summit Rides into D.C.

Public Bike System showed off their bike sharing models. Left to right: Minneapolis' Nice Ride, Melbourne Bike Share and London's Barclays Cycle Hire. 

The 2011 National Bike Summit recently wrapped up. It was a week filled with lobbying Congress on the importance of creating livable communities with walking and bicycling infrastructure investments. Of course, one of the biggest champions of biking in this country is current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He received another rousing ovation this year (last year he memorably stood up on a table to give an impassioned defense of bicycling) as he spoke about the need to invest more in bicycling.

Here is the video of LaHood's speech to the National Bike Summit at the Grand Hyatt at Metro Center:



I had the chance to stop by and check out some of the organizations represented at the summit. Here are links to their websites.

My Bike Law -- promotes and protects rights of bicyclists.

League of American Bicyclists -- works for a bicycle-friendly America.

People for Bikes -- Trying to gather a million names to support bicycling in America.

Bike to Work -- Encourages commuting to work by bike.

Rocky Mountain Center for Sustainable Urbanism -- Promoting sustainability tours of Europe.

Alliance for Biking & Walking -- Mission is to unite and strengthen local walking and biking advocacy groups.

Saris Cycling Group -- Solutions for bicycle parking.

Public Bike System -- Montreal-based bike sharing company.

National Center for Safe Routes to School -- Assists communities to provide safe walking and biking routes to schools.

American Public Transportation Association -- Promotes public transit investments in America.

Rail-Volution -- Upcoming conference on building livable communities with public transit.

International Mountain Bicycling Association -- Promotes mountain biking around the world.

Bikes Belong -- Goal is to get more people on bicycles more often.

Japan Nuclear Crisis Carries Lessons for America

As I write this there is a developing story regarding a likely meltdown at a reactor located at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan.

The government is saying that the reactor is releasing radioactive steam after it lost its ability to cool the reactor core. This is the same power plant where a massive explosion occurred on Saturday, causing a radiation scare at another reactor. Initially the reports were that radioactive levels had actually decreased following the explosion at the first reactor. Now the radiation appears to be leaking out of the second reactor.

Fukushima is located 150 miles north of Tokyo, potentially putting millions of people in danger if the radiation leakage levels worsen. That is why the government is taking the unprecedented step of pumping seawater into the first reactor and venting the second reactor.

Japan gets around 30% of their electricity from nuclear power plants and the country, along with France, is often cited by American politicians and nuclear energy proponents as examples of how nuclear energy can be the solution to our energy needs. However, this crisis in Japan should be a stark warning that we must proceed with the utmost caution in pursuing nuclear energy here in the United States.

While nuclear power should certainly be explored as one option to meet our energy needs, there are serious setbacks to this source of energy that might make it more worthwhile to invest in safer renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectric power. While any power source has its drawbacks, none of these has the potential for catastrophe that nuclear does. The nuclear scare right now in Japan is evidence of that.

How to Help Japan

This is the time when Americans come together to help our friends across the Pacific Ocean in their hour of need following the devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan.

Here are links to relief agencies you can contribute to that right now are mobilizing to help the people of Japan.

The Red Cross

Save the Children

Global Giving

International Medical Corps

World Vision

Please give what you can. This is the time when all of us -- no matter our political affiliation or ideology -- come together as Americans to help those in need.

Northeast Makes Case for High Speed Rail Funding

The Northeast Corridor doesn't want to be overpowered by mega-projects in California and Florida. In fact, since Florida has said they don't want federal high speed rail money, politicians in states along gridlocked I-95 say they want those dollars to upgrade their Civil War era rail lines.

The Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility has even set up a website to advocate for Northeast High Speed Rail funding and has made this video to state their case:


Why Build High-Speed Rail in the Northeast? from Regional Plan Association on Vimeo.

Mark Warner: Clean Energy Transition Takes Time

Democratic Virginia Senator Mark Warner spoke last month at the Alliance to Save Energy's annual Great Energy Efficiency Day on Capitol Hill. The speech offered both optimism about the inevitability of America's transition to clean energy and also realism about the time it will take to fully realize the move away from fossil fuels.

Warner is also a pioneering executive in the telecommunications industry so he has seen firsthand the time it takes for a new technology to reach its apex. He stressed the need to let the public know that this transition to clean energy and creation of green jobs is not something that will happen overnight, but, like the Internet, will take years to live up to its promise. Warner reminded the audience that promises Bill Gates made about the Internet in the mid-90s have only started to come to fruition in the past couple of years in terms of data use and social networking. And between that period was the false start of the dot com bust.

Warner stressed the need to look at the clean energy issue as being about national security, job creation and energy efficiency. The focus on these three issues, as opposed to climate change, is especially important in light of the new majority in the House.

"We’re going to get to that tipping point," said Warner. "So if we can keep making incremental policy changes to move to that tipping point, along with the innovation that’s inherent in our society, we will get there and the Alliance is going to be an important part of that."

First Chevy Volt Sighting!

I was bicycling today in Vienna, Virginia and had my first Chevy Volt sighting. I gave the driver a big thumbs up and he gave me a wide eyed grin. I wonder if the guy in the gas-guzzling SUV idling behind us understood our moment -- a biker and an electric vehicle driver doing our part for American energy security.

I can't wait for my first Nissan Leaf sighting in the Washington area.

Onward with the electric future!

How Should U.S. React to Rising Oil Prices?

The turmoil in the Middle East is playing havoc with oil prices and Americans are paying the price at the pump. I just found out today that the airlines are imposing a $500 round-trip fuel surcharge, which will affect my upcoming trip to Argentina and Uruguay. Expect airlines to jack up prices even more thanks to instability in oil-rich countries like Libya.

So what is our oil-addicted country to do?

Maybe more states could follow Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's lead by proposing to build offshore wind farms.

Or we could follow Spain's lead by lowering the speed limit.

Or how about following car-centric Los Angeles by promoting bicycling? On Tuesday the city approved a bike plan that will eventually add some 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways.

Maybe we could encourage riding the bus as an ideal alternative to driving by implementing some of these innovative bus stop designs that make waiting for the bus more appealing.

Or we could look towards Sweden and harvest body heat to warm buildings. Engineers have found a way to harness the body heat from travelers at Stockholm Central Station to heat an office across the street, lowering that building's energy bill by 25%.

But don't forget about Virginia. The state recently built its first LEED Gold Hotel -- The Mason Inn and Conference Center on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. What a great way to save energy and reduce our dependence on foreign oil!

Those are just a select few ideas for how we can come together to break our addiction to foreign oil once and for all. What sort of ideas do you have for American energy security? Now is the time to think big.

Movie Trailer: 'Revenge of the Electric Car'

Hollywood loves a comeback story. Ten years after Director Chris Payne's documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?," the major auto manufacturers are making amends by embracing electric with the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric and many more plug-ins rolling into dealer showrooms across America.

So Payne has made a follow-up film called "Revenge of the Electric Car." Don't you just love a Hollywood ending? Here is the trailer:



And the Sierra Club is charged up about electric vehicles as well, even starting a new "Go Electric" campaign to advocate for policies that make EVs more affordable and accessible. The environmental organization recently debunked nine myths about electric vehicles. Here is the truth about EVs from the Sierra Club.

Myth 1: Switching to an electric vehicle will just mean that the same amount of pollution comes from the electricity generation rather than from the tailpipe — I'll just be switching from oil to coal.

Reality: According to a range of studies, an electric car leads to 35 to 60% less carbon dioxide pollution from electricity than the CO2 pollution from the oil of a conventional car with an internal combustion engine.[1][2][3] In some areas, like many on the West Coast that rely largely on wind or hydro power, the emissions are significantly lower for EVs. And that's today. As we retire more coal plants and bring cleaner sources of power online, the emissions from electric vehicle charging drop even further. Additionally, in some areas, night-time charging will increase the opportunity to take advantage of wind power -- another way to reduce emissions.

A caveat to consider, according to some studies, is that when coal plants supply the majority of the power mix in a given area, electric vehicles may emit more CO2 and SO2 pollution than hybrid electric vehicles.[4] Learn where your electricity comes from, what plans your state or community has for shifting to renewables, and whether you have options for switching to greener power.

Myth 2: Plug-in cars will lead to the production of more coal and nuclear plants.

Reality: Even if the majority of drivers switched to electric, the existing electrical grid's off-peak/nighttime capacity for power generation is sufficient without building a single new power plant. Studies have shown that electric vehicle owners will largely charge their vehicles at night when there is plenty of capacity on the grid. In some areas, new "smart charging" allows you and the utility to set up a system by which you and other electricity users distribute the load evenly during charging so that the system is not overwhelmed by increased demand.

Myth 3: Electric car batteries pose a recycling problem.

Reality: Internal combustion engine vehicles use lead-acid batteries, and their recycle rate is about 98% in the US. The newer batteries for electric vehicles, such as those made of lithium-ion, include even more valuable and recyclable metals and will have a life well beyond the vehicle. In fact, a Belgian company plans to use Tesla Motor's electric vehicle battery pack material to produce an alloy it can further refine into cobalt, nickel, and other valuable metals as well as special grades of concrete. Technology will soon allow for EV batteries to store energy produced by solar or wind power.

Myth 4: My electricity bill will go way up.

Reality: While you'll spend more on electricity, the savings on gas will more than cover it. If you drive a pure battery electric vehicle 12,000 miles a year at current electricity rates (assuming $.12 per kilowatt hour though rates vary throughout the country), you'll pay about $389 per year for the electricity to charge your battery, but you'll save about $1200 in gas (assuming $3 per gallon, a 30 miles per gallon vehicle, and 12,000 miles driven). So $1200 minus $389 equals $811 in savings -a 68% reduction in fueling costs. Some utilities are offering EV owners lower off-peak/nighttime rates. The more we successfully advocate for these off-peak incentives, the lower your electricity payments will go.

Myth 5: Electric vehicles will just fail again like they did before.

Reality: Manufacturers are serious this time -- rolling out more than a dozen new plug-in models in the next couple of years, starting now. With higher gas prices and climate change worrying many consumers, stricter fuel economy standards for new vehicles required of auto manufacturers, and billions of public and corporate dollars being spent on an EV infrastructure and research in the US, EVs are here to stay.

Myth 6: My battery will run out of juice.

Reality: The majority of drivers in the US drive less than 35 miles each day, sufficient for a fully charged pure electric vehicle (most can go 80 to 140 miles on one charge), and an extended range electric vehicle (that drives about 35 miles on electric and then the gasoline power kicks in). Using a 220-volt outlet and charging station, a plug-in hybrid recharges in about 100 minutes, an extended range plug-in electric in about four hours, and a pure electric in six to eight hours. A regular 110-volt outlet will mean significantly longer charging times, but for plug-in hybrids and extended range electrics, this outlet may be sufficient. Most of the time, the battery will not be empty when you plug in, thus reducing charging time.

Most people will charge at home. However, some businesses and public entities are beginning to install 220-volt public chargers. Some are installing fast-charging stations along highways and in public places that can re-charge a car to 80% of battery capacity in less than 30 minutes.

Myth 7: Electric vehicles are much more expensive than traditional vehicles.

Reality: While the initial sticker price of EVs is higher than traditional vehicles, you need to do the math to account for a variety of factors. For individual consumers, there is currently a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, as well as a partial federal credit for the charging unit. Several states have additional tax credits on top of the federal ones. Additionally, the average EV driver will save more than $800 a year in fuel (the cost of electricity compared to gasoline). Due to a cleaner, more streamlined system under the hood, an EV may save the average driver about 46% in annual maintenance costs, according to one federal government study.[5]

Myth 8: Electric vehicles are only available in California.

Reality: While EVs are not yet available for purchase in every state, they are quickly becoming available in many. The fully electric Nissan Leaf is being sold to customers in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Tennessee. The Chevy Volt, an extended range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, is currently being sold at select dealerships in California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, DC. Customers in nearly all states are expected to be able to purchase or lease a Leaf, Volt, or plug-in Toyota Prius by late 2011 or early 2012. The Tesla Roadster, a fully electric luxury sportscar, is available in several locations throughout the country. By 2012, many other models will become available nationwide, including the Ford Focus EV, Tesla Model S, and the Mitsubishi iMiev.

Myth 9: Charging an EV on solar power is a futuristic dream.

Reality: The technology to power your EV with solar power is already available. The investment in solar panels pays off faster when the solar power is not only replacing grid electricity, but replacing much more expensive gasoline. According to Plug-In America, EVs typically travel three to four miles (or more) per kWh (kilowatt hour) of electricity. If you drive 12,000 miles per year, you will need 3,000-4,000 kWh. Depending on where you live, you will need a 1.5kW-3kW photovoltaic (PV) system to generate that much power using about 150 to 300 square feet of space on your roof. Utility credits for the daytime solar power can offset the cost of charging the car at night. If solar PV isn't feasible at your home, find out if your utility offers a green energy option.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Greenest Republican in America

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is flexing his muscles for the environment by going on a world tour to tout clean energy solutions to national security issues created by America's dependence on foreign oil from unstable countries like Libya.

"Why should a dried-up little country like Libya with a crazy dictator play havoc with America’s economy and security?," the Governator said yesterday at a speech in suburban Washington.

Are you going to argue with The Terminator?

Click here to read Politico's story on Arnie going green.

Stop the Escalators!

Washington Metro needs to stop all their non-essential escalators immediately.

The beleaguered transit system must take action on the independent audit conducted by Vertical Transportation Excellence that explains why the escalators are breaking down so often, putting thousands of passengers in danger. The full 308-page VTX report can be found here.

Meanwhile, I believe riders would understand the need to shut down the escalators if it means Metro is finally taking seriously how dangerous their escalator system has become due to many years of poor maintenance practices and general neglect. Plus, it might do some riders good to get more exercise by walking up and down the steps.

This would of course not apply to the deep underground stations such as Rosslyn and Dupont Circle where working escalators are essential. Metro has the most escalators (588) of any transit system in the nation and it would be logistically impossible to halt every single one.

But something drastic must be done ASAP. Otherwise, I fear another incident such as the horrific malfunction that caused this chaotic scene caught by a surveillance camera at the L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station the day of the John Stewart and Stephen Colbert rally in October.

Video: L'Enfant Plaza Escalator Malfunction: MyFoxDC.com

Electric Current Events: Middle East Revolutions and the Need to Revolutionize American Clean Energy

California Representative John Garamendi, left, visits a Shiloh II Wind Farm in Solano County.

By Congressman John Garamendi

Pro-democratic movements in the Middle East are in the midst of their rendezvous with destiny, but America’s destiny can no longer be linked with the fates of dictators, military juntas, and theocratic regimes. We must develop energy independence; we must Make It In America.

America must develop a national energy plan that prioritizes the need to (1) Make It In America, (2) transition away from dirty fossil fuels, and (3) secure energy independence. The events unfolding in the Middle East – and subsequent spikes in fuel prices – demonstrate America’s need to transition away from unclean energy from an unstable part of the world.

We spend 16 percent of our defense budget – more than $100 billion – securing oil shipments in the Straits of Hormuz and elsewhere, and there is little doubt that American foreign policy has been perversely shaped over the years by the raw calculus of oil politics (see: U.S. policy in Iraq over decades). It’s long past time that we wean ourselves off of foreign dirty fossil fuels. Energy security is national security.

A comprehensive national clean energy plan, including solar, wind, geothermal, cellulosic ethanol, advanced biofuels, and the Integral Fast Reactor is necessary to break our dangerous addiction to oil and to keep America safe. We have the technology and resources to be completely energy independent, creating thousands of good American jobs and strengthening our global competitiveness.

In 2009, the United States received 8 percent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources of energy and 9 percent of its energy from nuclear power. Renewable sources of energy are anticipated to reach 17 percent of total energy consumption by 2035, but this will not provide the baseload power that is needed to meet our future energy demands.

According to a recent Pew study, between 1998 and 2007, clean energy jobs “from scientists and engineers to electricians, machinists and teachers” grew almost three times faster than jobs in the overall economy. An analysis by the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley suggests that transitioning to a 20 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2020, utilizing 40 percent biomass, 55 percent wind, and 5 percent solar, would create 188,018 jobs.

Clean energy is good for the environment, good for national security, and good for thousands of Americans who desire a rewarding career. That’s why I’ve authored Make It In America legislation that requires clean technology made with federal taxpayer dollars to be made in America. If we don’t Make It In America, we’ll buy it from a global competitor. China is now the world’s third largest wind power producer and the world’s fifteen largest photovoltaic solar power stations are in the European Union.

2011 has been electrifying year for millions of ‘small d’ democrats and people throughout the Middle East, but if we don’t act fast, we risk letting the 2010s be known as the decade the lights went out in America. For centuries, America has led the world on a long march toward freedom and democracy. Let’s reclaim our clean energy leadership and lead the world toward clean energy independence.

Congressman John Garamendi represents California’s 10th Congressional District. As a state legislator in the 1970s, he authored the first renewable energy tax credit in America.