Obama's big Earth Day announcement
Offshore wind and wave energy could provide 20% of the U.S. energy demand and create 250,000 jobs.
Fri, Apr 24 2009 at 3:45 AM EST
Many are hailing the Obama administration's announcement on Earth Day as the "biggest federal step forward for clean energy to date."
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a set of regulations that will allow renewable wind and wave energy projects to be developed in offshore federal waters. Federal waters had been the subject of a many year inter-agency turf war, and the new regulations clear up both the royalties to be paid to the states (27.5%) and the long-awaited application process for new projects.
In his Earth Day speech, Obama said that by releasing federal waters to renewable energy development, the U.S. could potentially generate 20% of U.S. power needs sustainably while creating 250,000 new permanent jobs in the process.
"It's a win win. It's good for the environment. It's great for the economy."
His optimism for offshore wind is not shared by all, including some environmental groups and notably the Kennedy family who sought to stop the Cape Wind project in Nantucket.
But the success of these massive projects has been demonstrated in countries like Denmark, which now supplies 20% of its power from wind, and with the wind of stimulus money in the sails of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), we may see white windmills popping up out of the ocean in the not so distant future.
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Comments
Anonymous
04/24/2009 17:50 PM
As an aerospace engineer I know that the 5 gallons per mile statistic is only when the aircraft, 747-200 AF1, is at cruise speed. The aircraft burns a lot of fuel taxiing and taking off, and while not in cruise. The 9,000 gallons is definitely an under-measurement. According to a flight planner for a 747-200 model with Air Force One Capacity would consume approximately 6309.8 gallons (42275 lb) of fuel for a ONE WAY TRIP from Andrews Air Force Base to Des Moines INTL. Hence total gallons.... More
