By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

President Barack Obama has left the U.S. Department of Energy with a difficult task: how spending $150 billion over the next decade will result in 25 percent of Americans using renewable energy sources by 2025.

At the Energy Information Administration’s annual conference in Washington today, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said that government funding will drive scientific research to make renewable sources of energy more accessible and affordable.

A Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist, Chu said that with aggressive research, adequate government funding and public support, America will spark a technological and scientific revolution in the energy industry, making renewable energies more accessible and less expensive.

President Obama has committed to doubling the funding of basic science in the next ten years, and Chu believes the funds will have significant impacts.

Chu believes that economic prosperity is tied intimately to energy affordability and energy security, and cautioned against being misled into believing that there is any correlation between the amount of energy a country uses and that country’s economic prosperity. Citing numbers from the Human Development Index, Chu displayed that over the past several decades California’s energy consumption has remained consistent while its GDP per capita has nearly doubled.

President Obama has said repeatedly that his energy plan is one that will help the economy by creating green jobs which are not subject to the threat of outsourcing, but opponents criticize the costs involved.

The Energy policy laid out in January’s Stimulus Package allots over $16 billion to energy efficiency and renewable energy, which is part of the broader $32.7 billion that the Department of Energy was given overall.

By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service

Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, tells Talk Radio News Service in a conference call today what the American people can expect from his team. Vilsack today signed an ethics agreement called for by President Obama to ensure that all departments operate under transparent and collaborative government. Vilsack said: “It is vital that we have these standards in place, that they be rigorous and that they meet the expectations of the citizens and taxpayers of this country.”

 

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Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) doesn’t think battery-powered cars aren’t a commodity to U.S. citizens. Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) disagrees with Bunning using some personal testimony. (0:58)

 

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Sen. Saxby Chambliss says that the “Gang of 10” coalition’s ability to come together and discuss the United States’ most important issue is what the Senate is all about. Chambliss says that the group has been able to form a true bipartisan cooperative effort with all ten members to come up with a solution the the energy crisis. (1:23)

 

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Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) talks about the New Era Bill that has been created by the “Gang of 10” in an effort to reduce gas prices, lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and strengthen America’s economy. Conrad says that the group has 84 billion dollars ready to move the nation from a dependency on oil to alternatives. He says that the bill has a goal of having 85 percent of America’s cars and trucks transitioned to alternative fuels – a dramatic statement according to Conrad. (1:18)

 

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Members of a bipartisan coalition of Senators known as the “Gang of 10” held a news conference to discuss their plan to reduce gas prices, lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and strengthen America’s economy. The “Gang of 10” is led by Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), and includes Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Sen. Johny Isakson (R-Ga.), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). (more…)

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan) says that the time has come to bring about real energy reform to stop prices fro breaking the backs of truck drivers, and all Americans (:34).

 

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Senate Republicans held a joint press conference with Americans from the trucking industry this afternoon to discuss increased energy costs and its effect on commodity prices. Barbara Windsor, President and CEO of HAHN Transportation said that her trucking company spends $1,400 per vehicle to fill it with Diesel gasoline, and currently spends 58 percent more on fuel than it did a year ago.

Tony Sifford, a professional truck driver said that despite the fuel conservation efforts that he employs, such as slowing down, keeping a constant speed and maintaining a tuned-up vehicle, he still pays over $1,100 more than he did a year ago to drive from Hillsville, Virginia to Dallas, Texas three times per week. Sifford called upon the Democrats to stop playing games and cross party lines to bring an energy solution to America.

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) said that Americans in the West need a solution, as they tend to drive further distances than others in the nation. As such, he said that he favors searching for oil everywhere we possibly can and not remove options from the table, especially because no renewable energy source exists for truck drivers.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says that the price of gas at the pump is the most important subject in the U.S. He says that the only way to bring down the price of oil is to expand domestic production. McConnell says that the beginning bill only focuses on a small part of the problem, and focusing on speculation only will have no impact. He is curious to see if Congress will rise to the occasion and give the issue the attention it needs. (2:05)

 

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The Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held a hearing to discuss the forecasts for oil and gasoline prices and examine the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) budget request for Fiscal Year 2009. Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said that the EIA is a very important organization and that their work is very important to the United States. However, Dorgan could not understand why the EIA’s projections continued to be “way, way, way off” for the past six months. Dorgan also said that he was confused as to why the price of oil and gasoline skyrocketed when nothing fundamentally changed in order to cause this. (more…)