Today’s Climate: July 3-4, 2010

Obama Announces Close to $2B in Solar Loan Guarantees (Eath2Tech)

Pres. Obama took the opportunity of his weekly video address over the July 4th weekend to announce that the DOE has awarded $1.85 billion in loan guarantees to Spanish solar firm Abengoa Solar and Colorado-based solar panel maker Abound Solar.

Activists Beg Obama to Step Up Climate Push (New York Times)

A coalition of environmental organizations sent Pres. Obama a letter on Friday pleading for him to intervene in the stalled Senate negotiations on climate and energy legislation.

Moynihan, as Nixon Aide, Warned of Global Warming (AP)

Documents released Friday by the Nixon Presidential Library show members of Pres. Richard Nixon’s inner circle discussing the possibilities of global warming more than 30 years ago.

Tests Start on "Super Skimmer" for Gulf Oil Spill (Reuters)

A supertanker named "A Whale" and adapted to scoop up oil from the BP spill in the Gulf began tests on Saturday amid a report that some major investors expect the energy giant to replace its top executives.

Smaller Oil Firms Might Exit Gulf, Browner Says (Wall Street Journal)

The White House’s top energy adviser acknowledged that smaller oil firms may no longer be able to drill in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of legislation moving through Congress that would eliminate the cap on their liability for oil spills.

U.S. Spill Panel to Hold Public Meeting July 12-13 (Reuters)

A U.S. presidential panel to probe the cause of the Gulf spill and recommend new rules to prevent future disasters will hold its first public meeting in New Orleans on July 12 and 13, its co-chairs said on Saturday.

Loan Giants Opt to Block Energy Programs (New York Times)

Two government-chartered mortgage finance companies are unlikely to accept loans on homes that are part of a special program that lets homeowners repay the cost of energy improvements through a surcharge on their property tax bills, according to DOE officials.

Hearings Set, Public Comments Sought on New Kansas Coal Plant Permit (Kansas City Star)

Kansas Health and Environment officials have opened the public comment and hearing process for an air quality permit for a controversial new coal plant in southwest Kansas.

UN Report Fuels Criticism of Carbon-Cutting Scheme (AP)

European and U.S. environmentalists demanded action Friday after an obscure U.N. advisory panel lent credence to their claims that rich nations are wasting billions of dollars by funding carbon-cutting projects through the Clean Development Mechanism.

Renewable Portfolio Standards To Increase Demand 250% by 2025 (SustainableBusiness)

A new study estimates that cumulative renewables demand across all states with binding RPS policies will grow from an expected 137 TWh in 2010 to 479 TWh by 2025 — an increase of around 250 percent.

Bard Group to Build Two Wind-Energy Parks off Netherlands Coastline (Bloomberg)

German wind-turbine maker Bard Group has agreed to build two wind parks 34 miles north off the Dutch coastal island of Schiermonnikoog. The installations will have a capacity of 600 megawatts, or enough to power 660,000 households.

Spain to Cut Subsidies to Renewable Energy Producers (AFP)

The government of Spain said it has reached agreements with renewable energy producers to slash subsidies for wind and solar power by 35% from January 1, 2013.

Toshiba Leaps From Laptops to Electric Cars (Earth2Tech)

Toshiba and Mitsubishi Motors have teamed up to work on battery systems for electric cars, the laptop and electronics giant announced on Friday.

Philippines: Environment Head Orders Elimination of Illegal Loggers in 30 days (BusinessWorld)

New Environment secretary Ramon Jesus Paje ordered the elimination of illegal loggers within 30 days in his speech during the formal turnover ceremony at the Philippines Department of Environment of Natural Resources.

Peru Inventor ‘Whitewashes’ Peaks to Slow Glacier Melt (AFP)

In a remote corner of the Peruvian Andes, men in paint-daubed boiler suits are coating a mountain summit at 15,600 feet with whitewash in an experimental bid to recuperate the country’s melting glaciers.