energy independence

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Romney: I'll Make US an Energy 'Superpower'

Candidate tries to shift focus to energy with oil-friendly plan

(Newser) - Mitt Romney will unveil an energy plan today that he says will make the US an "energy superpower," in what the AP sees as an attempt to shift the focus away from issues like rape, abortion, and welfare, and put it back on the economy. Romney's plan...

Sarah Palin Advises 2012 Republican Candidate on Energy Independence

 Palin Gives 
 Advice to 
 2012 GOP 
 Nominee 
'god has blessed america'

Palin Gives Advice to 2012 GOP Nominee

'Going Rogue' explains how to attain 'energy independence'

(Newser) - Sarah Palin is offering a little advice to whoever becomes this year's Republican presidential nominee. First, she says, pick up her book, Going Rogue . "I must implore the candidates to do something that sounds self-promoting, but whatever," she writes in the Washington Post. "Candidates, please turn...

US Becoming Net Fuel Exporter
 US Becoming Net Fuel Exporter 

US Becoming Net Fuel Exporter

More going out than coming in for first time since 1949

(Newser) - This is going to be the first year since 1949 in which America exports more fuel than it imports, thanks to sagging demand at home and booming economies elsewhere. The US still imports around 9 million barrels of crude oil every day, but soaring exports of refined petroleum products are...

GOP Axes House Climate Panel
 GOP Axes House Climate Panel 

GOP Axes House Climate Panel

Boehner cuts global warming panel to save cash

(Newser) - The climate change panel Nancy Pelosi set up as one of her first acts as House speaker has held its last meeting, House Republicans say. The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming—which aimed to highlight issues relating to climate change and clean energy—will be folded...

It's Not BP's Fault. We Did This.
 It's Not BP's Fault. 
 We Did This. 
THOMAS FRIEDMAN

It's Not BP's Fault. We Did This.

And it's time to get real about energy independence

(Newser) - It's not like this is the first time, writes Thomas Friedman. We sat through the energy crisis of the '70s, the 9/11 attacks, two Gulf wars, a financial meltdown, and did nothing to end our nation's thirst for foreign oil. But maybe now, as we watch the toxic stain of...

Obama Pledges $8B to Build Nuclear Plant

It would be the first in the US in 30 years

(Newser) - President Obama today pledged to guarantee $8 billion in loans to build a new nuclear power plant in the US—the first in 30 years—as part of his clean energy agenda. To make green power a reality, the president told a gathering of union electrical workers, “we’ll...

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas
 Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas 

Biofuel Boom Runs Out of Gas

(Newser) - Once considered a win-win for the environment and energy independence, America’s biofuel industry is sputtering to a halt, the Wall Street Journal reports. Thanks to the recession, lower oil prices, and government delays, two-thirds of American biodiesel refineries—dozens of plants—are idle, and companies across the country are...

Natural Gas Finds Could Herald Energy Shift in US

Discoveries speed push to replace coal, oil

(Newser) - A huge natural-gas discovery in Louisiana, on the heels of similar finds elsewhere over the past decade, is fueling a push to shift the nation’s energy portfolio, the Wall Street Journal reports. Louisiana’s Haynesville Shale could hold the energy equivalent of 18 years of current US oil production;...

Obama Lets States Tighten Fuel Standards

(Newser) - Barack Obama announced a drastic change in the nation’s energy policy today, beginning with an executive order allowing states to raise their fuel efficiency standards. "America will not be held hostage to dwindling resources,” Obama said. “Today I announce the first steps on our journey to...

Gulf Oil Powers Pump Green Into Clean Technology

States invest billions to keep atop energy-economy heap

(Newser) - Though the per-capita carbon footprint of the United Arab Emirates dwarfs that of most anywhere else, it and fellow Persian Gulf oil giants like Qatar and Saudi Arabia are becoming the unlikely cradle of green technology, the New York Times reports. Wary of the world’s dependence on crude and...

Pickens, Facing Headwinds, Pushes Energy Plan in DC

Falling oil prices, stock market have taken alternative-energy push along for ride

(Newser) - Billionaire T. Boone Pickens is in Washington today to push lawmakers to breathe new life into his scheme for weaning America off foreign oil—which has suffered setbacks in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reports, not least of which are the energy and stock markets. A $100 decline in...

Team Obama Weighs Priorites Amid Obstacles
Team Obama Weighs
Priorites Amid Obstacles
ANALYSIS

Team Obama Weighs Priorites Amid Obstacles

Economy could put other promises on back burner

(Newser) - Between the economic crisis and a host of campaign promises, Barack Obama faces major challenges—and his team is taking time now to sort through priorities for his presidency, the New York Times reports. The president-elect's top priority is the economy, he repeated yesterday in a radio address to the...

EU Holds Emergency Summit on Georgia

No sanctions or radical changes expected

(Newser) - European Union leaders gather in Brussels in an emergency session today to review their stance on Russia’s invasion of Georgia. It's the first emergency EU meeting since the run-up to the Iraq war in 2003. With conflicting positions from the UK, France and Germany, analysts say the summit will...

Team McCain Giving Out Tire Gauges to Mock Obama

Negative gag slams Democrat's energy plan

(Newser) - John McCain’s campaign debuted another Barack Obama gag today as aides distributed tire gauges labeled “Obama Energy Plan” to reporters and donors, Politico reports. The campaign is mocking the Democrat’s suggestion that motorists increase gas mileage by keeping their tires full. The Obama campaign responded by pointing...

Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

Pickens wants to wean us from foreign supply with wind, natural gas

(Newser) - Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is fed up with America’s dependence on oil and today launched a huge ad campaign to persuade the nation to kick its crude addiction, the Dallas Morning News reports. His "Pickens Plan" proposes that Americans swap gasoline for natural gas, then replace natural...

Oil-Addicted Bush Must Kick the Habit
Oil-Addicted Bush
Must Kick the Habit
OPINION

Oil-Addicted Bush Must Kick the Habit

High fuel prices offer chance to change our ways

(Newser) - The American thirst for oil is like a drug addiction, and George Bush wants another hit, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Bush’s irresponsible energy plan involves getting a little more oil from Saudi Arabia to keep prices low, and then drilling in Alaska—simply prolonging our...

McCain Calls For 45 New Nuke Plants by 2030

It's time for US to reinvest in nuclear energy, candidate argues

(Newser) - John McCain continued his energy campaign theme last night by calling for 45 nuclear power plants to be built by 2030, Reuters reports. He said he would eventually like to see 100 new plants to combat global warming and make the US energy independent. The nation's 104 reactors provide about...

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