In 1976 when the nation was in the throes of a serious gas shortage, Jimmy Carter called for US auto manufacturers to rise to the occasion, roll up their sleeves and create cars with dramatically reduced gas mileage. Within a few years, cars getting 35-40 miles to the gallon were on the road. Kennedy said in 1961 he wanted to put a man on the moon - the first lunar step by man was taken just 8 years later. Now by painful contrast, Bush, to keep his oil company buddies in business, says creating a hydrogen car and fuel delivery system is just so darn hard that no DECISION can even be made about it until 2015 and if the decision is favorable, no actual vehicles or fuel stations will be available until 2020! Yet BMW has had viable hydrogen cars since 2001! http://www.ecolivingcenter.com/board/energy/messages/48.html

The Bush administration is extending program that has enabled automakers to pocket millions in "incentive" dollars by selling vehicles that can run on corn-based ethanol and other alternatives to gasoline. However, only 1% of the dual-fuel vehicles end up using the alternative fuel - the rest continue to guzzle gasoline. "This is a fraud that will only increase our gasoline consumption, our dependence on Middle East oil, and our global warming pollution," said David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The credit just lets them make more gas guzzlers." Meanwhile, the "Big Three" automakers who produce these gas guzzlers are continuing to shut US plants down and move their operations to Mexico and elsewhere. (this weeks closing: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/104-02222004-251130.html)

Harvey Wasserman writes: "Two hundred and fifty-seven feet high -- and highly profitable -- a pair of Danish-made turbines twirl in the northern Ohio winds. Owned by the City of Bowling Green in concert with some other municipal utilities, the $1.8 million machines each produce enough electricity to power nearly a thousand homes. But these ultra-modern generators represent more than just a wise investment -- they are both symbol and reality in a war over national energy policy that will be fought again in Washington this year. It's a war we can't afford to lose."

"Ironically, at this rate Japan may achieve President's Clinton's solar roof goal by 2010. Meanwhile, Bush proposes to cut the federal solar cell program. Tellingly, visit the Department of Energy's Million Solar Roofs (MSR) website and click on the button, 'How's MSR doing?' and you get a blank page! Why this stark difference between the U.S. and Japan? Japanese government and corporations worked together to develop and implement a coherent, aggressive and purposeful program for solar cells as they did successfully for hybrid electric vehicles. By contrast, in the U.S. the public sector established goals but the private sector refused to accept the responsibility of achieving them, the same thing that occurred with the U.S. hybrid car program. As with hybrid cars, Japanese corporations were willing to invest in building large solar cell manufacturing facilities in the expectation of future sales and profits. American corporations waited for a large demand to materialize."

"Two hundred wind turbines have been approved for Ireland's east coast in a new development that will be the largest offshore wind power project in the world... The pollution free energy produced will be equal to an annual reduction of some 1.1 million metric tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide that would have been emitted from a coal fired generating station producing the same amount of electricity. The development will contribute the ability of Ireland to meet its greehouse gas reduction target under Kyoto Protocol... Dr. O'Connor predicts that offshore wind energy alone could provide up to two thirds of Europe’s electricity needs by 2020." So reports the Environmental News Network.

A new airplane prototype was just unveiled that runs on fuel cells rather than gasoline. The inventor, James Dunn of Advanced Technology Products Corp, says the breakthrough may be the biggest since the historic Wright Bros. flight of 1903. Rapid advances are expected to be made on the prototype and by 2004, the plane will have a flight range of 800 kilometers Many aviation experts predict that within five years, fuel cells will replace gasoline in many aircraft. We wonder if Shrubcheney's push to up gasoline production and slap up hundreds of coal-fired plants is a desperate effort to "make hay while the sun shines" for the fossil fuel industry because they KNOW it's on its way out?

Honda Motor Co. has built a hydrogen production and fueling station in the Los Angeles area as part of its research into renewable energy and to support its fuel-cell vehicle development program. The facility uses solar power to extract hydrogen from water and has backup electrical power to increase the hydrogen production capacity. Available solar power can produce 7,600 liters of hydrogen a year, enough to drive a single fuel-cell vehicle for a year, the company said. The hydrogen station will help verify more efficient hydrogen production methods and help solve problems with production and fueling stations, the company's research arm said. Gee, didn't we just hear Cheney say how there's just really NO practical alternative yet to the good old gasoline engine?

While Cheney contributes his prodigious supply of hot air to the problem of global warming at invitation only "public meetings," High school students from around the southwestern US are revving up for the world's only high school solar car race. On July 17, the flag went down on the The Green Mountain Energy's Winston Solar Challenge, signaling the start of a grueling 1,400-mile cross country race of all-solar cars. This year, eight teams will be competing. In a great bit of irony (we'd call it poetic justice), the race starts in Austin, Texas, home of Mr. Dirty Nonrenewable Fuel himself! But instead of cheering these bright young lights of the future on in his own "home town," Shrub will be elsewhere, wheeling and dealing on behalf of big oil and coal.

To hear Shrubcheney tell it, coal-powered utilities and gas-fueled vehicles are the only reality - everything else is just some green fringer's pipe dream. The truth is that alternative energy is not only very real, it's here now and available. Shrubcheney's plan is the "pipe-dream" - or should we say, pipeline nightmare! Here's a site that will set the oil baron's teeth on edge. Bookmark it and pass it on!

Californians are fighting back, and may break new trails the rest of the nation will follow. This week, the first filling station selling biodiesel fuel is staging its grand opening, giving away hundreds of gallons of free fuel. Biodiesel is made from common vegetable oils and recycled restaurant grease. It burns like gas but is much less polluting. The event will include several speakers. To our San Fran readers - stop by and show your support!