The Week in Energy and Climate from the White House

The Week in Energy and Climate
Yesterday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal for the first national standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency for medium and heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses. This step is a win for the environment, energy independence and our economy.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar approved the largest solar energy project ever to be built on U.S. public lands. When constructed, the Blythe Solar Power Project will produce up to 1,000 megawatts of solar power, or enough to power 300,000 – 750,000 homes.
On Thursday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack outlined the steps that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking to reach a national goal of producing 36 billion gallons of biofuel a year in the United States by 2022, with 21 billion gallons coming from advanced biofuel production.
Learn more about other Obama Administration events in commemoration of National Energy Month, a national effort to underscore how energy is central to our national prosperity, security, and environmental well-being, here.
Highlights 
DOT, EPA Propose Nation's First-Ever Emissions, Fuel-Efficiency Standards for Trucks and Buses
October 25, 2010
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announce a proposal for the first national standards for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency for medium and heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses.
Boosting Advanced Biofuel Production and Creating Jobs
October 22, 2010
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack explains that the Administration's vision for rural America combines new technologies and new markets with better use of our natural resources -- more home grown biofuels and renewable energy.
A Discussion on Clean Energy in Missoula
October 22, 2010
White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley travels to Missoula, Montana, to discuss America's energy future at the 20th Annual Conference for the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Leading by Example: VA Funds Solar Energy Projects at Hospitals, Clinics, Cemeteries
October 22, 2010
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) awards $78 million in contracts to build solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at VA facilities nationwide.
Iowa Conservation Partnerships
October 21, 2010
Jess Maher, Associate Director for Legislative Affairs at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, travels to Iowa to learn about partnership-based efforts to support natural resource conservation.
Building Stronger, Sustainable Communities Through Strategic Coordination
October 21, 2010
The Obama Administration announces a combined $742 million in grants and assistance to support the creation of more livable and sustainable communities across the country.
Empowering Defense Through Energy Security
October 18, 2010
The Department of Defense (DoD) hosts an Energy Security Forum as part of National Energy Awareness Month to discuss how the Department of Defense can turn energy use from a strategic and operational challenge to a key strength for the warfighter.
Blog Action Day: Protecting America’s Waters Today
October 15, 2010
As part Change.org's Blog Action Day, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson reflects on the importance of protecting America's clean water supply.

US approves world's biggest solar energy project

The United States approved on Monday a permit for the largest solar energy project in the world -- four massive plants at the cost of one billion dollars each in southern California. "The Blythe solar power plant will consist of four, 250-Megawatt plants, built on public lands in the sun-drenched Mojave desert," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.
"When completed the project is expected to generate up to 1,000 Megawatts of energy... That's enough electricity to power up to 750,000 average American homes and to make Blythe the largest solar power plant facility in the world."
The total capacity will be roughly equal to the turbine output of a nuclear power plant or a large modern coal-fired power plant, according to Solar Millennium, the company developing the facility.
Solar Millennium plans to begin construction on Blythe this year, the company says on its website. At the height of construction, the project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.
The Blythe facility is one of a raft of renewable energy projects that have been approved in recent weeks by the Interior Department.
Earlier this month, Salazar approved the first five renewable energy projects on public lands, four in California and one in Nevada, both states that have been hard hit by the economic downturn.
Two weeks ago, Salazar inaugurated the world's largest wind tower manufacturing plant in the working class town of Pueblo, Colorado, which will be run by Danish company Vestas Wind Systems.
One week earlier he signed a lease for the first major offshore wind farm, off the coast of New Jersey.http://www.solardaily.com/reports/US_approves_worlds_biggest_solar_energy_project_999.html

Related articles

• U.S. approves world's biggest solar energy project (grist.org)
• US approves world's biggest solar energy project (globalnation.inquirer.net)
• Solar Trust of America Clears Final Regulatory Hurdle and Secures Approval from the BLM to Proceed (eon.businesswire.com)
• Ken Salazar's Quick Pen Signs Off Sixth Solar Farm in 25 Days (gigaom.com)
• U.S. Approves Largest Solar Thermal Plant (businessweek.com)
• World's Largest Solar Project in California (Temporarily) (cleantechnica.com)
• Rise And Shine: Solar Power Gets Bigger In The U.S. (energyrefuge.com)
• Feds Approve Largest-Ever Solar Project in Calif. (abcnews.go.com)
• Salazar Approves Sixth and Largest Solar Project Ever on Public Lands (yubanet.com)