Outrage by the Bureau of Land Management.

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects (1)

Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.

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Ok, so, it's a given that Environmental assessments MUST take place in determining the uses of Public Land, but a MORATORIUM on Solar Installations on all Public Land is so irrational, that it can only be an intentional act of disruption, or suppression.

Per (1), the current Applications amount to One Million Acres of land. However, BLM oversees 260 Million Acres in total, of which 44,479,478 acres are under lease, and 11,629,625 acres are in production4. According to the Telegraph, BLM makes the claim that they will continue to process the existing Applications, which amount to a potential 70GW of production, or enough energy to power 20 million homes5.

Even Bush's own Executive Order 132123 should be read to require that these projects be expedited.


There is no valid rationale for a two year moratorium on Solar Development on Public Land; certainly not when it is already acknowledged that Energy Development is a fair use of that public land.

It's an outrage.

2. More Info on BLM and Energy Leases - Washington Post.

3. Executive Order 13212.

4. Analysis of BLM’s Oil and Gas Development 2001-2007.

5. US halts solar energy projects over environment fears - Telegraph.

Thanks to McOgon of Google, and peak_oil_101 of Yahoo for Links.

EDIT: Here's a CNN Special Report on this Story.

Congresspeople looking into Fed / SEC Securities Deal.

Dodd, Shelby Warn Fed, SEC on Rushing Securities Deal - Bloomberg

The SEC plans to provide information on securities firms' trading positions, capital and leverage, two government officials said on condition of anonymity.

Time Magazine Article - Thin Film - Global Solar, FIrst Solar, NanoSolar.

Solar Power's New Style.

"Mike Gering, CEO of the start-up Global Solar, picks his way along his factory floor, tracing the convoluted path that his thin-film solar panels follow from birth to shipping truck. The raw materials the workers carry are ultra-thin sheets of flexible plastic, which are then coated with a series of chemicals--indium, gallium, diselenide--that allows the module to turn sunlight into electricity."


The article goes on to touch on First Solar, and NanoSolar. It's a little brief on Thin Film basics.

Editorial - Rep Ed Markey, MA - Bush Helping Saudi Arabia Build Nukes.

Why Is Bush Helping Saudi Arabia Build Nukes?

"Last month, while the American people were becoming the personal ATMs of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Saudi Arabia signing away an even more valuable gift: nuclear technology. In a ceremony little-noticed in this country, Ms. Rice volunteered the U.S. to assist Saudi Arabia in developing nuclear reactors, training nuclear engineers, and constructing nuclear infrastructure. While oil breaks records at $130 per barrel or more, the American consumer is footing the bill for Saudi Arabia's nuclear ambitions."

Article by Rep. Edward J. Markey.

I've seen this guy debating Energy on CSpan, he's top-notch.

Need I say, I support the Impeachment of Bush and Cheney. They are incredibly dangerous, and need to be stripped of power.

Salon - Nuclear bomb

Nuclear bomb

"In October 2007, Florida Power and Light (FPL), "a leader in nuclear power generation," presented its detailed cost estimate for new nukes to the Florida Public Service Commission. It concluded that two units totaling 2,200 megawatts would cost from $5,500 to $8,100 per kilowatt -- $12 billion to $18 billion total!"


More cost numbers behind the link.

First Solar product may be banned in Europe. Ouch!

First Solar CEO cashes half his stock in $257 million deal

"But cadmium, a toxic metal according to the U.S. Labor Department, is linked to breathing and kidney disorders. It's banned from use in batteries and related electronics in the European Union, where First Solar gets more than 90 percent of its sales.

An expansion of EU restrictions to solar cells would make the company's current technology "impractical," First Solar said in a Feb. 21 SEC filing."

Found by bjr149 of Yahoo.

Applied MAterials - China Daily CEO Interview.

Solar power looks into a brighter future

"China has 700 GW in electrical storage capacity. The demand is increasing 10 percent a year, so by 2010, when 15 percent renewable energy (of the total energy supply) is required by China's 11th Five-Year Plan, there needs to be 100 GW. That's really a lot compared with what we have now."


Found by Jshi5 of Yahoo.