Browsing: Biofuels

• Coal-fired power plant assessment challenge fails
  
• Banksia Award winners announced
  
• National Pollutant Inventory issues new manuals
  
• Gore urges U.S. to be 100% renewable in a decade (with video)
  
• OECD calls for policy shift on biofuels

Governments must be more active in crafting policy responses that deal with the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and face up to the risk of increasingly scarce and costly oil supplies, warns a new report based on CSIRO modelling of a range of emissions trading and oil price scenarios.

• Carbon sink tax changes welcomed
  
• NSW gazettes waste exemptions
  
• NZ parliamentary committee proposes biofuels bill changes

• Garrett fast-tracks bulb phase-out
  
• Coalition keeps the heat on Rudd over solar panel rebate
  
• Cities join forces to push for greener offices
  
• Cement sector reports in

It's Labor's first commitment period – with the Rudd government last night setting out where its climate change and environment cash will be spent over 2008-2012. New Budget climate measures will get $341.6 million in 2008-09 and a total of $2.3 billion over 2007-08 to 2011-12.



Meanwhile, Treasurer Wayne Swan says the review of the tax system – due to report by the end of 2009 – will 'look at the role to be played by environmental taxes'.

CE Daily looks at where the money will go and guides you through the maze of Budget papers.

The Victorian government says payments under the federal $500 million Green Car Fund could be linked to the abatement potential of funded projects. And it wants cash from the fund to be offered to component suppliers, as well as car makers.



The Brumby government's submission to the Steve Bracks-led review of the automotive industry also calls for measures to boost market demand for greener car technology.

• Environmental lawyers to Garnaut: treat coal like uranium
  
• Study urges Australia to 'resist' biofuels mandate
  
• Bush poised to propose climate bill principles?
  
• New Zealand industry group says trading impact analysis compares poorly to Australia

• Draft RIS released for smart meter roll-out
  
• NSW Premier says E10 mandate will involve 'hard decisions'
  
• Woodside speaks publicly on trading – finally
  
• Geothermal association commissions advice on 2020 prospects
  
• Asia Pacific Partnership greenlights new 'mini-grid' renewables project for Australia

The Victorian state government will, in the next 10 days, sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Clinton Initiative that will focus on carbon capture and storage and low-emission and energy efficiency technologies, Victorian Premier John Brumby has just announced.

Federal environment minister Peter Garrett is poised to boost Australia's ability to monitor the presence of dioxins, PCBs and other toxic chemicals in the environment and in human blood and breast milk.



And can coal-to-liquid projects, which have a huge greenhouse gas footprint, be a driver for carbon capture and storage? The International Energy Agency says they should be and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson thinks they have to be.



Plus more briefs.