Scientists & Engineers for America

F.C.C. Questioned on Its Far-Reaching Plan to Expand Broadband Access

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:48:05 +0000

NY Times — Federal regulators on Tuesday made public the details of their ambitious policy to encourage the spread of high-speed Internet access. But their 376-page proposal, the National Broadband Plan, was met with a chorus of questions, even from the staunchest advocates of its goals. Telecommunications companies praised the intent but worried that new regulations might impede rather than encourage their progress in expanding Internet access.

Senators pump gas fee into bill

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:46:51 +0000

Politico — The three co-authors of the Senate climate bill hope the proposal — backed by several large oil companies — will bring a new set of players to the negotiating table. They are floating the idea of levying a carbon tax on each gallon of gasoline, which would be passed along to consumers at the pump. The fee would be linked to the market price of carbon emissions bought and traded by utilities and other industries.

PepsiCo pledges not to sell sugary beverages in schools worldwide

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:45:49 +0000

LA Times — Consumer advocacy groups are very happy with a pledge, announced Tuesday by PepsiCo, that the company will stop selling full-sugar soft drinks to primary and secondary schools around the world by 2012. “PepsiCo is the first beverage company to take such action and should be applauded for doing so,” said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Congress Holds Hearings on Unobtainium

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:44:53 +0000

Wired — For a while now, the Pentagon has been concerned about U.S. dependence on rare-earth metals. Precision weapons, Priuses and iPhones depend on components made from rare earths like terbium, dysprosium, yttrium and thulium. And the dependence threatens more than just national security: It’s a major issue when it comes to developing renewable energy sources. The House Committee on Science and Technology’s investigations and oversight panel is holding a hearing today on rare-earth metal supplies, focusing on China’s near-monopoly on the stuff.

Poll: Worries about environment hit low

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:43:41 +0000

USA Today — Fewer adults worry “a great deal” about each of eight issues surveyed, including global warming, than a year ago, according to the poll of 1,014 Americans taken March 4-7. Their concerns about six of the issues hit record lows. At the same time, in findings Gallup will release later this week, a record number — 53% — say economic growth takes precedence, even if it hurts the environment, says Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor in chief.

Coal Beats Solar as Analysts Favor Peabody While Subsidies Drop

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:42:33 +0000

Bloomberg — Wall Street’s contribution to the debate on how to curb global warming: Buy coal, sell solar. Peabody Energy Corp., the biggest coal producer, is rated a “buy” by 79 percent of analysts, while 44 percent recommend First Solar Inc., the largest maker of thin-film solar panels. The Stowe Global Coal index of 38 coal producers has gained 3.8 percent in 2010, and the Bloomberg Global Leaders Solar index of 38 solar module and component makers dropped 17 percent.

Seeking to boost students’ interest in science

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:41:36 +0000

Philadelphia Inquirer — Patricia Woody, addressing 300 industry leaders, educators, and government officials yesterday, was trying to inspire a commitment to turning today’s students into scientists and engineers of the future. After the speech at Lincoln Financial Field, the 50-year-old mechanical engineer from Aston made an admission that underscores the difficulty of inspiring such careers steeped in math and science.

More agencies use cookies to track Web activity

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:39:45 +0000

NextGov — In 2000, the Office of Management and Budget issued a federal policy banning the use of persistent cookies, files that a Web site deposits on a user’s computer to collect information about how the visitor navigates the site to provide more personal interaction. The policy was established to protect personal privacy, but it hinders the government’s ability to provide richer online experiences for the public, say critics of the ban.

Measure would force White House, private sector to collaborate in cyber-crisis

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:38:43 +0000

Washington Post — Key members of Congress are pushing legislation that would require the White House to collaborate with the private sector in any response to a crisis affecting the nation’s critical computer networks. The Cybersecurity Act, drafted by Senate commerce committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and committee member Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), is an attempt to prod the Obama administration and Congress to be more aggressive in crafting a coordinated national strategy for dealing with cyberthreats. It is to be unveiled Wednesday.

Energy Efficiency: Achieving the Potential By Steven Chu, U.S. Secretary of Energy

admin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:37:34 +0000

DOE — For the next few decades, energy efficiency is one of the lowest cost options for reducing US carbon emissions.
Many studies have concluded that energy efficiency can save both energy and money. For example, a recent McKinsey report calculated the potential savings assuming a 7% discount rate, no price on carbon and using only “net present value positive” investments. It found the potential to reduce consumer demand by about 23% by 2020 and reduce GHG emissions by 1.1 gigatons each year – at a net savings of US$ 680 billion.