On August 8, President Bush signed into law The Energy Policy Act of 2005, the first major energy legislation in more than a decade. The White House asserts the legislation will encourage energy efficiency and conservation, promote alternative and renewable energy sources, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and encourage the expansion of nuclear energy.

In Summary of the Harmful Provisions in the Energy Bill, posted in this month's update, the National Resource Defense Council along with a dozen other environmental and advocacy groups beg to differ. They state,

"Instead of moving toward a new energy future, the energy bill provides tens of billions of dollars to the oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries, significantly weakens environmental protections such as the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, and undermines numerous consumer protections."

In an article entitled Why the Bush Oil (Energy) Policy Will Fail, authors from Center for Energy and Environmental Studies Boston University argue that the Bush oil policy is built on a foundation of myths about our energy situation.

In addition to the political and economic analysis of energy issues, Earthscape updates the collection this month with several research papers exploring a range of alternative energy technologies such as wind, hydrogen, geothermal, solar and biofuel.

Educational Resources

Renewable Energy Policy Project (REPP) - Click on the tabs to find information by type of energy - hydro, bioenergy, geothermal, wind, solar, and hydrogen. There are sections on policy and efficiency. The REPP Library lets you browse for current and archived papers.

U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Website - A "gateway to online documents on energy efficiency and renewable energy." Find information on renewable energy sources - biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind. There is a special section for kids.

Dr. E's Energy Lab - As mentioned above, this is the website created for kids from the U.S. Dept of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

What's New

Rural Electrification with Solar Energy as a Climate Protection Strategy
Offshore Wind Experiences
Geothermal Energy for Electric Power
Comparative Assessment of Fuel Cell Cars