The Daily Five: Monday, 29 September, 2008

A busy few days for environmental legislation in Washington; West Coast Green showcases the latest in CleanTech; and scooter sales really take off in 2007.

House Approves Clean Energy Tax Credits, But New Version Could Stall: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid implored his counterparts in the House not to make changes to a tricky Renewable Energy Bill, but Representatives went ahead and approved their own version, anyway. That has the fate of the massive bill again up in the air. While the House and Senate measures are in broad agreement, the House chose to strip language including incentives for environmentally questionable oil shale and tar sands development and coal-to-gas schemes. Uncertainty over passage of the bill has already caused cancellation of planned wind, solar, and biofuels projects. (Earth2Tech)

US Congress passes 25 bln loan guarantees to automakers: The U.S. Senate last night passed a $25 billion package of loan guarantees for U.S. carmakers and certain foreign manufacturers building autos on American soil. The package — which lawmakers insist isn’t a bailout — echoes a similar $675 million deal done for Chrysler in 1980. Automakers will primarily use the cash for modernization. On the Christmas list for GM: a new factory dedicated to engine production for its extended range electric car, the Chevy Volt. (Breitbart)

Building show: Smarter homes, water out of air: West Coast Green — a large gathering highlighting green building and technology — wrapped up this weekend at the San Jose Convention Center. Some 400 vendors were on hnad to show their wares, including an innovative startup which claims its gear can literally harvest fresh water from air. Element 4 claims its Watermill appliance can harvest enough water from ambient moisture to supply the daily needs of a six person family. CEO Rick Howard plans to have his device available for sale by February. Howard says future versions of the Watermill could be run on solar power, theoretically making water available pretty much anywhere, from disaster areas to the developing world. (CNET)

CO2 Climbing Regardless Of Economic Downturn: So you thought a slower economy might mean less industrial activity and carbon dioxide production? That’s what a lot of climate scientists were expecting, too. But figures just out from the Global Carbon Project indicate that not only have man-made carbon emissions not gone down — they’re still going up. A report released Friday shows CO2 emissions up by about 3 percent worldwide. The biggest offenders — China and the United States. China’s added output accounted for half of the worldwide increase. (Environmental Leader)

Scooter sales up 66% so far this year: People complain they’re noisy, and smaller engines don’t always mean a small pollution footprint. But scooters are fuel efficient, and high gas prices have caused sales of the small bore two wheels to roar ahead by an astonishing 66 percent over this time last year. Once a fashion statement or recreational vehicle, schooters such as the iconic Italian Vespa are finding new life as a replacement for automobile on errands or short commutes. Virtually every scooter manufacturer is reporting double-digit sales gains so far in 2007. (Autoblog Green)

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