A leading panel of experts is conflicted.  It sets out a revised plan to tackle global warming but also raises concern with certain provisions.

"An influential U.S. panel of energy experts has toughened its recommendations on global warming emissions, aiming for a 15 percent cut in greenhouse gases by 2030, a spokesman for the group said on Friday. The National Commission on Energy Policy -- a nonpartisan organization that includes representatives from industry, government, labor, environmental activism and academia -- revised a plan first issued in 2004 that was used as the model for some climate change proposals in Congress."
Reuters.com

Colleges and universities are working to reduce their carbon footprints. 

"Colleges and universities are hardly the worst offenders when it comes to producing the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. But with about 17 million students, they are massive energy consumers -- and some schools say they consider it a moral responsibility to be at the forefront of the green movement.  On Tuesday, a consortium of colleges formally launched an initiative committing them to a path toward 'carbon neutrality' -- that is, reducing demand for greenhouse gases, and taking steps to offset the harmful effects of energy production on their behalf."

The Charlotte Observer, June 13, 2007.  http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/157803.html

General Motors takes important step in testing of hydrogen powered vehicles with completion of 300-mile test run. 

" 'No one has done this before.' Chris Borroni-Bird, who manages Sequel development, said the two vehicles arrived with enough hydrogen to travel an additional 40 to 50 miles. "Who would have thought?" he said, clearly elated at completing the trip."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117926078280203854-search.html?KEYWORDS=%22global+warming%22&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month

Industry groups once opposed to mandatory greenhouse gas controls are now realizing that opposition is not an answer or option. 

"The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has dropped its explicit opposition to mandatory greenhouse gas controls and is now calling for any federal legislation to adhere to a series of “principles,” according the group’s President and CEO Jack Gerard. The policy maneuvering by ACC is part of a larger effort by major lobbying groups in Washington, responding to a request by powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) for input on possible climate change legislation."

Carbon Control News, March 20, 2007.  www.carboncontrolnews.com

Wisconsin's Republican controlled Assembly is galvanizing support for nuclear power. 

"Climate change is a pivotal factor in a new bid by Wisconsin lawmakers to advance legislation that would help expand nuclear power generation in the state, mainly through a measure that would lift a decades-old moratorium on new nuclear plant construction. The Wisconsin development is buttressing predictions by some experts that nuclear power could make a comeback in the United States as a result of growing pressure on state and federal policy makers to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while increasing energy supply."

Carbon Control News, 5/30/2007. www.carboncontrolnews.com

Oil companies warn that alternative energy sources won't be enough to meet the energy demands. 

"Top executives in the US oil and electricity industries warned US lawmakers this week against relying solely on biofuels for energy security, calling instead for more domestic drilling, streamlined regulation, and access to foreign reserves.  The executives, meeting at a high-profile energy conference in Houston, voiced their concerns in the wake of a White House proposal to slash US imports of foreign oil by quintupling the use of biofuels within 10 years." Reuters, 2/16/2007.  http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN1561400220070216

Companies are waking up to the financial benefits of recognizing the shift in thinking on climate change. 

"This year, researchers at Citigroup Inc., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and UBS AG have issued widely circulated reports on risks and opportunities for investors because of climate change. They argue that global warming can no longer be ignored as a factor in investing.

Researchers at these firms and others are identifying companies well-positioned for global warming, either because they are devising new technologies or because they are taking advantage of market changes.  Investment managers are introducing green mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, hoping to gain an investment edge. Investment strategists are advising bankers, brokers and clients to think about how climate change will affect their investments."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118239582814643063-search.html?KEYWORDS=%22global+warming%22&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month

A myriad of factors impact remaining coal supply, caution against long-term assumptions. 

"With domestic production of oil, gas and uranium far below peaks, coal has been promoted by elected officials and energy experts as the only bright spot in the national fuel supply picture. But as Congress considers billions of dollars in aid for projects to make gasoline and diesel substitutes from coal, and to build coal-fired plants that would capture their own carbon emissions, the study said that estimates of coal reserves were unreliable.  There is probably sufficient coal to meet the nation’s needs for more than 100 years at current rates of consumption,” the study said. “However, it is not possible to confirm the often-quoted assertion that there is a sufficient supply of coal for the next 250 years.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/21/business/21coal.html

Utility companies will feel the pinch in an effort to go green. 

"For decades, California has been among the best at getting its citizens to use less energy, and the state's largest utilities have been more than happy to take credit for the success of programs that do such things as pay rebates when customers buy power-sipping appliances.  But to meet ambitious targets to slash the state's output of greenhouse gases, California and its utilities must now push energy efficiency like never before." 

LA Times, June 15, 2007. 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-conserve15jun15,1,5877850,print.story

Higher prices and increased concern over global warming creating the perfect environment for fuel economy.  "Tougher regulations are the centerpiece of energy legislation that the Senate began debating Monday. The bill, which is expected to draw bipartisan support, is the Democratic majority's first major legislative effort to address global warming and U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
"Achieving the increases in this bill is doable with present technology," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), one of the bill's chief sponsors. "And I believe it has a realistic chance to pass the United States Senate and hopefully be enacted into law."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-energy12jun12,1,5880230.story

According to one leading scientist, sequestering CO2 emissions should be a requirement for new plants. 

"NASA climate scientist James Hansen Feb. 26 said Congress needs to block construction of any new U.S. coal plants that do not capture and store their carbon dioxide emissions because allowing the plants to go forward will put the world on an irreversible path to higher temperatures and rising sea levels.  'First of all, there should be a moratorium on building any more coal-fired power plants until we have the technology to capture and sequester [carbon dioxide],' Hansen said. Such technologies, he said, are roughly five to 10 years away from being widely available to industry."

BNA Daily Report for Executives, Feb. 27, 2007 - www.bna.com