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img src=/files/murkowski-epa-400.jpg alt=Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska with reporters title=Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska with reporters width=300
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Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, responds to reporters./p
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p class=introductionNew proposals in the Senate and House to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating emissions of greenhouse gases have little chance of stopping higher fuel efficiency standards from going into effect./p

pSen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, last week introduced a bill to block EPA’s power under the Clean Air Act to limit emissions from motor vehicles and other sources. Two key House Democrats followed with a similar bill./p

pMurkowsk’s efforts to block EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions started last fall. She first introduced an amendment in September 2009, saying the regulations would result in an “economic train wreck.” At that time, Murkowski said the block on EPA’s powers would only affect stationary emissions sources—like power plants, refineries and manufacturers—and that regulation of automobile emissions could continue. The Senate declined to take up Murkowski’s proposal./p

pThe new proposals put vehicle emissions back into consideration. Yet, these plans have little hope because efforts to block the EPA would face a tough battle from a Democratic-led Congress and would face a veto from President Obama./ppa href=http://www.hybridcars.com/incentives-laws/plans-block-epa-greenhouse-gas-powers-won%E2%80%99t-derail-higher-fuel-efficiency-standards-27363.htmread more/a/p

pa href=”http://domesticfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/growth-energy-logo1.png” img class=”alignright size-full wp-image-22808″ title=”growth-energy-logo” src=”http://domesticfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/growth-energy-logo1.png” alt=”" width=”210″ height=”116″ //aThe debate rages on regarding ethanol’s greenhouse gas emission reductions (GHGs) as compared to conventional gasoline. Today, a href=”http://domesticfuel.com/2010/02/03/ethanol-poised-to-create-jobs-in-expanded-rfs/” Growth Energy/a came out against two Cornell University professors’ recent paper that criticizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s calculations that grain ethanol boasts a lower GHG than gas./p
pHarry de Gorter and David R. Just, professors of Applied Economics and Management, will have their findings published in the inaugural March issue of the peer-reviewed journal, emApplied Economics Perspectives and Policy/em, Vol. 32, Issue 1, Oxford University Press. The article, “a href=”http://www.aepp.oxfordjournals.org” The Social Costs and Benefits of Biofuels: The Intersection of Environmental, Energy, and Agricultural Policy/a,” criticizes both corn-based ethanol’s GHG reductions as well as ethanol subsidies and mandates./p
pTom Buis, Growth Energy’s CEO stated, “What it appears these two professors at Cornell would have us do is maintain the status quo – keep our addiction to oil, no matter what the cost to our economy in lost jobs and money we send overseas, no matter what the cost to our environment, no matter what the cost to our national security.”/p
p“The Cornell paper is pretzel logic at its worst. The truth is that when we fuel up with domestic ethanol in the U.S., we need less gasoline refined from carbon-heavy oil. And the science on this is clear: a peer-reviewed study published by Yale University found that grain ethanol is 59 percent cleaner than gasoline – with cellulosic ethanol 86 percent cleaner than gasoline,” continued Buis./p
pBuis concluded, “Academic studies, government agencies and independent papers have concluded that innovation and new technology in the ethanol industry is bringing us ever closer to a high-tech domestic fuel that can contribute significantly to cleaning our skies, while creating jobs and strengthening our national security.”/p
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pAmerican Le Mans Series (ALMS) is known globally for its a href=”http://domesticfuel.com/2008/10/06/corvette-powered-by-cellulosic-ethanol-wins-green-challenge/” environmental initiatives/a, and today is taking another green step with its partnership with a href=”http://www.americanforests.org” img class=”alignright size-full wp-image-22609″ title=”AmericanForest_logo” src=”http://domesticfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/AmericanForest_logo.gif” alt=”" width=”130″ height=”98″ /American Forests /ato support its “dollar-a-tree” Global ReLeaf program. Nonprofit American Forests, has a goal of planting 100 million trees by 2020. ALMS has pledged to plant at least 5,000 trees during the 2010 race season with the focus on areas that have been damaged by natural disasters such as fires and floods and areas that have been overdeveloped./p
p“Since its inception, the a href=”http://domesticfuel.com/2009/06/11/24-hours-of-le-mans-to-use-cellulosic-ethanol/” ALMS has been at the forefront of developing green initiatives and solutions in motorsports/a,” said American Le Man Series President and CEO Scott Atherton.”We are very proud of our efforts with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as they relate to our on-track efforts. Our involvement with American Forests enables us to contribute to similar solutions away from the race track and is another way the American Le Mans Series can advocate for a greener tomorrow.”/p
pa href=”http://domesticfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Greenx_Challenge_logo.jpg” img class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-22610″ title=”GreenX Challenge Logo_CMYK” src=”http://domesticfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Greenx_Challenge_logo.jpg” alt=”" width=”188″ height=”130″ //aWith the implementation of the Green ReLeaf campaign, the Series will begin every race weekend by displaying a Survivor tree in the paddock. The Survivor Elm – donated by the Series and its teams through American Forests’ Historic Tree program – a href=”http://www.americanlemans.com” will encourage fans to do their part for the planet/a. For every three trees planted, roughly one ton of carbon will be sequestered, allowing for over 1,666 tons of CO2 to be taken out of the atmosphere overall, and every acre of trees planted (approx. 340-490 trees) by the Series will offset about the amount of CO2 produced by driving a car 26,000 miles, or about twice the amount the average driver drives per year./p
pThis initiative is part of the Series’ a href=”http://www.americanlemans.com/index_green.php” Michelin Green X Challenge/a, a season-long green competition./p
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