U.S. lagging in race for clean energy

U.S. lagging in race for clean energy

Feb 05 - Portland Press Herald

David Sandalow was riding in a car on a highway in China recently when a high-speed train that reaches 200 mph zoomed by. For Sandalow, assistant secretary for policy and international affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, the moment was a metaphor.

It reminded him that while the United States is making progress in what he called a clean-energy revolution, other countries are leaving us behind.

"We are moving forward, but they are racing," Sandalow said.

Sandalow made his comments Thursday at Maine's first event sponsored by Business Forward, a recently formed national organization that promotes reform in areas including health care, energy and education.

Maine, with its abundant forest, wind and ocean resources, could be a big player in the country's transition to clean energy, Sandalow said. The federal government can help, through recovery act money aimed at renewable power, smart electric grids and clean transportation.

"Maine can be a leader in the clean-energy economy," he said.

But some of the business people in attendance said the federal government could help by easing complex regulations that are discouraging private investment in clean energy.

Former Gov. Angus King, an organizer of the event and a wind power developer, mentioned the Cape Wind project in Massachusetts, which is now coming to a decision point after seeking a permit for eight years.

"This permitting thing is no joke," King said. "That bullet train is going to go by us."

Sandalow's visit comes one day after President Obama met with governors from 11 states, including Maine Gov. John Baldacci, to discuss the government's increased support for energy production from sources including biofuels.

Maine is trying to get a foothold in the emerging industry by building biorefineries that can turn low-grade wood into liquid fuels.

Aided by the University of Maine and Maine Technology Institute, two proposals are in the works.

Old Town Fuel & Fiber is renegotiating a $30 million federal energy grant to help pay the cost of a demonstration project at a former paper mill. A Gorham-based company, Biofine Technology LLC, was unsuccessful this winter in its first bid to secure a $50 million grant for a demo plant.

In wide-ranging remarks and responses to comments, Sandalow said it was critical that politicians put aside their differences to enact the comprehensive energy and climate change legislation awaiting action in Congress.

That would provide some of the stability needed to encourage private investment, he said.

But renewable energy isn't the only answer, Sandalow said. Half the country's electricity is generated by coal, and figuring out how to capture and store carbon from power plants is crucial.

Also needed is a new generation of nuclear plants, he said. And while long-term storage of radioactive waste remains a challenge, his agency believes spent fuel now being held in dry-cask storage facilities - like the material at the former Maine Yankee nuclear plant - is safe for at least 60 years.

But Sandalow's focus and passion is renewable energy. He wrote a recent book called "Freedom from Oil." He drives a converted Toyota Prius hybrid that can be plugged into an electric socket.

Aware of Maine's long-range plans to build floating offshore wind farms, Sandalow said he someday expects to see a generation of plug- in electric cars on Maine roads that have their batteries charged by these wind farms at night.

"People can literally be driving on the wind," he said.

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at:

tturkel@pressherald.com

Originally published by By TUX TURKEL Staff Writer.