Defence, internal departments pursue renewable energy on federal lands

The Ministry of defence is the deployment of renewable energy systems, such as this 14-megawatt solar power system at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada, ramps, providing about one-quarter of the base's power requirements.
Credit card: Nellis AFB

On 6 August, announced the Interior Department are Defense Minister Leon Panetta and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar of understanding (MOU) signed a memorandum, the corresponding series promotes renewable energy projects on public land, which purposes are reserved for the defense and on other onshore and offshore areas in the vicinity of military installations. The MOU provides the renewable energy partnership plan, which aimed at ensuring that use solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy resources found on or in the vicinity of military installations in the country.

Department of Defense (DoD) installations include approximately 28 million acres in the United States, including 16 million hectares, that previously managed by the Interior Bureau of land management (BLM), were withdrawn for military purposes. About 13 million hectares free time withdrawn lie to the West and resources are high in the wind, solar and geothermal energy. Offshore wind power is also a plentiful renewable energy resource available on many DoD installations on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts along the Gulf of Mexico and in Hawaii. Offshore Atlantic winds alone, an estimated 1,000 gigawatts could produce energy.

Can renewable energy important functions for weeks or months, if fails the commercial network maintain a military base. To keep the military operation in the absence of a grid, each of the military services has committed to provide one gigawatt renewable energy at or near its installations to the year 2025. In pursuit of these objectives is the agreement a framework for an offshore wind farm partnership and Forum; offers onshore renewable energy projects for DoD installations to identify a blueprint for the Interior and the Ministry of defence of the United States; created a working group on geothermal; and passes to develop the Ministry of defence and the BLM on a pilot procedure to authorize solar energy projects on several military installations in Arizona and California. See the press release of the Department of Interior and MOU.

View the original article here

Intervene plan to pursue Chevron in other countries

The latest salvo come just one day after an Ecuadorian judge ordered Chevron, one of the largest environmental awards at all to pay suggests that the dispute between villagers and oil executives, 1993 began, yet long not past.

The case stems from oil pollution in the Ecuadorian rainforest, but Chevron does not work and has no significant assets of the country. It was Texaco the Chevron take a merger in 2001, was accused of widespread environmental damage taken, before the off of Ecuador in the early 1990s.

Chevron has much larger operations elsewhere in Latin America and the applicant pursues the company throughout the region could open strategy a controversial new phase in the event - an Ecuadorian political relations with its neighbours to test and would include some Washington's most prominent lobbyists and lawyers.

Consultant for the plaintiff said obvious candidates, but you was recognized that it would be easy Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela to follow Chevron assets. Venezuela is for example, a close ally of the Ecuadorian and its President Hugo Chavez is a frequent critic of the United States. But Chevron enjoys extensive operations in Venezuela and warmer ties with Mr. Chavez government as just about every other American companies.

The applicants also fight an uphill damage in the United States collect at least immediately, since the judge in New York this month temporary enforcement of Ecuador Awards prevents. However, legal adviser, said they were willing to try to damage in the United States as well as to collect.

A confidential memo, prepared by the Washington law firm Patton Boggs under court order recently put the plaintiff strategy which use a European industrial espionage company to Chevron assets around the world to examine.

"The fact that Chevron play ball in Venezuela has agreed to during the company's peers are unfavourable contractual clauses that universally rejected imposed by the Chavez Government may difficulties, interpret", said the memo, codenamed "Invictus." "However, Chavez populist Government remains a natural ally" the plaintiff.

Memo lawyers identified the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, Angola, Canada and some other countries in which Chevron has significant assets as potential targets. In the Philippines it hit consultant for Patton Boggs, who recently waded in the crisis in Egypt as a delegate for the Obama administration even by using the services of the Frank G. Wisner, former diplomat and Foreign Minister.

Citing the Invictus memo, Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York argues that the plaintiff wanted a "worldwide, full - court press", a settlement against a company to extract significant meaning in the provision of energy of the United States economy.

Chevron said it wanted to pay a cent. "We want to resist enforcement search everywhere, where the plaintiff to take, what we perceive to be a fraudulent judgment", Kent Robertson, a Chevron spokesman said.

Temporary protection, issued by judge Kaplan Mr. Robertson was a decision by a panel of international referee in the Hague that the company was granted a preliminary injunction that may block the execution of the judgment.

But Ecuadorian attorneys said she themselves under the jurisdiction of the American Court or the arbitrator did not.

With reference to the arbitration, a lawyer, Pablo Fajardo, said: "This is part of the Chevron legal strategy to delay and obstruct."

Duncan Hollis, Associate Dean which Temple University law school, said, it was logical that the plaintiff to take their fight to other countries in the region because "there are some similarities in Latin American legal system." But, Mr. Hollis added, "There is no international law as one court to enforce the judgments from other nation's Court."

Because now the case in the Ecuadorian courts move forward. Be three judges both appeals. The Amazon Coalition intends that amount of damages, appeal, appeal to the entire decision while Chevron.

"I don't know if we will be broadcasting" our legal argument, HR. Robertson said. But he added: "It is the illegitimate nature of the ruling." "The scientific evidence shows that a meritless result."

The final appeal will go to a national court of appeal, a process that could take months. Then the battle for several countries can move at a time. Consultant for the villagers and forest tribes, said they hoped to extract Chevron until you reach the final judgment money from many countries.

The judgement of the impact is already felt in Ecuador and also as a cautionary tale of environmental and legal aftermath of oil production. Alberto Acosta, a former oil Minister in Ecuador, called the ruling "a historical precedent."

It is "Memory", that we ourselves from the irresponsible activities of extraction companies to defend both oil and mining, said Mr. Acosta.

Simon Romero reported from Caracas and Clifford Krauss from Houston. Johannes Schwartz contributed reporting from New York and Irene Caselli from Quito, Ecuador.

View the original article here