On the heels of Senator Scott Brown’s (R-Mass) election last week, a bipartisan group of Senators met with White House officials to discuss possible compromises that would get clean energy and climate legislation moving again. ClimateProgress argues that oil-drilling provisions may become the “sugarcoating” on a bill that can attract Republican support.

The conventional wisdom that climate legislation is off the table in 2010 is both “defeatist” and “greatly exaggerated,” says a New York Times editorial.

The Earth Institute’s Steven Cohen sums up what 2010 has in store for climate and clean energy legislation.

The U.S. Navy and Department of Agriculture will work together to develop “advanced biofuels and other renewable energy systems.”

Well-funded start ups, federal subsidies, and improved lithium-ion battery technology promise to usher in the “electric car revolution.”

Despite the Obama administration’s championing of clean energy, the future of Cape Wind - a project that could become America’s first offshore wind farm - is still uncertain.

Local Green: Beginning with Austin, SolveClimate’s “Going Neutral” profiles the efforts of American cities and states to achieve carbon neutrality.

California regulators approved a $350 million program to subsidize the installation of solar hot water heaters.

A new solar array in Arizona features 60 Suncatcher parabolic solar collectors.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of Ken Lund / CC BY-SA 2.0

Farmers will reap financial benefits if Congress passes clean energy and climate legislation, says the Department of Agriculture.

Rural America has a lot to gain from clean energy legislation, according to the Center For American Progress.

Democrats’ committee-based approach to writing climate legislation aims to build swing vote support before bills hit the Senate floor.

The first Quarterly Bloomberg Global Poll found that a majority of Asian and European investors believe climate change is a “major problem” that requires government action; American investors were less likely to think so.

The head of the the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change criticized G8 leaders for falling short on greenhouse gas cutting agreements last month, but he said that a meaningful climate deal could be brokered in Copenhagen later this year.

International climate negotiators will hold another meeting in Bonn, Germany next month, in an effort to edit an array of “indigestible” proposals into a manageable framework.

Ace Hardware will sell Windtronic’s small wind turbines starting this fall.

A new analysis of Social Security Administration data reveals that over a third of all income in America goes to “executives and other highly-paid employees.”

Local Green: Periods of chilly winter weather, crucial to fruit and nut production in California’s Central Valley, have decreased by as much as 30 percent since midcentury.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed seven climate and energy bills yesterday, including one that promotes the development of a low-carbon fuel standard.

–Christopher Greenspan

Photo courtesy of m.prinke.

President Barack Obama reinstated regulations that require construction contractors working on federal projects to work with unionized labor.

The U.S.D.A. awarded $356 million to rural utilities and cooperatives for local electric grid upgrades.

A piece at Alternet explores three reasons why we should revamp existing electricity transmission systems where possible, rather than constructing a national smart grid from scratch.

From landowner objections to strict regulatory oversight, a piece at The New York Times examines some major obstacles facing electrical grid expansion.

Local Green: The Western Renewable Energy Zone project is a joint venture between the Western Governors’ Association and the Department of Energy that is pinpointing renewable energy hot spots in the Western United States.  A model is being developed that will calculate costs to transmit renewable energy from various locals.

Governor Jim Gibbons urges the Obama administration to change federal tax codes to allow the state to issue tax-exempt bonds to finance a $3 billion transmission project.  Some Nevadans say that obstacles are preventing the state from achieving its clean energy and green jobs potential.

Indiana’s Ball State University will spend $66 million on a geothermal energy project it says will replace its coal-powered boilers and create nearly 900 jobs.

Senators Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) want to cut tens of billions of dollars slated to boost the green economy from the economic stimulus package.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the E.P.A. are considering an increase in the amount of ethanol added to the nation’s gasoline supply.

–Christopher Greenspan

Clean energy, good jobs, and energy independence have been central talking points at the Democratic National Convention.

The Brookings Institution has adopted a strong line on the need to avert global climate change.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will provide $35 million in grants and loans to individuals and businesses for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Energy Storage and Power will invest $20 million in developing underground compressed-air storage systems.

Nanosolar raised $300 million for research into making thin-film solar viable.

High commodity prices are pushing developers to design more energy efficient wind turbines.

Native Workplace is a new non-profit focused on providing Native Americans and veterans with green-collar jobs.

Slate looks at solar and wind energy ownership rights.

Greentech Media explores the emerging complexities of clean energy regulation.

Revised workplace hazard evaluation procedures proposed by the Bush administration could make it more difficult to protect workers from exposure to harmful materials.

Local Green: Commissions in Maryland and Virginia are looking at the potential effects of climate change in the two states and investigating what can be done to minimize damage.

California’s Insurance Commissioner is backing a pay-as-you-drive car insurance policy.

Slow Food Nation - an event featuring speakers, food tastings, and films - takes place in San Francisco this weekend, and promises to be “sustainable, just, and delicious.”

–Christopher Greenspan