Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration offered new guidance Friday on where wind farms should be located to reduce the number of bird deaths while promoting increased use of wind power. A bird advocacy group that lobbied for mandatory standards said the new, voluntary guidelines will do little to protect hundreds of thousands of birds killed each year by wind turbines.

Public and private partnerships could be the wind that pushes the company forward in the race for high-speed rail and alternative energy in the United States.German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG is betting that the United States will become a prime market for high-speed rail and renewable energy as the nation tries to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels. Part of the company's success in these areas will depend on what happens in Washington. But government support alone won't fuel future growth in high-speed rail, says Daryl Dulaney, CEO of Siemens Industry Inc. "To make high-speed rail happen, it needs a...

So my first-grader daughter's school is participating in this “Pinwheels for Peace” project, in which the kids make “pinwheels for peace” and display them on the school lawn for International Peace Day (September 21). Sounds innocent enough. I like peace. But this International Peace Day is a creation of the corrupt, hypocritical and odious UN, and among other things calls for a world-wide 24-hour cease fire. Wonder if the Iraqi “insurgents” will sign on to that, or whether just our coalition forces are expected to lay down their arms and make themselved vulnerable to attack. I’m not going to jump...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.It was very encouraging to hear Patricia Hewitt say last week that the UK could hugely cut its carbon dioxide emissions by building a whole new batch of nuclear power stations. Amazingly, the oh-so-green trade and industry secretary even admitted in public that "nuclear generation is - after all - carbon free". This was exciting stuff indeed from a Government that wishes nuclear power had never been invented. But by the time the initial shock and euphoria had worn off, I realised that Hewitt was only teasing. The nuclear line was a...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. DOUGLAS, Scotland - When the breeze blows the wrong way over the grassy hilltops above this quiet Scottish village, coal dust from the mines below can darken the air that powers rows of slim white wind turbines. The two coal pits, providing one of Britain's oldest and dirtiest forms of energy, are just hundreds of yards from the sleek, modern windmills that many environmentalists hope will lead the way toward a future of clean, renewable power. Britain's still-tiny wind power industry is in the midst of a major expansion, with vast...