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BY KELLEN HENRY – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Was T. Boone Pickens just blowing hot air?

The Texas billionaire and oilman-turned-alternative energy investor announced earlier this week that he is abandoning plans to build the world’s largest wind farm near Pampa, Texas.

It was only a few months ago [...]

BRIDGET MACDONALD – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Although the ethanol market has been flooded with surplus over the past several months, forcing many producers to idle production or drop out of the business entirely, the industry is showing signs of life in the Corn Belt.

Six of the 11 ethanol plants in Illinois [...]

(Cote/FLICKR)

BY BRIDGET MACDONALD - MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Third-quarter earnings results released Tuesday by Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland Co. [[ADM]] indicate that the ethanol industry remains a grey area, even for a large diversified company. Concerns about blending levels, emission standards, capacity and demand continue to be punctuated by question marks.

The company [...]

A screenshot of Reegle, a new search engine which collects news, information, and updates on renewable energy and efficiency.

BY KIRAN SOOD – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

For renewable energy enthusiasts everywhere, there is a new Web aggregator for all things energy-related – Reegle.info. Reegle is an online [...]

American automakers are hoping to market the idea that smaller can be better, when it comes to cars. Europe and Japan have successfully marketed smaller vehicles for years. (Blog.wired.com)

BY: KIRAN SOOD – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Consumers might be willing to pay $2,000 to $3,000 more for a hybrid [...]

(www.blog.pricegrabber.co.uk)

BY JOSEPH FREEMAN-MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

On Monday night before falling asleep I was about 200 pages into Ron Chernow’s 818-page wonderfully written biography of Alexander Hamilton (the revolution had ended and the future Treasury secretary was humiliating other lawyers in court with his oratory while somehow finding time to scribble [...]

BY SIDDHARTHA VAIDYANATHAN – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Have you ever imagined controlling your home energy use through your cellphone? Don’t bet against it.

The Wall Street Journal reports on AT&T, Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile unit and Verizon Wireless’ (a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. and [...]

A display at the Chicago Auto Show for the Chevrolet Volt, by General Motors Corp. It is the first extended-range vehicle intended for commuters. (Kiran Sood/ MEDILL)

BY KIRAN SOOD – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

As automakers continue to push alternative fuel vehicles on the floors of showrooms across [...]

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (Jeffrey Beall/FLICKR)

BY HANNAH KOKJOHN – MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Illinois, home of the largest bituminous coal reserve in the U.S., may not find a No. 1 fan in Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

In Atlantic City, N.J. Monday, Salazar said windmills off the East Coast could [...]

The Chevrolet Volt, by General Motors Corp., is the first extended-range vehicle intended for commuters. The car, which will be available in late 2010, produces zero fuel emissions up to a range of 40 miles, then uses a gasoline-powered, range-extending engine to provide electric power past 40 miles. (Kiran Sood/ MEDILL)

BY KIRAN [...]