Thanks to you all, 2008 was an unbelievable year at Ecopolitology. In June I migrated from the old .blogspot domain to a brand new domain, a new host powered by renewable energy and a shiny new flash header custom made by Aleksandar Rodic that still blows my mind every time I see it.

2008 was also a year I bumped up my posting quantity and social media presence, which had a positive impact on readership and traffic numbers. In celebration of the year that was, here are the ten most popular posts of the year as determined by total pageviews:

10. Congress Passes New Small-Wind Tax Credit: Along with the extensions of the renewable energy production tax credits and investment tax credits, Congress passed a new investment tax credit in October for small and micro wind turbines that generate up to 100kw.

9. Cape Wind Wins Another Appeal: In July, A Final Decision issued by the Director of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife upheld an earlier decision that the proposed offshore wind farm, Cape Wind does not constitute a “taking” under the state’s Endangered Species Act and that wildlife issues will be managed by the appropriate Federal Agencies.

8. 74 Percent of Republican Senators Doubt Human Causes of Global Warming:The good news? The number of Senate skeptics is down from 77% in 2006

7. Windpower 2008: A Texas-Sized Conference: Thanks to the generous support of the American Wind Energy Association, I traveled to Houston in June for Windpower 2008, the biggest wind energy conference and trade show in the world.

6. Canada’s Largest Wind Farm Goes Live, Country Still Lags: Canadian Hydro Developers announced the completion of the largest wind farm in Canada, accounting for more than 10% of the country’s entire wind energy capacity of 1,876 MW. While a landmark development for Canadian wind energy, wind only provides for 0.8 percent of Canada’s total electricity demand, largely because of the country’s vast hydropower resources.

5. The Infeasability of Oil Shale Development in the American West: In August I wrote: “The most persuasive argument against oil shale thus far, has been the high prohibitively high cost of extracting oil from rock. The technology showing the most “promise” would require simultaneous super-heating and super-cooling of the rock formation, a process requiring tremendous amounts of both electricity and water.” Especially now that oil prices have fallen sharply since I wrote this post in August, oil shale, for the time being, is not viable economically. But that does not mean it is a dead issue; just a resting one.

4. Vestas to Create 1,350 Jobs at New Colorado Win Turbine Blade Plant: Vestas Wind Systems has emerged as an anchor to Colorado’s growing presence in the renewable energy industry.

3. Oil Giant Norway to Double Spending on Renewable Energy: What is Norway using all of their oil money for? Investing in renewable energy. Well, not all of it…

2. Rhode Island Angling to Build First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S.: Since Massachusetts’ Cape Wind project has been caught up in a regulatory cobweb for the last eight years, it is fair to speculate that it may not be the first offshore wind farm in the United States. Texas, New Jersey and Rhode Island are all battling to lay claim to the country’s first .

1. U.S. Installed Wind Energy Capacity Tops 20,000 Megawatt Mark: In September the United States surpassed an impressive landmark in building a clean energy infrastructure by passing the 20 gigawatt mark of total wind energy capacity. This particular post was by far the most visited of 2008.

Thank you all again for visiting and I hope to make 2009 even better.

-Tim Hurst

I’m humbled to bring you this exciting news from On Day One:

“How can the next President solve our climate change crisis and reduce our dependence on foreign oil? This is the topic of an upcoming five-day online debate co-sponsored by On Day One, Grist.org’s Gristmill, and UN Dispatch.

Over the next week, we’ll be collecting YOUR ideas on dealing with energy and climate issues. Should we be taxing carbon or capping and trading it? What should we do about alternative energy–is ethanol or other biofuel the answer? What about local and sustainable agriculture? You tell us!

We’ll pick five of the most innovative, provocative, or just plain common sense ideas submitted and hand them over to our panel of experts for review.

Starting June 23rd, each of our experts—including Dave Roberts and Kate Sheppard from Grist, Nigel Purvis from the Brookings Institution and Resources for the Future, and Tim Hurst from Red, Green and Blue will debate and discuss one idea a day throughout the week.

The discussion starts in less than two weeks, so submit your ideas on energy and climate. Don’t feel like submitting an idea? Then vote on one and discuss the ideas already on the site.”

Related Posts:

“Want to Help Set the Agenda for the Next President” :: Red, Green, and Blue

The Northern Integrated Supply Project’s proposed Glade Reservoir would significantly reduce flow of the Cache la Poudre River in peak runoff months. According to the long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released on Wednesday, the proposed reservoir would reduce the Poudre River’s flow through Fort Collins by 71 percent in May and more than half as runoff peaks in June.

The Ft. Collins Coloradoan reports that opponents of the project are preparing to dig in to the massive document and its concomitant technical reports. The release begins a 90-day comment period during which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will review input from residents and government agencies about the project. Opponents plan to lobby for an extension of the comment period, according to the Coloradoan.

A quick look at the draft EIS did not produce any surprises, said Gary Wockner, spokesman for Glade Reservoir opponents, Save the Poudre Coalition. “There’s nothing in there that changes our mind that this project will be very bad for the Poudre River,” he added.

Highlights from the report include:

• Building Glade and Galeton (another reservoir) as proposed would cost about $426 million and would be the least-costly alternative.
• Glade would cause the loss of 44 acres of wetlands, the fewest among the alternatives.
• The reservoir would cause the loss of about 2,700 acres of native plant communities, or 20 percent more than other options.
• The reservoir would cause the loss of 50 acres of habitat for the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, which is a designated as a threatened species.
• Most of Glade’s water would be taken during times of high flows. Reductions in the river’s monthly average flow through Fort Collins would range from 71 percent in May in average years to 26 percent in August in dry years.
• NISP participants currently have access to about 50,000 acre feet of water and are expected to exceed that amount by 2010. With continued population growth, the annual demand for water will reach 90,700 acre feet by 2025.
• Flows on the Poudre and South Platte are likely to be reduced by other proposed water projects, including the expansion of Halligan and Seaman reservoirs, if NISP is built and if it is not.

Fort Collins Coloradoan
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Draft EIS
Photo: Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District

A new program in Colorado is designed to help residents buy carbon offsets to counter greenhouse gas pollution. The program is also designed to help protect buyers and ensure that they get what they pay for.

The Colorado Carbon Fund, part of the Governor’s Energy Office, is designed to help Colorado governments, businesses, and individuals buy offsets, attract money to Colorado-based projects and verify that the money spent on offsets is being used as intended.

“We want to make sure Colorado consumers have a project available so they know where their money is going,” said Susan Innis, manager of the carbon fund. “In some cases, you might not know exactly how your money is being spent or what the environmental impacts are.” The verification part of the program would include new standards backed up by audits and a certification process.

It is not entirely clear how the government plants on overseeing the carbon offset market in Colorado, but details are forthcoming.

One funding tool for the carbon fund will be the sale of specialty license plates. To qualify for the plates, drivers will need to make a donation to the Colorado Carbon Fund. They will also need to pay $55.36 for the plate. Lawmakers added a nice touch to the bill; Vehicles over 16,000 pounds will not be eligible to a Colorado Carbon Fund license plate.

The Carbon Fund will be up and running later this spring.

Photo courtesy of esparta