Using Green Technology to Turn Carbon Dioxide into Cement (and Jobs)

Paris (AFP) - Every credible plan to save humanity from global warming reserves a key role for a green energy technology called carbon capture and storage. But there's a problem: no one has figured out a viable way to pay for it. 

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will tomorrow unveil what he called the "biggest, most important step we've ever taken" to fight climate change, a sensitive issue central to his legacy. The White House will release the final version of America's Clean Power Plan, a set of environmental rules and regulations that will home in on the pollution from the nation's existing power plants, setting limits on power-plant carbon emissions for the first time.

Earlier in the week, we detailed JPMorgan's attempt to create their own "web cash" alternative to Bitcoin (and Sberbank's talk of doing the same).

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration rolled out a plan Monday to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 30% by 2030, setting in motion one of the most significant actions on global warming in U.S. history. But exactly how state will meet customized targets likely will be pushed to the next administration. States could have until 2017 to submit a plan to cut power plant pollution, and 2018 if they join with other states to tackle the problem, according to the EPA’s proposal. An executive order issued last summer had set a June 2016 deadline for state plans.

Nearly 80 percent of all patent applications filed worldwide are processed through five patent offices: Commerce's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), the Japan Patent Office (JPO), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), and the State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO). In 2007, the five agencies formed a group called the IP5, to work on increased cooperation and collaboration.

Secretary Bryson stopped by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday to meet with employees and tour the facility. It was the first time that Bryson had visited the USPTO office since being confirmed as Commerce Secretary in October of last year. While he was there, the Secretary congratulated the USPTO for its work on the implementation of the historic America Invents Act, which encourages innovation by making the first set of major reforms in the US patent system since the 1800s. The America Invents Act allows businesses to get new ideas to market faster by reducing the time it takes to review applications for new patents to 12 months. By working to implement this law and rebuilding America’s intellectual property system from the ground up, the USPTO is making it easier for businesses to invest in new technologies, launch new industries, and create new jobs—in a 21st century global marketBryson also had the opportunity to discuss the USPTO’s efforts to improve patent quality. The USPTO has issued new guidelines that will clarify and tighten the standards for the issuance of patents. The new guidelines offer a more comprehensive measurement of the quality of patent examinations to ensure high standards in our patent process.