Congressmen Meet With "Green Fuel" Entrepreneurs

Just a day after passing the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009, U.S. Congressmen met with "green" entrepreneurs who would benefit from the bill's proposal to financially reward businesses that "reduce or eliminate petroleum use and related emissions of the nation's automotive and commercial vehicles."

At a news briefing Thursday, Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition co-chairs Representatives Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) and Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) met with the Veggie Van Organization and Sapphire Energy. The two companies co-sponsored a cross-country road trip in a Toyota "Algaeus," which is a plug-in 150 mph hybrid vehicle fueled by batteries and algae-based gasoline.

The Veggie Van organization was founded by Josh Tickell and his partner Rebecca Harrell, and they're collaborating with Sapphire Energy in an effort to promote algae fuel as both innovative and sustainable.

Sapphire Energy President CJ Warner said that while her background is in the oil industry, when she heard about algae energy she was excited.

"I have tremendous experience and background in actually producing oil in the classical way, which I've always loved doing... it's very challenging, it's very meaningful, the energy that we produce is very useful to all people," she explained. "It's been a great career, but I knew that a solution needed to be found that... actually [had] less impact on the environment and [was] much more sustainable. Algae is really that solution."

Veggie Van and Sapphire Energy have taken their clean energy message to the streets where they have attracted celebrity endorsement like singer Carole King and James Kyson Lee of NBC's Heroes, both at the Thursday briefing.

Lee said he became interested in algae fuel after watching Veggie Van's documentary "Fuel," which he says changed his life. Lee added that he would soon be converting his Lexus to an algae-fueled system.

Congressmen Israel and Inslee praised the companies. and Israel said algae energy is "a prime example" of what Congress aimed for when passing the Advanced Vehicle Technology Act of 2009, or H.R. 3246.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Others Speak at Rally Behind Mental Health Insurance Bill

Non-profit organization Wellstone Action led a rally on the steps of our nation’s capitol building supporting the House passage of a bill ending insurance discrimination against the mentally handicapped. Speakers at the rally included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

The speeches of Pelosi and Hoyer were preceded by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN). Each speaker urged that the mentally ill should be treated and insured just as other sickly patients are.

The most emotionally stirring sentiments of the afternoon came from former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Carter, with a distinct soft Southern accent, addressed the crowd with a short speech voicing her satisfaction about finally seeing the bill passed by the House, after years of failed efforts.

Rep. Kennedy was particularly hopeful that the bill would be passed by the President in coming weeks. Pelosi reminded supporters that passage of this bill would help insure that soldiers returning from Iraq could have access to the mental health care they would likely need upon returning from duty.