In his first 100 days, President Obama has taken bold moves to create a comprehensive resource renewable energy policy to help America reduce its dependency on foreign sources of power, while also responsibly reducing our carbon footprint on the planet.

In addition to allocating money for an updated energy grid, wind farms, solar farms, green buildings and fuel cell research, he also added tax credits for homeowners who wish to update their properties to incorporate wind and solar energy sources or more efficient systems.

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Currently, taxpayers can receive 30% back (up to $1,500) on new windows, doors, insulation, Energy Star roofing, heating/cooling systems, water heaters, biomass stoves, solar supply panels, solar energy sources, wind energy alternative turbines and geothermal heat pumps.

According to the US Department of Energy, our largest energy resource is petroleum, which powers 40% of our electrical and transportation needs. The second-largest power source is coal (23%), followed by natural gas (22%). Nuclear power gives us 8% of our energy and resource renewable energy comes in dead-last at 7%.

Of the sources renewable energy percentage, ethanol and biomass account for the largest share, providing 3.3% of our power. Next, 2.9% of our renewable energy is hydroelectric, 0.35% is geothermal, 0.07% is solar and 0.3% is wind.

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One of the sources renewable energy options we have is water, which provides ample opportunities to use the density of water to our advantage. The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State and Niagara Falls in New York State are two of the biggest hydroelectric energy-producers in the nation.

As of 2007, the vast majority of our hydropower came from Washington, Oregon, California, New York and Montana. There aren't many opportunities to create new dams, but we can improve some of the systems that we have, particularly to minimize environmental impact. Nevada's Mojave Desert currently houses the world's largest installation of solar panels, which produce 354 mega-watts of power.

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Resource renewable energy will likely come from all different sources in the coming years. "I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix," Barack Obama said during the primaries. "There are no silver bullets to this issue. We have to develop solar.

I have proposed drastically increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars, an aggressive cap on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted. With more countries industrializing and requiring unforeseen resources, the wind, water and solar energy sources must meet the task of powering up our nation.

Grants from the government have been offered to stimulate agriculture, industry, residential development, utility expansion, commerce, science and public enterprise. They may reduce the cost of manufacturing or operation. They may lead to added research and development.

They may help people afford technology that will benefit the world. Grants renewable energy focuses on solar energy sources, geothermal sources and alternative wind energy sources. For right now, grants renewable energy can help pay for new heaters, solar panels, roofs, appliances, windows and more.

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Rather than approve outright grants renewable energy checks, state and federal governments often like to offer tax rebates instead. However, House Bill 473 provides money up front, rather than after-the-fact tax credits. The new measure could pay for up to 35% of the resources renewable energy cost of a project or as much as $100,000 to $500,000, depending on the technology.

Federal grants are also available for up to 30% of a project's cost, making the total subsidy 65%. So if sources wind energy was something of interest to a business owner, he or she would only have to pay 35% of the cost to install turbine wind energy or solar energy sources sources.

The U.S. Department of Energy offers grants renewable energy funds through a Weatherization program and a State Energy Program. Weatherization grants help low-income families reduce their utility bills and create more energy efficient homes through installing new heating/cooling systems, new windows, insulation or some other approved renovation.

Some grants offer money for purchases made several years back as well, so it's important to note the date of the purchase and also to keep applicable receipts. Interested citizens can get more information from www.doe.gov or www.focusonenergy.com.

In addition to sources renewable energy programs, there are other ways to save money by making resources renewable energy upgrades. Bank or government loans for energy may bring down the interest rate to save investors thousands of dollars.

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Cash rebates can inspire responsible purchases by offsetting the cost differential between a regular appliance and an Energy Star appliance, while putting money back into the buyers' pockets quickly.

Lastly, Energy Efficient Mortgages allow homeowners to qualify for larger mortgage loans if there are wind, geothermal, hydro or solar energy sources on the property.

Precisely who is the government trying to protect by suing a small Kansas meatpacker in order to prevent them from testing all of their cattle for BSE aka Mad Cow Disease, rather than the pitiful sub-1% level currently required?

For some reason, I don't think it's me or my family...

The wife came in this morning, amazed at the cost of the latest trip to the gas pump: almost $55 to fill up our minivan's not-particularly-large tank. While the vehicle doesn't get phenomenal mileage, we're content not to wander far from home, so a tank will last us awhile. Oh, and least it's no Escalade. Nevertheless, Ouch!

I'm probably one of the very few, but whenever I see the gas prices go up dramatically like they have been lately, a part of me feels more than a little hope. Not that us gluttonous drivers will finally get a clue, because, apparently we just don't get it. But that greener alternatives might finally see some serious investments as the higher costs associated with their development get a little cheaper, compared to the cost of more mainstream energy sources.

There's no telling where the next game-changing energy resource will come from. But motivating tens of thousands of scientists and engineers to look for it increases the odds of finding the path to a happier, maybe even cleaner, planet.

This may be old news to those of you paying better attention, but Australia appears to be banning incandescent light bulbs in favor of CFLs.

But, of course, any attempts to do something similar is bound to get met with ridicule here in the states. Because, you know, taking away the freedom to chose what kind of bulb to use in your light sockets is tantamount to pissing on the Constitution. Or some such nonsense.