This is from an Issue Alert article that was printed Friday. I thought it would be helpful to share it. Peter Fusaro

I previously wrote in my newsletter, Energy Hedge, that the Boulder area was a center of cleantech. Well, that was before I visited. I just spent a week in Boulder, speaking at an energy conference on green, meeting with grad students and business faculty at the University of Colorado, and spending a morning with a cleantech vc who only invests in Colorado-based companies. People out here are very cognizant of environmental issues particularly when it comes to energy and water.

I just attended my favorite energy conference in Boulder, Colorado held by the International Center for Energy & Economic Development (ICEED) which I have attended since 1990. It brings together the leading energy economists from throughout the world so it is a good primer on what is happening in global oil and gas markets.

The Wall Street Green Trading Summit was a great success this year. Here is a short video report on the conference; we will be posting more videos and summaries of presentation in the weeks ahead.

Yesterday,I had the honor of ringing in the opening bell at the NASDAQ Marketsite in Times Square. It was a bit of a surreal experience as NASDAQ trading is totally electronic. The occasion recognition of my Wall Street Green Trading Summit VIII (www.wsgts.com) on April 1 and 2.NASDAQ OMX and NORD Pool are sponsors of this year'sevent. Nevertheless it was fun!

The bad news from Wall Street keeps on coming as the banks can't write down their toxic assets. But there is a silver lining in this debacle. People are saving again. People are becoming thrifty. And people are becoming more cognizant of their consumption. If the whole world followed US consumption patterns, we would need 5 planets. Obviously, not sustainable.

I have been barraged recently from both college students and people in transition that want to enter the green space. It is not easy with so much financial turmoil on the one hand and all the pr on the other about green jobs. The bottom line is that is going to talk time to build the bridge to the Green Economy. I see 4 key sectors impacted: finance, technology, engineering, and education. But it must be remembered that despite all the hoopla of a new day in Washington, that the federal government moves slow.

I gave a webinar on January 21st on carbon market updates due to the inauguration of President Obama. This became several interviews including the steel manufacturers briefing in Pittsburgh. One reporter, Emma Ritch, did a superlative job of getting most of the facts right and the following is the headline and link to that article. It is the current state of Fusaro thinking.

Obama administration could fast track cap-and-trade, RPS in '09

The ousting of Congressman John Dingell from the House Energy Committee is a game changer on US greenhouse gas policy. Dingell has represented Detroit for the past 54 years and has been protective of the US auto industry. Congressman comes from California which has the most stringent global warming law on the planet (a 25% cut from 1990 by 2020). Waxman has already indicated he wants more stringent GHG cuts. What this really means is that the House and Senate will be in climate change alignment.

While there is now much negative news about the drive for renewable energy and clean technology in the US in light of the economic crisis, what the pundits fail to realize is that energy prices at over $70 per barrel are substantially higher than the floor of $40. There seems to be so much nay saying before the election that it may help to set the record straight.