On August 11, the Financial Times reported on the promise of “synthetic biology,” including the development of algae that generates biofuels. In July, ExxonMobil entered into a $600 million venture with Synthetic Genomics, a firm founded by biotech pioneer Dr. Craig Venter. “Synthetic Genomics has already engineered strains of algae that secrete oil from their cells,” writes the FT’s Clive Cookson.

Will oil companies transform themselves into algae companies? Or, a few years from now, could the makers of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” film a sequel about algae?

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On February 11, a team from American Electric Power (AEP), including CEO Mike Morris, spoke to KLD about its preparations for a carbon-constrained US economy. The KLD Blog article “Coal is Still King, For Now” presented an overview of AEP’s presentation, including the company’s positions on utilities regulation, carbon credits trading, and the prospects for “clean coal” technology.

As Alan Petrillo wrote in “Part One”:

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