Did you know:

1. That the agricultural and forestlands of the United States can produce enough sustainably harvested biomass to annually replace one-third of the current demand for transportation fuels? (Department of Energy and USDA)

2. That utilizing existing technological know-how, wind energy can meet 20 percent of nationwide electricity demand by 2030? (Department of Energy)

3. Eleven of the past 12 years are the hottest since 1860? (NASA)

4. That the 1990 Acid Rain Program employing a cap and trade system reduced pollution quicker and at just 20 to 30 percent of the cost forecast? (Environmental Defense/EPA)

5. More than a decade ago - in 1997 - the European Union called on member states to have 12% of their total energy consumption consist of renewable energy by 2010? In December 2008, the European Parliament agreed to a renewable energy package that would increase that amount to 20% by 2020. (U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee)

6. That a gallon of ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 48 to 59 percent compared to a gallon of conventional gasoline? South Dakota's 16 ethanol plants produced approximately 1 billion gallons of ethanol in 2008. (RFA)

7. South Dakota has a small, but fast-growing clean energy economy, with an average annual job growth rate of 7.9 percent over the past decade? (The Pew Charitable Trusts)

8. Drought-induced conditions in the Prairie Pothole Region due to global warming could cause the loss of up to 91 percent of the regions Prairie Pothole wetlands, the most productive duck breeding ground in North America (National Wildlife Federation)

9. The American Lung Association reports that toxic chemicals in the air we breathe are affecting the health of nearly half of all Americans? (American Lung Association)

10. Since the European Union adopted programs promoting clean energy and reducing carbon emissions in both 2005 and 2008, they have experienced unmatched growth in clean energy deployment, including wind, solar, and biogas?  (U.S. Senate Democratic Policy Committee)

11. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act authorized a record funding commitment of $3.4 billion for the Department of Energy's fossil energy program to develop low-emission coal technologies (Department of Energy)