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Politics : Sioux Nation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SiouxPal who wrote (79807)	9/21/2006 7:21:35 PM
From: SiouxPal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 361137

Lord knows my enemies will grab a hold of this post like their lives were drifting in a lifeboat.

To: SiouxPal who wrote (79807)	9/21/2006 9:22:12 PM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 361137

Branson Pledges $3 Billion to Combat Global Warming (Update3) By Todd Zeranski and Courtney Dentch Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Branson, the U.K. billionaire who controls Virgin Group Ltd., said he will contribute $3 billion over 10 years to combat global warming. His pledge at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York exceeds all the commitments made last year at the conference, where government, business and nonprofit leaders address issues including poverty, health and climate change. This year's tally surged to $5.7 billion as of noon today, halfway through the three-day conference. The total includes $10 million from Siemens AG and $40 million from Jonathan Tisch, chairman and chief executive officer of Loews Hotels. ``No matter how cynical you are, that's serious money,'' said former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who organized the event. The program received pledges of $2.5 billion last year. Branson's donation will amount to all the proceeds from Virgin's transportation units, including five airline and train companies, Branson said at a New York press conference. The money will be used to reduce Virgin's own reliance on fossil fuels, as well as supporting research on bio-fuels. He said he was inspired about three years ago as he started researching alternative fuel sources. ``Al Gore came to my home in London and said, `You are in a position to make a difference, and if you make a giant step forward, other people will follow,''' Branson said. Gore, who was vice president under Clinton, is a leading proponent of measures to reduce the emission of climate-changing pollutants and use more kinds of renewable energy. Renewable Energy Virgin is working to power its Virgin Air planes using renewable energy, Branson said. Earlier this month, he announced the creation of Virgin Fuels and said he would invest as much as $400 million to fund renewable-energy projects to reduce dependence on traditional fuels. Virgin's fuel prices have risen $1 billion over the past three years because of the rising cost of oil, he said. ``High oil prices is what has been needed to wake the world up to deal with this problem,'' he said. ``The only way global warming will be whipped is if we can come up with alternatives to oil that are affordable.'' Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, said it will contribute $10 million for medical equipment, such as X-ray and ultrasound machines, and water purification systems in rural communities in China. Aid to China Munich-based Siemens said its five-year commitment includes installing the equipment and training health-care workers on how to operate it. The equipment will help combat the spread of respiratory disease in mining communities, as well as give more people access to clean water, the company said. Tisch, co-chairman of Loews Corp. and treasurer of the National Football League's New York Giants, pledged $40 million to the College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. The school, renamed for Tisch, has more than 100 courses in areas including environmental engineering and studies of childhood obesity. The gift is the third-largest in the school's history. To contact the reporters on this story: Todd Zeranski in New York at tzeranski@bloomberg.net ; Courtney Dentch in New York at cdentch1@bloomberg.net Last Updated: September 21, 2006 15:10 EDT