The Grand Canyon gets a break from uranium mining; shopping kudzu for ethanol conversion; and Dyson wants to swap vacuums for electric cars.

U.S. halts uranium mining near Grand Canyon: A House committee dealt a blow to the recent revival of interest in nuclear power by shutting down uranium mining close to the Grand Canyon National Park. Uranium ore prices have spiked recently on increased demand, but environmentalists raised concerns about mining impact on the Colorado River — a prime source of drinking water. Wednesday’s action freezes mining activity within five miles of the park for at least three years. (Reuters)

Approval Rating for Kudzu Ethanol Soars as Floods Cancel Corn Crops: With flood related crop failures in the American Midwest, ethanol production is not likely to pace international demand in 2008. That’s turning the heat up on cellulosic ethanol conversion based on non-food organic stocks such as kudzu. Native to China and eastern Asia, kudzu has established itself as a persistent invasive species in the southeastern United States. It’s the kudzu plant’s robustness which makes it attractive as an ethanol stock, requiring little cultivation and exhibiting resistance to pests and weather extremes. Researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Toronto estimate kudzu could potentially produce 270 gallons of ethanol per acre — on par with corn, but requiring fewer resources. (Chemically Green)

Three Ways to Make Solar Cheaper than Coal: Sure, solar power is plentiful and clean. But what will really drive its wide-scale adoption is cost. Right now, the price-per-kilowatt-hour of solar is well on its way to parity with coal. So how to accelerate the process? Reduce silicon costs by developing high-efficiency concentrated photovoltaic technology; invest in inexpensive thin-film solar elements; and start building industrial-scale solar thermal power plants. It seems likely that one day coal will be subject to carbon taxation. Until then, the battle between solar and fossil fuel will be waged strictly on technical merits. (EcoGeek)

Green Products Gain From New Price Equation: High energy costs and pressure on petroleum-based materials is opening the door to the use of more recycled stocks in manufacturing. Recycled raw materials are usually less expensive than their traditional counterparts, and the price break is beginning to change consumer attitudes. The Wall Street Journal reports more manufacturers are also taking a look at alternative materials, such as corn-based plastics. (WSJ.com)

Dyson looking to motor into the electric car arena?: Dyson — the vacuum cleaner comany — says it’s getting into the electric automobile business. No, it’s not a crazy as it sounds. Dyson has years of experience developing lightweight electric motors, and wants to migrate their technology from the clean-up biz to CleanTech. The company is already brainstorming a hyper-efficient electric vehicle outfitted with solar cells for passive battery recharding.