The Week in CleanTech, Part Two: Al Gore calls for an end to fossil fuels; experts ponder crude oil’s fall; and conservation beats biofuels.

Gore’s Goal: Former V.P. Lays Down a Green Gauntlet: Nobel Prize Laureate Al Gore laid out his vision for a green America on Thursday, challenging industry and government to take the nation fossil fuel-free by 2020. The Gore plan — as ambitious as it is improbable — calls for massive public investments in electrical transmission lines to carry wind and solar power to market. Comparing the race to sustainable energy to the moon program of the 1960s, Gore asked Americans to “take a giant leap for humankind” through a combination of nuclear power, clean coal, and solar and wind technology. (WSJ.com)

Oil Slick: Why Are Crude Prices Falling?: So what’s up with oil prices? After months of spiraling increases, crude took its biggest downturn in 18 years on Tuesday — and didn’t pop back up the following day. The fall came on the heels President Bush’s reversal of an executive order banning offshore drilling. But the oil industry knows the move was mostly for show. Analysts are split on other possible reasons, including high prices finally dropping demand for gasoline; bearish forecasts on the U.S. economy; and a variety of trading procedures and factors all hitting at just the right moment. Whether prices are in retreat, or just pausing before another uphill run, remains to be seen. (WSJ.com)

Senator Introduces Gasoline Conservation Bill; Study of 60 mph Limit: Virginia U.S. Senator John Warner took the plunge Thursday and introduced the “Immediate Steps to Conserve Gasoline Act.” At the heart of the legislation is a national speed limit of 60 mph. While lower speed limits clearly reduce gasoline consumption, they’ve also proven deeply unpopular in the past. The former 55 mph, passed in 1974 as a reaction to the Arab Oil Embargo, was widely ignored by motorists, finally being abolished in 1995. (Green Car Congress)

GM to cut truck production by 300K units by 2009, cuts V8 development: Tuesday was another tough one for General Motors. The Detroit carmaker announced it will reduce production of full size pickups by 300,000 units next year. The company will also scale back its development of V-8 engines. More distressingly for GM workers, Chairman Rick Wagoner warned yesterday that the company plans to cut payroll by 20 percent for salaried employees, eliminate health care for some of its older retirees, and suspend stock dividends. (Autoblog Green)

Lowering Energy Consumption Better Than Biofuels for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, OECD Report Finds: A report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that conservation is a far more effective method to fight greenhouse emissions than biofuels. The OECD report said that emissions benefits from biofuels are overstated, pointing out that palm oil biofuel might actually be worse than conventional diesel when it comes to generated greenhouse gasses. The organization endorsed second generation, non-foodstock biofuels, but concluded that reducing energy consumption was the best way to address emissions. (Treehugger)