Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.19.14

A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

COAL 

US coal consumption rose 3.5% in 2013, projected 4.1% increase in 2014 (via Facts of the Day)

Army Corps plans narrow review of proposed coal export terminal (via The Olympian/AP)

Second coal ash dump leak sends toxins into North Carolina river (via Reuters)

Can coal ash waste be put to good use? (via Breaking Energy)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

China exceeds US on energy efficiency spending for first time (via Bloomberg Businessweek)

NUCLEAR 

DOE to ok $6.5 billion for Georgia nuclear plant (via AP)

RENEWABLES 

New US-China solar panel trade case gets ITC’s nod to continue (via Greentech Media)

London Array offshore wind farm phase two a no-go (via Recharge)

States brace for utility-solar advocate clashes (via Stateline)

Seattle company plans $200 million wind farm off Oregon coast (via GeekWire)

CLIMATE 

Warming winters send no love to 2022 Olympic bid cities (via Climate Central)

Australian cities already hotter than 2030 forecasts (via RTCC)

Climate change looming as threat to US national security (via The Weather Channel)

How Big Oil gave up on the climate (via Slate)

ENVIRONMENT 

Health experts warn of water contamination from California drought (via Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION 

Tesla stock gets another jolt (via Washington Post)

KEYSTONE XL 

Nebraska landowners slam TransCanada in anti-Keystone ads (via The Hill)

GRID 

Advanced batteries for utility-scale energy storage to see revenue surge (via Renew Grid)

US orders power grid to prepare for solar storms (via Reuters)

EMISSIONS 

Carbon futures climbing for EU ETS (via Environmental Leader)

Spotted: Hidden Storage from Wood Pallets

Hidden Storage Pallets

Isn't hidden storage the best? You can have the appearance of tidiness while drawers, doors, and boxes hide the clutter that maybe you just haven't had a chance to get to yet.

I'm a big fan of those storage boxes that fit snugly into a bookshelf. We use them to store things that just don't look pretty, like board games, video game controllers, and workout gear. I'm also a fan of reclaimed pallet crafts, so you know I did a double-take for these sweet storage boxes made from old pallets.

The page doesn't provide a tutorial, but building boxes is pretty simple. I am betting that you could just add a side and scale down this raised garden bed tutorial to make your box. If so, here's all you need:

  • reclaimed wood pallet
  • drill
  • screws and drill bit for pre-drilling that screw size
  • rope or drawer pulls of your choice

To make your box:

1. Measure your space.

2. Use this tutorial to figure out the wood sizes that you'll need, then cut them.

3. Screw them together.

4. Add the hardware. If you want to do rope, just drill two holes, string the rope through, and tie knots on the inside, so they don't pull out.