Energy and Environment News Roundup – 6.24.14

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

CLIMATE 

May 2014: Earth’s 2nd consecutive warmest month on record (via Weather Underground)

Bipartisan report tallies high toll on economy from global warming (via New York Times)

World Bank says tackling climate change would grow global economy (via The Guardian)

With rising heat and humidity, many U.S. areas will be “unsuited for outdoor activity” (via Reuters)

EMISSIONS 

Australian PM Tony Abbott introduces carbon tax repeal bill (via Huffington Post)

U.S. Supreme Court nibbles at EPA’s greenhouse gas powers (via Politico)

University of Dayton ditches fossil fuels (via BusinessGreen)

RENEWABLES 

UK Green Investment Bank plans $1.7 billion offshore wind fund (via Bloomberg)

German state will soon go 100% renewable electricity (via Renew Economy)

Three lessons learned from Latin America’s red-hot solar market (via CleanTechnica)

U.S. wind headed for dismal year as carbon emissions rise (via RTCC)

Market share for leasing residential solar to peak in 2014 (via Greentech Media)

Renewables provided 88% of new U.S. electrical generating capacity in May 2014 (via Renewable Energy World)

Rooftop solar leases scaring buyers when homeowners sell (via Bloomberg)

Texas hits new peak wind output of 29% total electricity load (via U.S. EIA)

Setback rule will end new wind farms in Ohio (via Greentech Media/Midwest Energy News)

Ohio’s freeze on renewable mandates encourages clean energy foes (via Navigant Research)

SunPower offers batteries to hold solar power until night (via Bloomberg)

Solar installer to use drones for rooftop inspections (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Mosiac expands solar loan program for residential installers (via Solar Industry Magazine)

COAL 

King Coal faces rising investment backlash in Australia (via Reuters)

ENVIRONMENT 

U.S. Midwest receives two months of rainfall in one week (via Climate Progress)

California drought poised to drive up food prices as it worsens (via International Business Times)

Half of Colorado in some level of drought (via AP)

Greenpeace losses: Leaked documents reveal extent of financial disarray (via The Guardian)

NUCLEAR 

UK nuclear cleanup bill rises by £2.2 billion (via Financial Times)

TRANSPORTATION 

Consumer group: U.S. drivers buying more fuel-efficient cars (via The Hill)

California puts its EV-owner survey info online (via Green Car Reports)

GRID 

Wind industry unites to support 3.5GW Clean Line transmission project (via Renew Grid)

ComEd to complete smart meter rollout three years early (via Renew Grid)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Thanks to tablets and better TV tech, more gadgets use less energy (via GigaOm)

POLITICS 

White House planning another big climate push (via Huffington Post)

Gasoline fears drive congressional energy agenda (via Houston Chronicle)

OPINION 

The losing bet on climate change (via Bloomberg)

Could Obama’s climate rule come undone? (via National Journal)

Why a national carbon tax would be amazing – in four charts (via Climate Progress)

Storm clouds gathering over the U.S. solar industry (via Renewable Energy World)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.12.14

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

EMISSIONS 

EU carbon backloading start possible in March (via Reuters Point Carbon)

South Korea risking sky-high carbon prices, worry for exports (via Reuters)

Obama administration quietly preparing deeper emissions targets for UN talks (via ClimateWire)

Capturing carbon may add 80% to US electricity costs (via Bloomberg)

California’s rate of CO2 cuts “needs to be doubled” after 2020 (via RTCC)

OIL 

OPEC sees stronger 2014 oil demand growth (via Reuters)

Russia expects 2014 oil output to renew post-Soviet record (via Reuters)

EIA lowers US oil output forecast but highlights shale upside (via Reuters)

Fracking blamed for drought in California (via CNBC/Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

India to double its renewable power capacity by 2017 (via The Hindu)

Unsubsidized solar power gives it a go in Spain (via Breaking Energy)

India’s plan for world’s largest solar farm my stumble over wetlands (via The Guardian)

UK radar deal “could unlock 2.2GW” of new wind capacity (via Recharge)

Honduras wind project gets $82 million guarantee (via Recharge)

How Chile is shepherding its renewable energy expansion (via Renewable Energy World)

How online maps can speed up solar site selection (via GreenBiz)

Lockheed backs world’s largest wave energy project (via Forbes)

Wind turbine prices fall 35% from 2009-2013 (via Facts of the Day)

Mosiac to offer retail investments in residential solar (via Bloomberg)

New York State’s green bank confirmed as “open for business” (via BusinessGreen)

Massive offshore wind farm takes shape off….Rhode Island? (via CleanTechnica)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Alberta premier says she won’t play games with US on Keystone (via The Hill)

Environmental movement to test its muscle in Keystone final stretch (via InsideClimate News)

Is shipping oil by rail as dangerous as the Keystone pipeline? (via Mother Jones)

TRANSPORTATION 

Toyota to recall 1.9 million Prius hybrids (via BusinessGreen)

Nissan Leaf ranks as best-selling EV in Europe in 2013 (via Green Car Congress)

Airbus forecasts Asia-Pacific will need 11,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years (via Green Car Congress)

Over 250,000 vehicle-to-grid enabled EVs will be sold from 2013-2022 (via Navigant Research)

Nissan Leaf accelerates to 45% total zero-emissions market share (via GreenBiz)

Tesla Motors stock breaks $200 mark for the first time (via Autoblog Green)

COAL 

Pipe break at coal facility contaminates West Virginia waterway (via Climate Progress)

Private testing finds coal chemical in 40% of West Virginia homes (via Climate Progress)

CLIMATE 

Economist says best climate fix a tough sell, but worth it (via NPR)

Hot Alaska, cold Georgia: How the shifted polar vortex turned winter upside down (via Climate Progress)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Louisiana natural gas export terminal gets green light (via National Journal)

Colorado communities battle to ban fracking (via DeSmog Blog)

Explosion and fire at Chevron natural gas well in Pennsylvania (via Climate Progress)

ENVIRONMENT 

China to set up $1.6 billion fund to fight smog (via Reuters)

In California drought, a message to consumers: Water is power (via Christian Science Monitor)

GREEN BUILDING 

Green builders weather housing slump (via Environmental Leader)

POLITICS 

House Republicans receive lowest environmental rating in 44 years (via Washington Post)

Landrieu era to begin on Senate energy committee (via National Journal)

Koch brothers bombard vulnerable Senate Democrat Kay Hagan (via Politico)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 9.3.13

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

EMISSIONS 

EU carbon market has longest rally since 2008 before September supply boost (via Bloomberg)

EU said to plan carbon-market aviation adjustment in October (via Bloomberg)

US and Europe may face off over reducing airline emissions (via Los Angeles Times)

MIT: Vehicle emissions cause 53,000 extra deaths a year (via AutoblogGreen)

Polish CO2 permit sales to start September 16 (via Reuters Point Carbon)

A carbon tax that America could live with (via New York Times)

Mind the carbon gap (via Grist)

COAL 

EU coal demand starting decades-long slide (via Reuters Point Carbon)

RENEWABLES 

Solar energy world capacity tops 102GW (via EarthTechling)

Renewable energy worth €17 billion to Germany in 2012 (via Recharge)

South Australia to reach 50% renewables within a decade (via CleanTechnica)

With rooftop solar on the rise, US utilities are striking back (via Yale e360)

California and Hawaii most attractive states for renewables (via Breaking Energy)

Nearly 40,000 new green jobs created across America during 2Q 2013 (via CleanTechnica)

AB 327: From California solar killer to net metering savior? (via Greentech Media)

25% of America’s residential solar is in one utility service territory (via Facts of the Day)

Mosiac bets on the environment (via New York Times)

How Xcel saved $22 million with weather and wind forecasting (via Renewable Energy World)

State agencies ponder changes to wind energy rules (via Post-Bulletin)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Caspian Sea could become natural gas hub (via Houston Chronicle)

Obama position on fracking leaves both sides grumbling (via The Tribune/McClatchy)

98 more Ohio earthquakes linked to fracking disposal well (via Columbus Dispatch)

CLIMATE 

FEMA flood maps raising cost of insurance (via Boston Globe)

Is climate change pushing pests into northern farms? (via Mother Jones)

OIL 

Booming oil production boosted US GDP estimate (via The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION 

Study: China could soon find itself in traffic jam hell (via Green Car Reports)

Aviation industry unlikely to agree to emissions reduction deal until 2016 (via RTCC)

Number of US bike sharing programs doubled in 2013 (via EarthTechling)

Will Tesla alone double global demand for its battery cells? (via Green Car Reports)

KEYSTONE XL 

Aerial photos show Keystone XL behind schedule (via Houston Chronicle)

Keystone delays seen giving time for climate concessions (via Bloomberg)

GRID 

Tres Amigas seeks to break US grids out of isolation (via Midwest Energy News)

The rural path to a smarter grid (via SmartPlanet)

Transmission upgrades compensate for coal retirements in Ohio (via US EIA)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Argentina adopts US’s LEED-certified buildings program (via Sustainable Cities Collective)

$2 million fund boosts energy efficiency at Massachusetts colleges (via Energy Manager Today)

NUCLEAR 

Japan to fund $470 million ice wall to stop reactor leaks (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

How the Fukushima ice barrier will block radioactive groundwater (via MIT Technology Review)

Radiation near Japanese plant’s tanks suggest new leaks (via New York Times)

ENVIRONMENT 

China’s meteorological authority launches air pollution forecasts (via Xinhua)

Montana Supreme Court decision could change how crews fight wildfires (via The Missoulian)

POLITICS 

German opposition to EU carbon market fix to wane after election (via Reuters Point Carbon)

Abbott warns of “trillion dollar” Australian carbon tax (via The Australian)

On Obama’s energy agenda, White House and OFA websites not always in sync (via Greenwire)

Judge refuses to toss climate scientist Mann’s defamation lawsuit (via The Hill)

OPINION 

Fukushima’s radioactive legacy is just beginning (via Climate Central)

The oceans are acidifying at the fastest rate in 300 million years – how worried should we be? (via Washington Post)

Can the World Bank’s green bonds become a scalable climate solution? (via Energy Collective)

Labor Day 2050: Global warming and the coming collapse of labor productivity (via Climate Progress)

Why the Energy Department hires industry advocates as regulators (via Climate Progress)

Don’t overlook sugarcane ethanol in America’s renewable fuels debate (via Energy Collective)

Why Ron Binz is a good choice to run FERC (via Breaking Energy)

Should you divest from coal and oil? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Why have so many venture capitalists flopped in clean tech? (via Greentech Media)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.10.13

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

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US recoverable natural gas estimate jumps 26 percent (via Houston Chronicle)

EIA projects flatlining of natural gas consumption through 2014 (via Facts of the Day)

Little support for natural gas exports, UT poll finds (via Houston Chronicle)

CLIMATE 

Australia prepares for new weather extremes as political opposition mounts (via ClimateWire)

Nearly 80 percent of Americans hit by extreme weather disaster since 2007 (via Climate Progress)

Climate change included in US science teaching guidelines for first time (via The Guardian)

NUCLEAR 

Ex-regulator says all US nuclear reactors have safety design flaw (via New York Times)

RENEWABLES 

Global solar PV market surges toward 100GW milestone (via BusinessGreen)

Asian Development Bank pleads for alternative energy use (via Bangkok Post)

Chinese wind energy output soars 41 percent (via BusinessGreen)

South African solar projects get $2.2 billion boost (via Sustainable Business)

Brazil planning for another 300MW of solar PV (via CleanTechnica)

When it comes to solar power, small scale is beautiful (via EarthTechling)

Renewables provide 82% of new US electrical generating capacity in1Q 2013 (via Renewable Energy World)

NRG introducing solar with battery storage for homeowners (via Renewable Energy World)

Building a solar economy: 4 lessons from Hawaii (via Yes! Magazine)

First Solar soars 45 percent on outlook, acquisition (via Reuters)

Mosiac receives approval to offer $100 million in solar investments to California residents (via San Jose Mercury News)

Illinois renewable energy fund set to jump 10x, but glitches could make it impossible to spend money (via Crain’s Chicago Business)

OIL 

OPEC joins US in lowering 2013 oil demand growth view (via Reuters)

Gazprom, Shell agree to develop Arctic oil fields despite environmental concerns (via Washington Post)

BP says safety was top priority in Gulf before massive oil spill (via Washington Post)

Today is deadline for Exxon to produce Arkansas oil spill documents (via Ozarks First)

Exxon oil spill cleanup in path of severe weather, maybe a tornado (via InsideClimate News)

Jury finds Exxon liable for $236 million in New Hampshire pollution suit (via Reuters)

EMISSIONS 

UN emissions credits surge as developers delay carbon claims (via Bloomberg)

Shanghai to become second Chinese city to launch carbon trading this June (via BusinessGreen)

Air pollution killed 7 million people in 2010 (via Mongabay)

DOE nominee mum on carbon tax during hearing (via The Hill)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Keystone XL pipeline developer fears decision is “many months” away (via The Hill) 

Did Keystone XL contractor hide its conflict of interest? (via Mother Jones)

TRANSPORTATION 

More than 48,000 EV public charging stations have been deployed worldwide (via Navigant Research)

Car repair costs rising – apart from hybrids, which get cheaper (via Green Car Reports)

US public charging stations increase 9% in first quarter 2013 (via Autoblog Green)

Elon Musk says next, cheaper Tesla coming in 2016 or 2017 (via Autoblog Green)

GRID 

New grid architecture enables renewable integration (via Navigant Research)

In Iowa, researchers seeing a stronger, lighter power line (via Midwest Energy News)

ENERGY POLICY 

Energy tax reform a heavy lift for lawmakers (via Politico)

Four charts that show the US spends too little on energy research (via Washington Post)

Kansas could outlaw sustainable development (via Treehugger)

COAL 

Plans for one coal export terminal in Oregon dropped, four others still under consideration (via Climate Progress)

ENVIRONMENT 

Entire planet will soon have rapid deforestation detection system (via Mongabay)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Hundreds of US colleges creating a clean energy future, today (via EcoAffect)

Best Buy e-waste recycling actually a notable accomplishment (via EarthTechling)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Ohio state legislature reviewing energy efficiency rules (via Columbus Dispatch)

POLITICS 

Coming and going at the Energy Department (via New York Times)

Ernest Moniz faces grilling in confirmation hearing (via Houston Chronicle)

McCarthy to face barrage of agency criticism (via E&E Daily)

OPINION 

How carbon reduction and smart grid work together (via Greentech Media)

Why First Solar is buying a silicon solar cell startup no one’s heard of (via GigaOm)

Exxon revolutionizes energy by delivering it straight to your face (via Grist)