Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.19.13

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

EMISSIONS 

Russia’s new 2020 carbon target could see emissions rise by 30% (via RTCC)

New Chinese premier vows to tackle pollution with “iron fist” (via Yale e360)

New EPA power plant rule running late, with major changes possible (via Greenwire)

Coal state Dems press Obama to scale back EPA emissions rules (via The Hill)

Why the EPA might delay carbon rules for power plants (via Washington Post)

California cap-and-trade funds proposed for green bank (via Bloomberg)

CLIMATE 

Climate change could mean seven times as many Katrinas for US (via Mother Jones)

A dramatic greening of the Artic over past 30 years (via Weather Underground)

RENEWABLES 

Renewables contribute 12.5% of India’s total power generation (via Panchabuta)

China may cut subsidy for largest solar projects (via Bloomberg)

Masdar cuts ribbon on world’s largest concentrated solar power plant (via BusinessGreen)

France announces tender for 400MW of large solar PV plants (via CleanTechnica)

Global clean energy reserves could match fossil fuels (via BusinessGreen)

Renewable energy standards target of multi-pronged attack (via InsideClimate News)

$4.8 billion in loans weighed by US for post-Solyndra projects (via Renewable Energy World/Bloomberg)

Next-gen biofuels making slow progress in 2013 (GigaOm)

Eagle death prompts wind farm investigation (via AOL Energy)

Fourth-graders crowdfund their own solar-powered classroom (via Treehugger)

California Green Innovation Index released (via San Jose Mercury News)

Iowa bill would support farmer-owned wind installations (via Midwest Energy News)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Saudi Arabia to drill seven shale gas test wells (via Bloomberg)

Shale gas “no competitor” outside US (via Recharge)

Marcellus Shale now most productive in US (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

US natural gas prices rise as cold snap extends to April (via Reuters)

Chesapeake sued for fixing prices, underpaying landowners (via Houston Chronicle)

GRID 

Grid integration of wind and solar is cheap (via Greentech Media)

Infrastructure boom drives wire and cable materials market (via Renew Grid)

OIL 

Russia adopts fracking to revive Soviet oil fields (via Bloomberg)

California fracking fight has $24 billion in taxes at stake (via Bloomberg)

In Texas, recycling oilfield water has far to go (via Texas Tribune)

TRANSPORTATION 

India launches a $15,000 EV with no government help (via Forbes)

European car-efficiency rule would cut fuel bill by 25% (via Bloomberg)

Two airlines may have to buy EU carbon to give back to UK (via Bloomberg)

Toyota targets 2020 for 600-mile solid state electric car battery (via Plugin Cars)

One-third of electric car buyers might not buy another (via Green Car Reports)

Ford COO: electrified vehicles could be up to 25% of sales by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

Automakers tell EPA it’s highly unlikely they can hit California ZEV mandate (via Autoblog Green)

TAR SANDS

German research institute pulls out of Canadian tar sands project (via EurActiv)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Top ten US cities with the most Energy Star-certified buildings (via Renew Grid)

White roofs, green myth? (via Huffington Post)

The green in green building (via Sustainable Industries)

ENVIRONMENT 

China’s top six environmental problems (via Live Science)

Wildfires rage in Colorado as fears grow over drought (via The Guardian/Reuters)

Scientists puzzled by manatee deaths off Florida’s coast (via Tampa Bay Times)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.31.13

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

GRID 

Transmission and distribution equipment market to more than double by 2020 (via Renew Grid)

Utilities spent $14 billion worldwide on smart grid tech in 2012 (via Renew Grid)

Honeywell and Opower team up on smart energy (via GreenBiz)

PG&E gears up for final push on smart meters (via Bakersfield Californian)

EMISSIONS 

Oil and gas majors at risk from “unburnable” reserves if emissions targets enforced (via GreenBiz)

Fossil fuel divestment “virtually risk free” (via Environmental Leader)

Divesting from fossil-fuel companies unlikely to harm endowments (via Chronicle of Higher Education)

Three things to know about British Columbia’s carbon tax – in pictures (via Sightline Daily)

RENEWABLES 

Global offshore wind market “set for 55GW by 2020” (via Recharge)

Smoggy China to seek more solar power (via EarthTechling)

Spain’s monthly wind power tops 6 terawatt hours for first time (via Bloomberg)

Saudi Arabia completes biggest solar power plant (via Bloomberg)

Facing expiring tax credit, US wind industry posts record 13GW year (via The Hill)

Renewable energy industries push for new financing opinions (via New York Times)

Wind, solar groups quit ALEC as group targets clean energy programs (via Greenwire)

Wind power to shave $1 million off Ohio State University electricity bill (via Triple Pundit)

OIL 

Satellite analysis shows Gulf oil spills typically underestimated (via Yale e360)

CLIMATE 

Humans have already set in motion 69 feet of sea level rise (via Mother Jones)

Growing palm oil for biofuels could speed up climate change (via Reuters)

Butterflies booking it north as climate warms (via Mother Jones)

Three states pushing ALEC bill to require teaching climate change denial in schools (via DeSmog Blog)

NUCLEAR 

Report: Georgia nuclear power plant could be Solyndra redux (via Christian Science Monitor)

TRANSPORTATION 

EPA plan to cut sulfur in gasoline on track for March launch (via Houston Chronicle)

Hagel endorses ban on high-carbon fuel use for Department of Defense (via The Hill)

Boeing Dreamliner batteries said to fail 10 times before incident (via Bloomberg)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Pressure builds for Obama to link tar sands pipelines to climate change (via InsideClimate News)

ENVIRONMENT 

Five sobering realities about global water security (via WRI Insights)

Thousands evacuated as flooding hits Eastern Australia (via Bloomberg)

POLITICS 

McCarthy not discussing EPA plans (via Politico)

OPINION 

Obama talks climate change, California acts on it (via Time)

The cost of not using renewable energy (via Grist)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.10.13

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

CLIMATE 

UN climate official wants “strong” US response to record heat (via The Hill)

Arab Spring spawns Middle East youth climate change movement (via Sustainable Business)

Five charts help illustrate 2012 as warmest year on record (via Climate Central)

By the numbers: the hottest year on record (via WRI Insights)

Local governments answer America’s climate change wake-up call (via CleanTechnica)

Climate change and the shrinking Mississippi River (via Huffington Post)

Since 2009, Sunday TV shows haven’t quoted a single scientist on climate change (via Treehugger)

RENEWABLES 

Solar shakeout expected to slash solar equipment makers by 70% (via GigaOm)

MENA solar markets to exceed 3GW annually by 2015 (via Greentech Media)

China’s plan to double solar capacity in 2013 boosts industry (via Reuters)

China and renewables: the outlook for growth (via CleanTechnica)

Nearly 12% of UK electricity now produced by renewables (via Energy Collective)

In India, solar ambitions are suddenly outsized (via New York Times)

Wind power to provide 5% of America’s electricity by 2015 (via Facts of the Day)

Answers about tax credit specifics are still blowin’ in the wind (via Houston Chronicle)

New York Gov. Cuomo announces $1 billion green bank, new energy czar (via Greentech Media)

BP cuts ribbon on 600MW worth of US wind farms (via BusinessGreen)

Google invests $200 million in Texas wind farm, has now backed 2GW of clean power (via GigaOm)

Chinese firm buys US solar start-up MiaSole (via New York Times)

OIL 

Arctic standards urged for oil drilling in forbidding region (via Houston Chronicle)

US oil imports are falling to their lowest level since 1987 (via Washington Post)

Shale oil output anchors a record growth in US production (via EnergyWire)

Interior Department, Coast Guard launch separate probes of Shell Arctic operations (via EnergyWire)

BP’s oil and dispersant toxic to baby corals (via Mother Jones)

Phillips makes $1 billion commitment to ship Bakken shale oil (via Reuters)

Big Oil lobby claims the industry “gets no subsidies, zero, nothing” (via Climate Progress)

GRID 

Smart meter opponents turn to Maryland state legislature (via Capital Gazette)

California awards $1.8 million to UCSD microgrid project (via Green Car Congress)

TRANSPORTATION 

Volkswagen wants to be “the leader in electrification” (via Autoblog Green)

China to offer electric car incentives soon, says official (via Bloomberg)

2013 Nissan Leaf now more efficient, charges in half the time (via Inhabitat)

Virginia Gov. McDonnell proposes eliminating state’s gas tax (via The Hill)

EMISSIONS 

California ratepayers to receive 85% of cap-and-trade revenue as climate dividend (via AOL Energy)

COAL 

EIA projects slight bump up for coal this year, but long-term projections show decline (via Charleston Gazette)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Utilities can save big with next-generation energy efficiency programs (via Energy Manager Today)

Back from the brink: home energy efficiency tax credits (via EarthTechling)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US Chamber’s fracking jobs boom: behind the numbers (via Midwest Energy News)

POLITICS 

Obama’s first term: assessing progress on top energy and climate priorities (via Climate Progress)

Former White House aide defends “green” stimulus, says created 720,000 jobs (via The Hill)

Sen. Sanders floats new climate bill after US hits heat record (via The Hill)

MIT to Obama: get serious about climate change (via Triple Pundit)

Treasury Secretary nominee Jack Lew has ties to energy (via Christian Science Monitor)

Tom Steyer might be the next big name in US energy politics (via Greenwire)

OPINION 

China’s solar PV goal masks a fallacy (via Recharge)

Solyndra stunk. The green stimulus didn’t. (via Washington Post)

Climate-proofing cities: not something conservatives will be good at (via Grist)

Heat: Hell on poor countries, no biggie for the rich (via Grist)

Clarifying public investments in clean energy innovation (via Innovation Files)

Innovation should be central to next Energy Secretary’s agenda (via Innovation Files)

The science of why comment trolls suck (via Mother Jones)

OTHER NEWS 

An additional listing of clean energy and climate news is posted at Climate Progress