Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.2.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Caribbean coral reefs “will be lost within 20 years” (via The Guardian)
U.S. military bases threatened by climate change (via Fiscal Times)
What every governor really believes about climate change, in one handy map (via Climate Progress)
VA governor revives climate change panel, citing sea level rise threat (via Washington Post/AP)
Eight summer miseries made worse by global warming, from poison ivy to allergies (via National Geographic)
ENERGY POLICY
EU utilities will suffer from low power prices until 2020, says Moody’s (via Retuers)
RENEWABLES
BNEF: Renewable energy’s about to dominate global power investments (via CleanTechnica)
Research shows solar panels benefit crops (via Ashland Daily Tidings)
New EIA energy maps show four renewable energy trends (via Greentech Media)
U.S. Northeast added more than 800MW of new renewables capacity in 2013 (via Renew Grid)
Cape Wind gets $150 million boost from U.S. Energy Department (via Boston Globe)
Will EPA carbon rules push Michigan harder on clean energy? (via Midwest Energy News)
NextEra yieldco IPO raises $442.7 million (via Recharge)
Barclays and MSCI launch green bond index (via BusinessGreen)
COAL
Colorado coal mine rejection on global-warming grounds has major implications (via InsideClimate News)
Georgia coal-to-solar pivot shows the way on climate regulations (via Bloomberg)
EMISSIONS
The amount of atmospheric CO2 just reached a new record, and scientists are worried (via Climate Progress)
Giving up fossil fuels to save the climate: The $28 trillion write-down (via Bloomberg Businessweek)
Nine states join lawsuit against EPA climate rule (via The Hill)
EPA looks to reduce emissions at landfills (via The Hill)
EPA’s CO2 rule and the back door to cap and trade (via Energy Collective)
ENVIRONMENT
Plastic disappearing from oceans, scientists say, but why? (via Sydney Morning Herald)
Brazil made big environmental promises for its Rio Olympics – here’s why it won’t keep them (via National Journal)
California may step up water restrictions enforcement amid drought (via Reuters)
Water use fell 23% in March as LA reports driest two-year total (via Bloomberg)
OIL
Bakken Shale oil producers told to cut flaring or face punishment (via Houston Chronicle)
With North Dakota oil boom comes concern over spills (via Christian Science Monitor)
TRANSPORTATION
While you’re asleep, electric car owners are guzzling power (via Mashable)
Chevy Volt sales drop in June, Nissan Leaf inches upward (via Autoblog Green)
Gas prices at six-year high heading into July 4th holiday weekend (via The Hill)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
North Dakota’s latest fracking problem: Burning off excess gas (via Wall Street Journal)
Russia says European Union requests natural gas talks (via Reuters)
GRID
Hackers find open back door to power grid with renewables (via Bloomberg)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
IEA: $80 billion wasted on power for online devices in 2013 (via BusinessGreen)
LED lighting will constitute 94% of annual global street lighting sales by 2023 (via Navigant Research)
GE opens a pricing war over the connected LED light bulb (via Greentech Media)
OPINION
How El Nino will change the world’s weather in 2014 (via The Guardian)
EPA’s carbon rule is both a tax and a subsidy (via Forbes)
If Jerry Brown is so green, why is he allowing fracking in California? (via The Nation)