Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.22.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
ENERGY POLICY
Regulators want to change fossil fuel pricing rules for federal land (via The Hill)
Oil price plunge and clean energy – the real impact (via Bloomberg)
Ohio Governor Kasich says more regulation needed on fracking (via Columbus Dispatch)
D.C. coalition emerges to oppose Exelon-Pepco merger (via Washington Post)
Portland considers energy benchmarking policy for large commercial buildings (via Energy Manager Today)
RENEWABLES
India to fund $158 million for 1GW of new solar projects (via Bloomberg)
Germany to help finance Chile’s first solar-thermal power plant (via Renewable Energy World/Bloomberg)
Indian solar plant will equal almost all the solar capacity installed in the U.S in 2010 (via Treehugger)
Kyocera venture to build 13.4MW floating solar plant in Japan (via Bloomberg)
Solar-friendly rate for commercial customers adopted in California (via Energy Manager Today)
Arizona utilities get approval to own rooftop solar (via Greentech Media)
Maximizing the value of installed solar assets (via Forbes)
Upcoming auctions for solar PV: A legal perspective (via Renewables International)
Utilities and solar groups both claim victory in Arizona rooftop showdown (via PV Tech)
NUCLEAR
Geopolitics key to South Africa’s $100 billion nuclear plan (via Bloomberg)
First of four Fukushima reactors cleared of nuclear fuel (via Phys.org)
CLIMATE
Four legal battles this year that were all about climate change (via Climate Progress)
The military, energy, and preparing for climate change (via Midwest Energy News)
OIL
Cuban oil may prove a boon for U.S. companies (via Climate Progress)
Saudi oil chief: No conspiracy behind oil prices (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
Shale debt crunch could intensify in April (via Houston Chronicle)
Keystone “not even nominal benefit” to U.S. consumers, says Obama (via The Hill)
Good times for Texas to North Dakota may turn bad on oil-price drop (via Bloomberg)
TRANSPORTATION
EVs hurt most in renewables industry from oil’s slump (via Bloomberg)
DOE report evaluates EV charging impacts on grid and charging behaviors (via Green Car Congress)
Tesla Model S drivers travel more miles than Nissan Leaf owners (via Autoblog)
Tesla battery swap now working in beta in California (via GigaOm)
COAL
Is China’s demand for coal going to keep rising? Don’t count on it. (via Grist)
U.S. plans to shut royalty loophole on coal exports (via Reuters)
Environmentalists split with the Obama administration over coal ash rules (via National Journal)
EMISSIONS
Will EU emission trading remain a major source of low carbon finance? (via CleanTechnica)
Alberta extends climate change rules, including $15/tonne carbon levy (via Huffington Post/Canadian Press)
Study recommends Massachusetts carbon tax to fight climate change (via Boston Globe)
OPINION
Why Russia should ally with China and India on carbon rules (via RTCC)
Obama sounds like he’s about to reject the Keystone pipeline (via Mother Jones)
Five questions to help us understand how commercial solar may grow in 2015 (via Greentech Media)
Who will get caught when the oil debt bubble pops? (via Forbes)
How oil’s decline could spatter North Dakota (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
Continuing Maryland’s energy boom (via Washington Post)
Who really has grassroots support? Wind energy (via The Hill)