Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.14.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
New climate models predict an Australian perma-drought (via Motherboard)
Southern Australia faces water crisis by 2100 due to climate change (via The Guardian)
Carbon import tariffs could torpedo climate deal, says EU official (via Reuters)
Obama to push climate resilience at state, local level (via The Hill)
Climate change has created a new literary genre (via Washington Post)
COAL
Beijing to enforce use of clean coal in anti-pollution drive (via Reuters)
Coal mining ruling: Another legal win for Obama EPA (via Charleston Gazette)
RENEWABLES
Global solar module prices just reached a record low (via Climate Progress)
Global biofuel output expansion to slow by 2023, says OECD (via Reuters)
Led by Chile, Latin America solar PV pipeline nears 20GW (via Greentech Media)
BNEF: Europe to invest $1 trillion in renewables by 2030 (via CleanTechnica)
Indian PM Modi doubles down on country’s solar revolution (via BusinessGreen)
Russia’s state-supported renewable energy auction heavily favored solar (via Renewable Energy World)
$1 billion geothermal project brings Costa Rica closer to 100% renewables (via Renew Economy)
Zurich Insurance to double investment in green bonds (via Bloomberg)
PV industry sees a “second gold rush” coming in solar sector (via Solar Industry Magazine)
USDA plants seed funding for rural clean energy (via Renewable Energy World)
Solar vs. utility battles heating up in Iowa, Wisconsin (via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
CPUC report highlights California’s continued solar success (via Solar Industry Magazine)
Is Texas souring on wind power? (via Forbes)
Iowa Supreme Court rules in favor of third-party solar (via Midwest Energy News)
Huge North Carolina solar project could “move the needle” for solar possibilities (via Renewable Energy World)
Inside Yingli, the giant Chinese solar company sponsoring the World Cup (via Mother Jones)
EMISSIONS
China could reveal carbon cap by first quarter 2015 (via RTCC)
EU pollution permits to gain 28% as regulators cut supply glut (via Bloomberg)
London projected to fail EU air quality limits until 2030 (via Bloomberg)
Group representing half a billion Christians says it will no longer support fossil fuels (via Climate Progress)
Texas, U.S. leader in emissions stands vulnerable to their effects (via New York Times)
The plan to get New Jersey back into RGGI that Chris Christie can’t veto (via Climate Progress)
University of Dayton divests from fossil fuels (via Midwest Energy News)
OIL
OPEC’s oil market share to shrink in 2015, despite growing demand (via Reuters)
Oil demand up fastest since 2010 on China growth, says IEA (via Houston Chronicle/Bloomberg)
China, U.S. to cooperate on strategic oil reserves (via Reuters)
Global oil exploration nears $1 trillion, but where are the finds? (via Reuters)
Crumbling roads in oil fields slow U.S. energy boom (via Bloomberg)
New York State won’t keep oil train details secret (via Huffington Post/AP)
TRANSPORTATION
There are now more than 500,000 EVs on Earth (via Autoblog Green)
Report: Electric vehicle market to hit $500 billion by 2025 (via BusinessGreen)
China requires 30% of state vehicles use alternative energy (via Bloomberg)
Helsinki, Finland plans on making private car ownership obsolete in 10 years (via Time)
U.S. fuel economy improvements show diminishing fuel savings (via US EIA)
Tesla’s chargers now moving a gigawatt-hour of electricity per month (via GigaOm)
Bay Area governments make America’s biggest-yet EV purchase (via CleanTechnica)
Chicago wants more residents to drive electric vehicles (via Southern Illinoisan)
Audi preparing an entire lineup of PHEV models (via Autoblog Green)
NATURAL GAS
Seven earthquakes hit Oklahoma in less than a day – is fracking to blame? (via Time)
Ohio fracking water reuse questioned (via Columbus Dispatch)
Former Pennsylvania health secretary: State failed to address fracking concerns (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)
ENVIRONMENT
The soil pollution crisis in China: Cleanup presents daunting challenge (via Yale e360)
California braces as drought sparks early fire season (via Sacramento Bee)
Firefighters battling seven wildfires in Washington State (via Los Angeles Times)
New data says huge West Virginia chemical spill may have been more toxic than reported (via Climate Progress)
ENERGY POLICY
India PM Modi accelerates solar revolution, doubles tax on coal (via Renew Economy)
Why were this company’s computers attacked millions of times this year? Algae. (via Washington Post)
Wells Fargo’s focus on energy shows growth strategy (via Reuters)
KEYSTONE XL
Lopsided lobbying on Keystone XL pipeline (via Washington Post)
Keystone XL backers want to keep pipeline in the public eye (via The Hill)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Data shows some energy retrofits actually increase energy usage (via Energy Manager Today)
ACEEE urges EPA to add building codes to Clean Power Plan (via Environmental Leader)
NUCLEAR
Russia signs nuclear energy deal with Argentina (via Reuters)
GRID
Blackout-plagued India moves toward a smarter grid (via Navigant Research)
Stanford working on “reversible” fuel cells for energy storage (via Energy Manager Today)
POLITICS
2014’s sleeper campaign issue: A bank nobody’s heard about (via Politico)
House GOP votes to thwart imaginary offshore drilling restriction (via National Journal)
Influence game: Shaping railroad safety rules (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
Coal-reliant Pennsylvania faces election showdown over EPA, natural gas, carbon trading (via ClimateWire)
OPINION
Six trends illustrating the US-China trade case’s impact on the solar market (via Greentech Media)
Here’s what the fossil fuel industry thinks of the carbon bubble (via Renew Economy)
What’s at stake with the Ex-Im Bank? (via National Journal)
Will Nissan’s free EV charging rival Tesla’s Supercharger network? (via Greentech Media)
Five reasons U.S. solar installers are vertically integrating…for now (via RMI Outlet)
NY Times gets it wrong with attacks on Steyer and divestment (via EcoWatch)