Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.8.13

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

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

India seeks access to US natural gas (via The Hill)

Shale-rich Spanish region expected to vote to ban fracking (via Reuters)

Foreign investors play large role in US shale industry (via US EIA)

TRANSPORTATION 

Cheaper electric vehicle batteries: slow and steady wins the race (via Green Car Reports)

Fisker mass layoffs trigger federal lawsuit (via Autoblog)

GREEN BUSINESS 

A glimpse into the future of retailer sustainability (via GreenBiz)

RENEWABLES 

Global biofuels production will reach nearly 62 billion gallons by 2023 (via Navigant Research)

630MW offshore wind London Array at full power (via Recharge)

Austria installed 230MW of solar in 2012 to double total capacity (via CleanTechnica)

IRS gives wind power a raise (via EarthTechling)

Sewer bonds new funding model for solar projects (via Bloomberg)

Wind energy and wildlife: science marks industry efforts (via AOL Energy)

North Carolina’s renewable portfolio standard under attack (via RTCC)

EMISSIONS 

China’s emissions trading scheme in line for 2020 national launch (via RTCC)

Study: fossil fuel emissions stunt coral growth (via RTCC)

Air pollution killed 1.2 million Chinese in 2010 (via Greentech Media)

US carbon emissions drop as natural gas displaces coal (via The Hill)

Total carbon emissions from natural gas may exceed coal by 2016 (via Facts of the Day)

Study: EPA rules will fuel shift away from coal (via The Hill)

OIL 

Ruling against BP clears way for spill payout appeals (via Reuters)

Exxon oil spill could be 40% larger than company estimates, say EPA figures (via InsideClimate News)

Upstart pipeline company staking its future on stopping heavy oil corrosion (via InsideClimate News)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Tipping point near for LED lighting (via Navigant Research)

GRID 

“Battery University” aims to train a work force for next-generation energy storage (via New York Times)

Texas to double wind capacity with $6.8 billion transmission investment (via AOL Energy)

ComEd facing lawsuit connected to smart meter initiative (via Renew Grid)

POLITICS 

DOE, EPA nominees face Congressional hearings this week (via The Hill)

Meet the US billionaire who wants to kill the Keystone XL pipeline (via The Globe and Mail)

The man who could put climate change on Obama’s agenda (via National Journal)

Salazar looks back on a “joyful run” as Interior Secretary (via New York Times)

OPINION 

Is the Keystone XL pipeline too risky? (via National Journal)

Yea or nay, White House will face backlash on Keystone (via Politico)

Why solar power company stocks are still earthbound (via New York Times)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.5.13

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

ENERGY POLICY 

German net power exports quadrupled in 2012 (via Recharge)

US Air Force releases strategic energy plan (via Sustainable Business)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US proposal to move fracking wastewater by barge stirs debate (via Reuters)

GE to build $110 million fracking research center in Oklahoma (via Environmental Leader)

Frackers are losing $1.5 billion yearly to leaks (via Mother Jones)

RARE EARTHS 

Discovery of rare earth metals in ocean mud could help Japan (via Autoblog Green)

RENEWABLES 

Germany’s offshore wind industry finally taking off (via Recharge)

Solar milestone: 1 million PV systems installed in Australia (via Renew Economy)

Merkel losing allies in $700 billion shift to renewables (via Bloomberg)

IRS and renewable energy finance: the waiting game (via Energy Trends Insider)

US renews funding for biofuels research centers (via Detroit News)

Are feed-in tariffs a “subsidy” for a small group of utility customers? (via Midwest Energy News)

PG&E cancels California solar power contracts with BrightSource (via Bloomberg)

ALEC-sponsored bill to repeal North Carolina’s renewable energy standard narrowly passes out of committee (via Climate Progress)

OIL 

Feds add teeth to offshore drilling safety mandates (via Houston Chronicle)

Gulf oil spill killed millions of microscopic creatures at base of food chain (via Tampa Bay Times)

Texas refinery is Saudi foothold in US market (via New York Times)

Arkansas AG sets deadline for Exxon to produce oil spill documents (via CTV/AP)

Arkansas oil spill sheds light on aging pipeline system (via NPR)

TRANSPORTATION 

UK fuel sales plummet as motorists embrace efficiency (via BusinessGreen)

Nearly 200,000 plug-in EVs equipped with vehicle-to-building technology will be sold through 2020 (via Navigant Research)

Placement of quick charge stations key to eliminating range anxiety (via Plugin Cars)

Proposed gasoline pollution rules fuel air quality debate (via Houston Chronicle)

US drivers could see “significantly lower” gas prices this summer (via NBC News)

Chevy Volt pounds another nail in the coffin of range anxiety (via CleanTechnica)

Chevy Volt fleet racks up 150 million electric-powered miles (via Autoblog Green)

Fisker, A123 settle $140 million supply claims for just $15 million (via Autoblog Green)

A new electric car with an old name (via New York Times)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Alberta mulls tougher carbon rules on oil (via Reuters)

Groups ask State Department for 120-day comment period on Keystone pipeline (via InsideClimate News)

Alberta premier heads to DC to press Keystone pipeline (via The Hill)

Environmentalists hope spill will turn Americans against Keystone (via Washington Post)

CLIMATE 

New culprit in sea-level rise: Arctic clouds (via Grist)

Colombia blazes a trail for smaller nations to fight global warming (via ClimateWire)

1,600 years of glaciers in Andes melted in 25 years (via New York Times)

Federal study: global warming means stronger extreme rains (via The Hill)

In wake of Sandy, NOAA alters hurricane warning policy (via Climate Central)

Federal government projects climate change will double wildfire risk in forests (via Denver Post)

EMISSIONS 

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions declined in 2012 (via US EIA)

Mushrooms could be key to safe and natural carbon sequestration (via CleanTechnica)

GRID 

GE energy storage system makes UK debut (via Recharge)

Solar decathlon homes form microgrid village in Missouri (via Phys.org)

COAL 

Coal exports: two weeks of good news (via Sightline Daily)

Nevada utility to shut out coal, embrace renewables (via Renewable Energy World)

GREEN BUSINESS 

How Proctor & Gamble created $1 billion in value with waste (via Greentech Media)

Shell’s VC fund looks to green the fossil fuel business (via Greentech Media)

Employees take corporate sustainability efforts home, study says (via Environmental Leader)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

New technology could cut efficiency audit costs 75% (via Greentech Media)

OPINION 

BrightSource’s cancelled projects highlight hurdles for desert solar thermal plants (via GigaOm)

Is China’s State Grid too big to work? (via Recharge)

RPS attacks go against the march of history (via Renewable Energy World)

More renewables for states (via Politico)

Methane leaks are undermining the shale-gas boom. Here’s how to fix that. (via Politico)

Keystone XL: the pipeline to disaster (via Los Angeles Times) 

OTHER NEWS 

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

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.28.13

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

ENERGY POLICY 

IMF: Get rid of $1.9 trillion in energy subsidies to fight climate change (via Washington Post)

Oil and electricity: a compare-and-contrast tale of two regulators (via McClatchy)

Sequestration forces Interior to cut mineral revenue payments to states (via EnergyWire)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Battle widens over oil pipelines from Canada through Midwest (via Minnesota Star-Tribune)

Train derailment spills 30,000 gallons of Canadian crude in Minnesota (via Reuters)

Suncor Energy cancels troubled Alberta tar sands project (via Vancouver Sun)

US to hold Keystone pipeline hearing in Nebraska (via Phys.org)

RENEWABLES 

Solar, wind to push renewables to 36% of global cumulative installed capacity by 2020 (via EnergyNext)

Global solar PV installations to reach 200GW by 2015 (via EnergyNext)

China raising PV prices on European exports (via Recharge)

Japan to increase offshore wind capacity to 40x current level by 2020 (via EnergyNext)

UK boosts renewables share of power generation to 11.3% (via Recharge)

Rwanda to start $27 million geothermal development (via Renewable Energy World)

We’re number one: US installed most wind power in 2012, US company GE Wind is top supplier (via Climate Progress)

NREL study: securitization could cut solar LCOE 16% (via Greentech Media)

New organic solar cells process sunlight as plants do (via Mother Nature Network)

Study: Midwesterners open to wind farms, especially in rural areas (via Phys.org)

Lancaster, California becomes first US city to require solar (via Greentech Media)

OPT Oregon wave energy project delayed again (via EarthTechling)

COAL 

Japan coal use to jump 24% in 2013-2014 as energy costs rise (via Reuters)

More science on mountaintop removal’s health effects (via Charleston Gazette)

CLIMATE 

Security risks of climate change prompt military review by over 100 countries (via RTCC)

How to abuse statistics: claim global warming stopped in 1998 (via Weather Underground)

Global warming predictions prove accurate over past 15 years (via The Guardian)

Climate change is increasing seasonal allergies (via Climate Central)

Ocean acidification from climate change threatens the seas (via USA Today)

EMISSIONS 

EU eyes 40 percent carbon cuts by 2030 (via BusinessGreen)

EU confident carbon market fix will win states’ support (via Bloomberg)

Auditor General’s carbon neutral report scalds British Columbia government (via Huffington Post/Canadian Press)

Disney, Microsoft, Shell opt for self-imposed CO2 emission taxes (via The Guardian)

Study: US biofuels policy pushes GHG emissions overseas (via Midwest Energy News)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Fracking’s latest scandal – earthquake swarms (via Mother Jones)

Drilling boom spurs rush to harness brackish water (via StateImpact Texas)

Small towns find fracking brings boom, booming headaches (via Bloomberg)

Texas regulators ease rules to encourage frack water recycling (via Houston Chronicle)

Nearly 670 miles of wells drilled in Ohio in 2012 (via Akron Beacon Journal)

TRANSPORTATION 

US “peak miles” may have happened five years ago, Americans still drive 3 trillion miles a year (via Autoblog Green)

Nissan Leaf sales will hit new record in March, around 1,900 units (via Autoblog Green)

Fisker puts US workforce on furlough this week (via Reuters)

GRID 

Seven simple strategies for smart grid engagement (via Renew Grid)

Solar activity can affect transmission grid, but 2013 activity less than anticipated (via US EIA)

You can’t have a smarter grid without smarter buildings (via Greentech Media)

Santa Clara, California launches free outdoor wi-fi on backs of smart meters (via GigaOm)

ENVIRONMENT 

With drought season off to a bad start, scientists forecast another bleak year (via InsideClimate News)

Gardeners plant strawberries and tomatoes in Arctic valleys of Greenland for first time (via Inhabitat)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

How the Internet of Things will transform building management (via GreenBiz)

Tax time 2013: energy efficiency home tax credits (via EarthTechling)

POLITICS 

UK prime minister removes anti-wind energy minister from post (via Recharge)

Under fire, Senate Democrat trio says Keystone vote not endorsement (via The Hill)

Ethanol debate has glimpse of bipartisanship (via National Journal)

OPINION 

Low-carbon economies and smart grids: watch out for China (via Forbes)

Americans already pay a carbon tax, via extreme weather’s impact on GDP (via Sustainable Business)

Giant investment bank taken over by hippie alarmists (via Grist)

Is the sky the limit for wind power? (via NPR)

Cooling on warming (via New York Times)

How green is your university? (via New York Times)

OTHER NEWS 

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

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.25.13

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

CLIMATE 

China facing $243 billion climate funding shortfall (via BusinessGreen)

Australia’s new energy minister: I’m no longer a climate skeptic (via Renew Economy)

For engineers, climate failure becomes an option (via Climate Central)

Obama’s science advisers press for carbon standards (via The Hill)

Billionaire plans effort to calculate cost of inaction on climate (via Greenwire)

COAL 

Chinese utilities face $20 billion coal costs due to water, BNEF says (via Bloomberg)

Chicago coal plants left no toxic legacy, but cleanup remains complicated (via Midwest Energy News)

RENEWABLES 

India says 71% of solar capacity built using imported modules (via Bloomberg)

Cumulative solar PV demand to double again by 2015 (via Renewable Energy World)

China might soon stop flooding the world with cheap solar panels (via Washington Post)

New Japanese feed-in tariff rates set (via CleanTechnica)

Unlocking renewable energy potential in the Caribbean (via Renewable Energy World)

Renewable energy losing its shine in Europe (via USA Today)

Denmark adds record wind electricity to grid (via Energy Next)

Rising solar power production in US likely to make it second-largest new power source in 2013 (via Climate Progress)

Measuring renewable energy “reserves” (via Grist)

Northeast solar sales surge through Home Depot (via Greentech Media)

Possible tax credit repeal could threaten North Carolina solar (via News Observer)

OIL 

Russia lets China into Arctic rush as energy giants embrace (via Bloomberg)

Bakken emerges as contender for US oil drilling crown (via CNBC)

ENVIRONMENT 

Drought that ravaged US crops likely to worsen in 2013, forecast warns (via Guardian)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

US rejects Enbridge’s plan for Sandpiper oil pipeline (via Reuters)

Keystone XL passes US senate 62-37 (via The Hill)

Keystone public comments won’t be made public, State Department says (via Inside Climate News)

GRID 

CAISO green-lights renewable energy transmission projects (via Renew Grid)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

India to unveil shale gas policy within two weeks (via Reuters)

As gas wells multiply, so do fracking studies (via Navigant Research)

What happens when natural gas is no longer dirt cheap? (via Washington Post)

In Ohio, the fog begins to lift over the Utica shale (via Reuters)

Ohio fracking boom has not brought jobs (via Grist)

TRANSPORTATION 

What 2013 looked like for greener cars, back in 1988 (via Green Car Reports)

POLITICS 

Senate votes highlight Dem divisions over Keystone, carbon taxes (via The Hill)

Climate change activists’ hope springs eternal (via Politico)

Within mainstream environmental groups, diversity is lacking (via Washington Post)

OPINION 

China’s coal plants are squeezing its water supply (via GigaOm)

Energy intensity the worst way to measure energy efficiency (via Slate)

Why geoengineering has immediate appeal to China (via The Guardian)

Why Russian doomsday climate predictions may prove prophetic (via RTCC)

Biofuels mandate: defend, reform, or repeal? (via National Journal)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.21.13

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

TAR SANDS 

Canada’s First Nations say they will fight oil sands, pipeline (via CBC News)

Michigan oil spill cleanup may exceed insurance (via Reuters)

CLIMATE 

World Bank to prioritize support for climate vulnerable states (via RTCC)

Americans’ belief in global warming rises with thermometer (via Times-Picayune/AP)

If you thought 2012 was hot, just wait a few years (via Climate Central)

GRID

Grid operator warns of future power problems in New England (via Boston Globe/AP)

Texas legislature approves electric market cost-benefit measure (via Houston Chronicle)

California lawmakers hammer utilities panel for shoddy forecasting (via Sacramento Bee)

RENEWABLES 

China’s wind power production increased more than coal power did for first time ever in 2012 (via Climate Progress)

India to install 1.3-1.4GW solar power in 2013 (via Panchabuta)

Australia sticks with renewable energy target (via Recharge)

1GW of new PV seen in Mideast and Africa in 2013 (via Recharge)

German insurers urge easing green energy investment rules (via Reuters)

US Senate rejects amendment gutting military biofuels program by 40-59 vote (via The Hill)

Small wind power annual installations will double in capacity by 2018 (via Navigant Research)

OIL 

Oil companies bid $1.6 billion for Gulf drilling rights (via Houston Chronicle)

Coastal states want more offshore drilling revenue (via Politico)

ENVIRONMENT 

China’s coastal waters increasingly polluted (via Phys.org)

New pope: “let us be protectors of creation” (via Mongabay)

Four ways to harvest rainwater and save resources (via The Good Human)

NUCLEAR 

Nuclear regulators under fire for delay of post-Fukushima safety requirement (via The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION 

NRC: Car petroleum use, GHG emissions could drop 80% (via Environmental Leader)

US lawmakers say ethanol mandate may hike gasoline price (via Reuters)

Study says EV drivers will pay more per kWh to charge at work (via Green Car Reports)

DOE tool scores EV readiness for cities, counties, states (via EarthTechling)

SuperTruck semi achieves 54-percent increase in fuel economy (via Autoblog)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

UK budget promises shale gas tax breaks, public benefits (via Reuters)

Pact reached on voluntary standards for fracking in Northeast US (via New York Times/AP)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Study shows energy-efficient homes are 32% less risky for lenders (via Greentech Media)

Walgreens launches first net-zero retail store in US (via Sustainable Business)

New reasons to change light bulbs (via New York Times)

COAL 

Coal plants belching out less mercury (via Forbes)

How coal affects water quality: state of the science (via Sightline Daily)

POLITICS 

The wealth of business connections for Obama’s Energy pick (via ProPublica)

Keystone XL pipeline debate rattles Massachusetts Senate race (via Reuters)

OPINION 

A Chinese solar giant goes bankrupt, and that’s a good thing (via GigaOm)

UK budget sets green alarm bells ringing (via Recharge)

Protecting renewable portfolio standards from cynical attacks (via Forbes)

How to cut US gasoline use in half by 2030 (via Washington Post)

Two ways Americans may get more ownership of their energy future (via CleanTechnica)

More coal-fired idiocy and mendacity in Nevada (via Grist)

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 – 3.13.13

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

ENERGY POLICY

Brussels looks to reignite 2030 EU carbon target debate (via BusinessGreen)

Merkel may create new energy ministry in nuclear to renewables switch (via Bloomberg)

COAL

Report: coal killed 100,000 in India in 2012 (via Huffington Post)

Coal to gas moves are generating economic waves (via Forbes)

CLIMATE

China plans first commercial trip through Arctic shortcut in 2013 (via Reuters)

Obama: climate change threatens US shipping routes (via The Hill)

As CO2 emissions rise, so will pollen counts and asthma attacks (via Climate Progress)

Bloomberg announces mayor’s summit to fight climate change (via CBS News)

RENEWABLES

China to outpace Germany as leading solar PV consumer in 2013 (via San Jose Mercury News)

Chinese solar panel maker Suntech on financial brink (via New York Times)

Cellulosic ethanol “to be cost-competitive by 2016” (via Environmental Leader)

California’s Mount Diablo school district leads the world on solar (via Sustainable Business)

Cape Wind going overseas, snubs Massachusetts steel company (via Boston Globe)

OIL

Brazil says subsalt oil finds could triple total reserves (via Reuters)

The Gulf of Mexico oil leak we’re not supposed to know about (via Triple Pundit)

Halliburton official “surprised” by unauthorized tests before Gulf oil spill (via Bloomberg)

TRANSPORTATION

Tesla Motors to expand European operations (via Plugin Cars)

New EPA gasoline rule could raise prices, fuel political fires (via National Journal)

US public charging stations increase by 180 a month, on track for 7,400 by end of year (via Autoblog Green)

Chevy Volt outsold Nissan Leaf for first time in 2012, says BNEF (via Bloomberg)

ChargePoint installs first of 80 new EV charging stations in NY State (via Renew Grid)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

Japan hopes methane hydrates are the next big energy source (via Washington Post)

Fracking fluid suppliers defend trade secrets on West Coast (via EnergyWire)

Fracking groundwater rules in Texas reflect legal ambiguities (via Texas Tribune)

How much water does it take to frack a well? (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

New York health commissioner says fracking recommendation may come soon (via Huffington Post/AP)

Ohio’s resurgent natural gas industry spends millions to set up shop (via New York Times)

ENVIRONMENT

Rains or not, India is falling short of drinkable water (via New York Times)

Bat-killing fungus reaches South Carolina; now found in 21 states and 5 provinces (via Scientific American)

Senate bill would boost funding for weather satellites (via Climate Central)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS

Canadian opposition leader: government playing US “for fools” on Keystone (via The Hill)

Keystone XL pipeline jobs vs. 100,000 green jobs (via CleanTechnica)

Michigan officials say water supplies along Kalamazoo River unharmed from tar sands oil spill (via Michigan Live/Kalamazoo Gazette)

29 Vermont communities say no to tar sands shipments, New England opposition grows (via DeSmogBlog)

GRID

Power grids in US, EU, third world face huge and varied challenges (via Greentech Media)

Nearly 56GW of long-duration energy storage to be installed from 2012 to 2022 (via Pike Research)

Hackers may breach US grid within two years (via Bloomberg)

Silver Spring raises $81 million in IPO (via Greentech Media)

NUCLEAR

Developing nations put nuclear on fast-forward (via MIT Technology Review)

Lawsuits filed against Tepco in Fukushima nuclear disaster (via United Press International)

NRC upholds ruling on Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant (via Baltimore Sun)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Computers and appliances: today’s home-based energy hogs (via National Geographic)

NREL unveils world’s most efficient data center, could cut operation costs by $1 million (via Inhabitat)

POLITICS

Draft bill released by Waxman and Whitehouse would price carbon and reduce emissions (via Climate Progress)

Ryan, Murray unveil dueling energy deficit plans (via Politico)

Dems launch series of climate change speeches to fight GOP “climate deniers” (via The Hill)

OPINION

What is the underlying value of EU carbon? (via Reuters)

Could Waxman’s new bill offer new hope for a carbon tax? (via Mother Jones)

Where innovation advocates go wrong (via Grist)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.21.13

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

TRANSPORTATION 

High-capacity chargers target Europe’s luxury market (via Pike Research)

Estonia installs “world’s first” nationwide fast-charging network (via BusinessGreen)

Lithium-ion battery gives IBM hope of power without fires (via Bloomberg)

EPA sets renewable fuel standard, tackles fraud (via The Hill)

Tesla expects to turn its first profit in the first quarter of 2013 (via GigaOm)

2013 Nissan Leaf: 75-mile range “anticipated in new EPA test (via Green Car Reports)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Report: oil sands dependence could hurt Canada’s economy (via Canadian Press)

Canadian crude rolling into Gulf Coast refineries (via Houston Chronicle)

Supporters of Keystone XL outspend opponents 35 to 1 (via Climate Progress)

ALEC pushes Keystone pipeline approval through six states (via Sustainable Business)

RENEWABLES 

EU to register Chinese solar panels in move toward duties (via Reuters)

Ontario might get a 400MW pumped storage station five times the height of Niagara Falls (via TreeHugger)

Mexico just scratching the surface of solar demand (via Renewable Energy World)

Iceland looks to export geothermal power (via New York Times)

Nine amazing teenagers innovating in cleantech (via Treehugger)

Renewables increase US electricity market share 44% from 2007 to 2012 (via Facts of the Day)

Michigan sees surge in wind power, thanks to renewable portfolio standard (via Renew Grid)

Oversupply and uncertainty for Massachusetts SREC market in 2013 (via Greentech Media)

Offshore wind production bill gets preliminary approval in Maryland House (via Washington Post/AP)

Minnesota bill introduced seeking 10% solar energy standard (via St. Paul Pioneer Press)

PACE funding in Florida gets $500 million boost (via CleanTechnica)

Work begins on new 400MW Texas solar PV plant (via Recharge)

How a city can get more clean, local energy (via CleanTechnica)

OIL/GASOLINE 

US oil production will soar in 2013 – can it last? (via Christian Science Monitor)

AAA reports largest increase in gasoline prices in three years (via The Hill)

BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial nears (via Shreveport Times/AP)

ENERGY INDUSTRY 

Germany, UK offer contrasting visions for electricity (via Reuters)

Energy to help Texas economy outpace nation’s (via Houston Chronicle)

Enron-era ruling signals $1.6 billion California consumer refunds (via Bloomberg)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Merkel leaves door open to fracking as shale gains appeal (via Bloomberg)

Marcellus production rises again in Pennsylvania (via Pittsburgh Business Times)

Chesapeake probe finds no “intentional” CEO misconduct (via Reuters)

CLIMATE 

Filipino super-typhoon an ominous warning of climate change impact (via The Guardian)

If you don’t believe in climate change, talk to a clam digger (via Grist)

Activist investors put climate change issue up for vote at PNC Bank (via Los Angeles Times)

Bill would require Kansas teachers to question climate science (via InsideClimate News)

ENVIRONMENT 

After China’s multibillion-dollar cleanup, water still unfit to drink (via Reuters)

Explained in 90 seconds: permafrost (via Mother Jones)

Biofuel rush wiping out America’s grasslands at fastest pace since 1930’s (via Washington Post)

EMISSIONS 

Another study names oil and gas drilling as ozone culprit (via Climate Progress)

RGGI changes help both the environment and business (via C2ES)

GRID 

PSE&G proposes $4 billion for grid resiliency in New Jersey (via Greentech Media)

EnerNOC adapting demand response for “big data” applications (via Greentech Media)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Efficiency is a more important economic driver than energy supply (via Greentech Media)

University at Albany SUNY saves $704,000 per year with energy efficiency upgrades (via Environmental Leader)

COAL 

Oregon governor questions wisdom of headlong coal-export push (via Grist)

West Virginia, US Mine Safety and Health Administration seek greater focus on coal mining safety (via Charleston Gazette)

NUCLEAR 

Deal advances development of a smaller nuclear reactor (via New York Times)

POLITICS 

Obama settles on EPA, DOE nominees (via Reuters)

Climate change and the Obama Administration (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Kerry comes out swinging on climate change (via The Hill)

Moniz: shale gas boom a low-carbon solution – for now (via InsideClimate News)

Senate Democrat touts support for Keystone XL (via Houston Chronicle)

OPINION 

EU and China stumble toward solar trade war (via Reuters)

How the looming food and energy crises are intertwined (via Good)

Tesla’s explosive revenue suggests a bright future (via MIT Technology Review)

Low emissions are no justification for Kansas scaling back renewables (via The Guardian)

Cheap ways you can get green power (via EarthTechling)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.11.13

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

CLIMATE 

The scary truth about how much climate change is costing you (via National Journal)

EPA publishes climate change protection plan, asks for comments (via The Hill)

Science groups push Obama for climate change summit (via Climate Central)

New map pinpoints cities to avoid as sea levels rise (via NewScientist)

Attention investors: climate policy could knock off half the value of fossil fuel companies (via Grist)

COAL 

Interior Department will investigate coal export royalty payments (via The Hill)

Big Coal’s big problems (via Rolling Stone)

Flexibility key to carbon limits on US coal-fired power (via Reuters)

Coal exports are a no-win business model (via The Oregonian)

RENEWABLES

Wind industry installs almost 5.3GW of capacity in December (via US EIA)

World added 30GW of PV solar in 2012, EPIA says (via Recharge)

Clean energy a $2 trillion market through 2018 (via Pike Research)

China, US lead global wind installations in 2012 (via Renew Economy)

Germany has five times as much solar power as the US – despite Alaska levels of sun (via Washington Post)

Tidal power concept fails in UK demo (via EarthTechling)

GWEC: “Africa to emerge as wind hotspot” (via Recharge)

US residential solar financing to reach $5.7 billion by 2016 (via Greentech Media)

Obama Administration to stay course on biofuel law, Vilsack says (via Bloomberg)

DOE launches database to support sustainable development of ocean energy resources (via Green Car Congress)

In the Rockies, growing support for renewables (via New York Times)

Solar outside the Sunbelt: Minnesota (via Greentech Media)

Rhode Island feed-in tariff schedule announced for 2013 (via Renewable Energy World)

EMISSIONS 

Carbon Emissions Globe provides 3D visualization of world’s increasing emissions (via Inhabitat)

Japan proposes pollution meeting with China (via Phys.org)

Business gains seen in US standards for power plant emissions (via Bloomberg)

RGGI’s tougher carbon cap seen doubling revenues by 2020 (via InsideClimate News)

Ohio State’s carbon-capture breakthrough still has long road to adoption (via Midwest Energy News)

TRANSPORTATION 

US Army makes progress on vehicle fleet efficiency (via Triple Pundit)

How battery improvements will revolutionize electric car design (via GigaOm)

Stalled out on Tesla’s electric highway (via New York Times)

Toward a cure for range anxiety (via New York Times)

Automakers straddle the EV charging chasm (via Pike Research)

MyFord mobile app now directs C-Max and Fusion Energi drivers to nearest EV chargers (via Autoblog Green)

KEYSTONE XL 

Kerry wants Keystone pipeline decision in “near term” (via The Hill)

Is Keystone XL Obama’s line in the sand? (via The Globe and Mail)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

€600 million approved UK’s Green Deal energy efficiency program (via CleanTechnica)

Energy efficiency could save US billions, create 1.3 million jobs by 2030 (via CleanTechnica)

Energy efficiency prospects: what to watch (via GreenBiz)

OIL 

Oil exports trim US deficit as fuel gap shrinks (via Bloomberg)

Higher oil taxes would lift the economy (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Major oil company breaks with trade group over SEC disclosure lawsuit (via The Hill)

GRID 

Exelon: wind power subsidies could threaten nuclear plant closings (via Chicago Tribune)

Texas wind power transmission set to skyrocket (via CleanTechnica)

Governor’s office, California ISO square off on distributed generation (via Greentech Media)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

In North Carolina, fracking rights rise to the surface (via Reuters)

POLITICS 

Sizing up Obama’s State of the Union address (via National Journal)

Obama to lay out economic growth plan in State of Union speech (via Reuters)

Q&A: Sen. Murkowski on her “20/20” energy policy vision (via Washington Post)

Marco Rubio not convinced climate change an actual problem (via Huffington Post)

OPINION 

It’s not easy being green (via New York Times)

10 lessons learned from solar power success in Germany (via CleanTechnica)

More clean energy cometh (via EarthTechling)

Why Keystone XL is not in the US national interest (via Energy Collective)

Cap-and-trade is still alive in New England – is it working? (via Washington Post)

Germany has more solar power because everyone wins (via CleanTechnica)

Could Nemo inspire more dubious climate change coverage? (via Mother Jones)

Can USDA’s climate reality message take root with denialist farmers? (via Grist)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.1.13

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

OIL 

Mystery oil sheen grows near site of BP Gulf disaster (via NBC News)

EMISSIONS 

US carbon emissions fall to lowest levels since 1994 (via The Guardian)

Guidelines issues to ensure captured carbon stays sequestered (via BusinessGreen)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Keystone pipeline decision to languish until mid-June (via Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

Clean energy in Europe suffering from falling CO2 prices (via Energy Collective)

German solar FIT to decline 2.2% monthly through April (via Recharge)

Greece sees impressive solar PV growth despite banking crisis (via Renewable Energy World)

Italian town runs solely on wind, sells the rest (via Sustainable Business)

Biofuel-blending battle rages on as EPA releases new projections (via The Hill)

GE introduces wind turbine for low-wind sites (via Energy Manager Today)

Seven projects looking to use big data to cut the cost of solar power (via GigaOm)

After delays, Maine approves offshore wind farm (via CLF Scoop)

ENERGY INDUSTRY 

The US has some of the lowest energy taxes in the developed world (via Washington Post)

Transformation in US power supply breeds emissions success, grid challenges (via Houston Chronicle)

US utilities expect more environmental regulations during 2nd Obama term (via Environmental Leader)

Renewables in bed with natural gas? (via Mother Jones)

TRANSPORTATION 

Nissan will triple number of EV fast chargers in US (via Autoblog Green)

EV Everywhere Blueprint outlines DOE EV goals for 2022 (via Green Car Congress)

69% of US voters support stricter auto emission standards (via Environmental Leader)

Tesla’s Musk calls Boeing 787 Dreamliner batteries “fundamentally unsafe” (via Autoblog Green)

More EV loans “remains to be seen,” Chu says (via Bloomberg)

Big price declines in 2013 EVs: price cuts put EVs on the road (via Facts of the Day)

Hertz adds Chevy Volt to car-sharing service, targets students (via Green Car Reports)

Dreamliner’s woes hearten foes (via Politico)

ENVIRONMENT 

Australian government pledges to protect Great Barrier Reef (via Reuters)

EU proposes to ban insecticides linked to bee decline (via BusinessGreen)

US drought hangs tough through January (via Climate Central)

Survey of nation’s largest cities finds water supplies not as threatened as believed (via Phys.org)

GRID 

Smart grid sector sees $434M in VC funding, $17B in M&A transactions (via Renew Grid)

SDG&E strives to develop ‘self-healing’ grid (via Renew Grid)

The (wrong) report on Silver Spring’s IPO chances (via Greentech Media)

GREEN BUSINESS 

2013 policy priorities for sustainable and responsible investors (via GreenBiz)

CLIMATE 

Philippine government says climate change is top priority (via Sustainable Business)

Planting trees may not reverse climate change but it will help local cooling (via Phys.org)

Climate scientists erring on the side of least drama (via Skeptical Science)

Alaska natives try to flee climate impacts but find little help (via ClimateWire)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Sacramento launches $100-million energy retrofit fund (via Forbes)

Washington DC requires commercial buildings to track energy and water use (via CleanTechnica)

COAL 

Why the US coal industry is so worried (via Sightline Daily)

Half of Washington State residents support coal export terminal (via Seattle Met)

POLITICS 

Hagel vows DoD focus on alternative fuels, energy efficiency if confirmed (via The Hill)

Hagel’s other label: anti-green (via Politico)

Sen. Carper plans renewed push for offshore wind credit legislation (via The Hill)

Right place, wrong time for secretary candidate with gold-plated resume? (via Greenwire)

OPINION 

Mr. President, there’s a major flaw in your solution to climate change (via Take Part)

Can Obama do for the grid what Eisenhower did for highways? (via New York Times)