Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.24.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
June 2014: Earth’s 3rd consecutive warmest month on record (via Weather Underground)
Report: Gulf and Atlantic Coasts not prepared for sea-level rise (via National Geographic)
Chicago’s race to outbuild the rain (via Washington Post)
GRID
Q2 2014 VC smart grid funding at $81 million, says Mercom (via Energy Manager Today)
RENEWABLES
Australian renewables compete in carbon tax vacuum (via Xinhua)
India set for 1.5GW solar PV projects auction (via CleanTechnica)
U.K. announces $340 million renewable power auction (via Bloomberg)
Scotland approves two wind farms to power more than 100,000 homes (via Bloomberg)
New biofuels match crude oil’s energy, but there’s a catch (via Christian Science Monitor)
Ethanol needs separate treatment in U.S. rail rules, say biofuel groups (via Reuters)
Ethanol producers squeezing more fuel from corn crops (via Midwest Energy News)
Are utilities about to kill solar energy’s future in North Carolina? (via CleanTechnica)
Texas is wired for wind power and more farms are plugging in (via New York Times)
Beyond the rooftop: Commercial net metering in California (via Greentech Media)
For Californians, higher costs dampen support for clean energy (via Reuters)
Most Ohio utilities plan to keep investing in clean energy despite new law (via Columbus Dispatch)
COAL
Japan boosts support for overseas coal plants despite Obama push to cut funding (via International Business Times)
China’s coal industry says times are hard, outlook is worse (via Reuters)
Japanese trading houses look to sell Australian coal assets (via Financial Times)
Environmentalists: Coal ash layers still evident in Dan River (via News & Record)
Court ruling says Illinois can force consumers to buy power from FutureGen (via Chicago Tribune)
EMISSIONS
China’s planned coal-to-gas plants would emit more CO2, says report (via Al-Jazeera America)
States most against EPA rule would gain the most, finds study (via New York Times)
Court ruling may reverberate on “social cost” of carbon (via Climate Central)
EPA gears up for public hearings on climate rule (via The Hill)
OIL
U.S. petroleum refineries running at record levels (via U.S. EIA)
DOT proposes stricter oil train safety rules (via Politico)
Construction of first U.S. tar sands mine begins, even as it’s blockaded (via Sustainable Business)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
EU regulators propose 30% energy savings target for 2030 (via Bloomberg)
The NFL’s newest stadium is also one of the greenest (via Grist)
ENVIRONMENT
Fire season in U.S. West so far below expectations (via AP)
Amid extreme drought, California sees big jump in brush fires (via Los Angeles Times)
California water prices soar for farmers as drought grows (via Bloomberg)
Federal agency pledges new West Virginia chemical leak health studies (via Charleston Daily Mail)
POLITICS
GOP senator slams EPA chief: “You don’t run this country” (via The Hill)
Mitch McConnell’s mythmaking on coal jobs (via The Hill)
A one-step guide to infuriating an EPA official (via National Journal)
OPINION
Has China “messed up” its EV charging standards? (via Green Car Reports)
Is climate change changing you? (via Washington Post)
Four reasons U.S. fracking could turn out to be a bubble (via Quartz)
Seven charts explain changing U.S. power sector (via WRI Insights)
Sure, the utility business model is changing, but not so fast (via Breaking Energy)
Why a minimum bill may solve net metering battles (via Greentech Media)