Energy and Environment News Roundup – 3.12.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
NASA warns global warming could be 20% higher than previous estimates (via RTCC)
Climate change not a top US worry, finds poll (via The Hill)
Keeling Curve in danger of budget cuts (via Weather Underground)
COAL
Italian judge blames coal plant for hundreds of deaths, forces it to close (via Huffington Post)
Duke CEO: Customers should pay to empty coal ash ponds (via Environmental Leader)
RENEWABLES
100GW solar PV market in 2018, forecasts NPD Solarbuzz (via Recharge)
IEA: High renewable energy market penetration is feasible in any country (via CleanTechnica)
Latin America is emerging as a force in solar: Here’s what early developers have learned (via Greentech Media)
4.58GW of solar PV added in Japan (via CleanTechnica)
GE to supply 213MW of turbines for European wind farms (via Bloomberg)
Wind Production Tax Credit “dead” in Congress this year (via Bloomberg)
US homeowners, especially Republicans, want to be able to choose clean energy (via Climate Progress)
Minnesota regulators set to decide on solar tariff formula (via EnergyWire)
Automatic self-optimization of wind turbines (via Phys.org)
Cincinnati City Council debates buying green energy (via Cincinnati Business Courier)
KEYSTONE XL
Keystone XL southern leg having major effect on US oil hub (via Houston Chronicle)
Experts: Keystone XL may create fewer jobs than most expect (via US News & World Report)
Unions: Keystone review “reeks of politics” (via The Hill)
EMISSIONS
Nine Chinese cities suffered more severe smog days than Beijing (via The Guardian)
Poor nations need financing to cut carbon emissions, says China (via Bloomberg)
For EPA’s global warming rules, will “next year” mean “never”? (via National Journal)
OIL
US oil boom fuels rail industry resurgence (via Christian Science Monitor)
US refiners form lobby against easing crude export limits (via Reuters)
Moody’s: Many US oil companies on investors’ hit list (via Houston Chronicle)
North Dakota oil boom puts pressure on Great Plains farmers (via Huffington Post/Stateline)
GRID
California drought dries up hydro but power stays on (via National Geographic)
NY regulator, ConEd embrace plan to climate-proof power grid (via InsideClimate News)
After failing in EVs, Coda Energy pursues no-money-down energy storage (via Greentech Media)
NUCLEAR
16 countries’ regulatory bodies have changed policy in response to Fukushima (via US GAO)
Three years after Fukushima, Japan makes U-turn on nuclear (via Christian Science Monitor)
US nuclear agency hid concerns, hailed safety record as Fukushima melted (via NBC News)
FRACKING
Ohio looks at whether fracking led to two quakes (via New York Times)
POLITICS
How talking about climate change might actually help Democrats win elections (via Washington Post)
Clinton Keystone dodge prompts donors to rethink support (via Bloomberg)
OPINION
Four reasons why the fight against climate change is likely to fail (via Washington Post)
Japan’s energy dilemma, in one chart (via Washington Post)
All you need to know about BC’s carbon tax shift in five charts (via Sightline)
China builds bridges to US EV market (via Navigant Research)