Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.16.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Right wing threatens EU climate change goals (via RTCC)
Study ties epic California drought, “frigid east” to manmade climate change (via Climate Progress)
KEYSTONE XL
The green case against Keystone XL (via Politico)
Jimmy Carter comes out against Keystone XL pipeline (via The Hill)
RENEWABLES
Clean energy investment rises 9%, led by solar power (via Bloomberg)
European Investment Bank promises €2 billion clean energy funding boost (via BusinessGreen)
India signs power contracts for 700MW of new solar capacity (via Bloomberg)
IFC backs 50MW Pakistan wind project (via Recharge)
Solar trends for Q1 of 2014 and beyond: View from Mercom Capital (via Forbes)
Department of Defense undertakes largest solar project to date (via Climate Progress)
Oil group says EPA may flip-flop on ethanol mandate (via The Hill)
Dual turning point for biofuels (via New York Times)
Tiny portable wind turbine fits in your bag, charges your gadgets (via TreeHugger)
EMISSIONS
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions fall 0.8% in 2013 (via Reuters)
Plants are key to removing 63 million tons of CO2 a year (via The Guardian)
US greenhouse gas emissions dropped 3.4% in 2012 (via Los Angeles Times)
Federal appeals court says EPA can force power plans to cut mercury emissions (via Washington Post)
US EPA studies whether to regulate methane from oil and gas (via Reuters Point Carbon)
Pitzer College selling fossil fuel stocks in environmental move (via Los Angeles Times)
COAL
Identifying the global coal industry’s water risks (via World Resources Institute)
The Pacific Rim coal bubble (via Sightline Daily)
Washington University students continue Peabody protest (via St. Louis Business Journal)
ENERGY POLICY
American penitentiaries emphasize the need for sustainability (via TreeHugger)
BOEM announces plan to auction 21 million Gulf acres (via Houston Chronicle)
Investors urge Duke Energy to vote out directors (via News Observer)
ENVIRONMENT
China poised to beef up national Environmental Protection Law (via BusinessGreen)
Congo deforestation could cause region to warm 3C by 2050 (via RTCC)
Pollution is substantially worse in minority neighborhoods across the US (via Washington Post)
GAO audit finds lack of data on environmental reviews (via The Hill)
A brutal allergy season is ahead – blame the polar vortex (via Mother Jones)
OIL
Radioactive waste booms with shale oil as new rules mulled by US (via Bloomberg)
BP, Coast Guard end spill cleanup on Gulf shoreline (via Houston Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION
US to stay global first in vehicle miles drive, says futurist (via Green Car Reports)
BMW lifts i3 electric car production 43% on higher demand (via Bloomberg)
Where do US electric cars save money the quickest? (via Green Car Reports)
DOE announces $10 million to upgrade technology for renewable drop-in fuels production (via Green Car Congress)
GRID
How a small California county went grid positive (via RMI Outlet)
Home energy management grows in some mind-bending ways (via EnergyWire)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
EIA: Natural gas will slash diesel’s dominance as rail fuel (via Houston Chronicle)
Pennsylvania DEP “monitoring” Ohio earthquake situation (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)
Is Pennsylvania wasting its fracking wealth? (via National Journal)
New York City hotel commissions combined heat and power plant (via Energy Manager Today)
OPINION
A backup plan for climate change (via Washington Post)
Felipe Calderon: Economic arguments needed to fight climate change (via Forbes)
The eight factors driving global industrial efficiency (via Greentech Media)
It’s okay to support nuclear power and still enjoy a movie now and then (via Bloomberg)
Why it’s a big deal that half of the Great Lakes are still covered in ice (via The Atlantic)
Energy companies need to remake their boards before activists force them to (via Forbes)
Why the great Washington University sit-in against Peabody Coal matters (via Huffington Post)