Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.15.13

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

COP 19 

US, EU reject Brazil’s call for climate equity metric (via Bloomberg)

US envoys told to block climate compensation plans at UN (via RTCC)

COAL 

China’s smog threatens health of global coal projects (via Reuters)

Tennessee Valley Authority to close eight large coal-fired power plants (via Washington Post)

Coal-free power from Constellation will save Chicago $1.2 million over two years (via Energy Manager Today)

RENEWABLES 

Global PV module pricing to stay flat in 2014, polysilicon pricing to increase 25% (via Greentech Media)

Bonds backed by solar power payments get nod (via New York Times)

US EPA to unveil biofuel rules as soon as Friday (via Reuters)

32 US senators urge administration to support US biodiesel (via National Journal)

Clean Energy Pipeline reports US clean tech project investment falloff (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Google to invest in six more large solar panel farms in the Southwest US (via GigaOm)

Arizona preserves net metering by charging a small fee to solar owners (via Greentech Media)

Clean energy adds jobs, growth to Michigan and New York (via EarthTechling)

Top 10 things you didn’t know about concentrating solar power (via Breaking Energy)

Are solar panels facing the wrong direction? (via Greentech media)

OIL 

Bakken oil production forecast to top 1 million barrels per day in December (via US EIA)

Exxon overlooked, masked safety threats in years before Pegasus pipeline burst (via InsideClimate News)

TRANSPORTATION 

Study: US drivers have fewer cars, drive them less, use less gas (via Green Car Reports)

Can California charge ahead to one million EVs within ten years? (via CleanTechnica)

EPA chief: Fuel mandate safe for cars (via The Hill)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Gas exports could put nation in “danger zone,” trade group tells Moniz (via Houston Chronicle)

Colorado’s new fracking bans may be on shaky legal ground (via Denver Business Journal)

EMISSIONS 

Japan slashes climate reduction target amid nuclear shutdown (via BBC News)

California approves offsets to ease compliance with carbon rules (via Sacramento Bee)

California court upholds state’s right to sell carbon permits (via Reuters)

California marks first anniversary of cap-and-trade (via Energy Collective)

NUCLEAR 

Last shipment of nuclear fuel from Russian bombs heads to US (via New York Times)

In Illinois, nuclear industry sees no urgency on waste storage (via Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE 

Panel warns of “catastrophic” gap in weather satellite data (via Climate Central)

Want to piss off the White House? Talk about climate change (via Mother Jones)

Delaware governor links typhoon and climate change (via Politico)

GRID 

CEOs of 16 largest power grid operators call for greater investment in reliability and resilience (via Renew Grid)

Tennessee Valley Authority move demonstrates market for Clean Line project (via The Oklahoman)

ENVIRONMENT 

These maps show where the Earth’s forests are vanishing (via Washington Post)

Amazon deforestation increases by nearly a third in one year (via The Guardian)

POLITICS 

Obama filling out energy team (via The Hill)

Chief of Natural Resources Defense Council to retire in 2014 (via The Hill)

The four most frustrating moments from Thursday’s EPA hearing (via Climate Progress)

OPINION 

Is nuclear power the answer? (via New York Times)

Five ways buildings have reached a “GREEN” tipping point (via GreenBiz)

Variety is critical to growing EV charging market (via Navigant Research)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.14.13

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

COP 19 

Nearly 3 in 10 countries not sending ministers to COP 19 (via The Guardian)

G77+China submit proposal to COP 19 on Loss and Damage (via The Hindu)

Developed nations back out on earlier emissions cut commitments (via Economic Times)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

IEA: Tar sands export pipelines needed for Canadian oil to boom (via InsideClimate News)

Canada attacks EU data labeling tar sands a “dirty” fuel (via The Guardian)

New warnings of construction problems on Keystone XL (via CBS News)

RENEWABLES 

Global solar PV installations will double, hit grid parity by 2020 (via CleanTechnica)

US ethanol output could reach 14 billion gallons in 2014 (via Reuters)

California closes in on smart solar inverter rules (via Greentech Media)

In Arizona, a closely watched vote to decide solar policy’s fate (via Reuters)

New York’s green bank addresses distributed solar financing dilemma (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Wisconsin bill would grant wide latitude to sue wind farms (via Midwest Energy News)

EMISSIONS 

UN seeks carbon market revamp as green fund backers bolt (via Bloomberg)

Masdar digs deep on Middle East’s first carbon capture project (via BusinessGreen)

CBO estimates carbon tax would cut $1 trillion from US deficit (via The Hill)

Poll: Majority of people in 40 states support cutting power plant emissions (via The Hill)

California marks first anniversary of cap-and-trade system (via C2ES)

OIL 

Improving US oil production reaches milestone in October, says EIA (via Washington Post)

TRANSPORTATION 

New study of EV drivers reveals plug-in attitudes (via Plugin Cars)

The surprising reasons gas prices have fallen sharply (via Washington Post)

CLIMATE 

Ocean acidification may increase 170% this century (via Phys.org)

Haiyan foretells military challenges in warming world (via Climate Central)

One senator’s war against climate change (via Bloomberg)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

LEED green building projects span 10.6 billion square feet (via Environmental Leader)

Maryland approves $95 million in energy-efficiency funding (via Baltimore Sun)

Washington Metro will install LEDs at zero cost (via Greentech Media)

GRID 

Global smart meter market to hit $10.7 billion by 2020 (via Renew Grid)

First major US transmission project in decades brings wind energy across West (via Sustainable Business)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Walmart’s sustainability results don’t match promises, report finds (via Huffington Post)

OPINION 

Chu unplugged: Former energy secretary on climate, politics, and tough decisions (via Politico)

China’s bad bet on the environment (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Will President Obama slash the ethanol mandate? (via Politico)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.13.13

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

COP 19 

China to participate in international climate pact, says official (via Xinhua)

Japan to provide $16 billion for climate efforts, reports Nikkei (via Bloomberg)

US fears climate talks will focus on compensation for extreme weather (via The Guardian)

Russia cools talk of separate loss and damage climate mechanism at COP 19 (via RTCC)

AP BIOFUELS STORY 

Vilsack disputes AP ethanol report (via National Journal)

Ethanol industry takes aim at AP investigation (via Huffington Post/AP)

Breaking down the numbers on ethanol: Inside the AP biofuels report (via Climate Progress)

Green energy push replaces native prairie with corn as ethanol turns profitable (via Huffington Post)

RENEWABLES 

China to build more renewables than EU, US combined says IEA (via Bloomberg)

10GW of wind and solar in Brazil’s next power auction (via Recharge)

Australia cuts $435 million in funding to renewables (via Renew Economy)

67% of consumers would pay more for clean energy (via Greentech Media)

Biofuels industry renews cellulosic ethanol push (via Kansas City Star)

Pennsylvania may double its renewable energy standard (via Climate Progress)

Amidst solar battle, Arizona’s largest utility renews ALEC membership (via Climate Progress)

Remotely controlled turbines help protect raptors (via Billings Gazette)

NASCAR reaches ethanol use milestone (via The Oklahoman)

EMISSIONS 

Carbon pricing buoyed by China and the US (via Environmental Leader)

Australian prime minister starts carbon tax repeal push (via National Journal)

US hunts for cheaper ways to capture CO2 (via Reuters)

OIL 

China, Norway may team up in search for Arctic oil (via Reuters)

Brazil set to become major global oil supplier by 2015 (via Reuters)

Top scientists call for California fracking ban in letter to Gov. Brown (via San Jose Mercury-News)

TRANSPORTATION 

An EV recharging industry rises (via New York Times)

Need an alternative fuel station? Now there’s an app for that (via CleanTechnica)

NUCLEAR 

Japan readies additional $30 billion for Fukushima cleanup (via Reuters)

CLIMATE 

Haiti, Philippines, Pakistan hardest hit by extreme weather in 2012 (via Toronto Star)

Inland states most likely to ignore climate hazards, says study (via Climate Central)

IEA report says climate measures falling short of global target (via The Hill)

World will need 48% renewables by 2035 to address climate change (via Renew Economy)

Global warming since 1997 more than twice as fast as estimated (via The Guardian)

California headed for driest year on record (via Climate Progress)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Landowners to sue Cuomo, New York over “arbitrary” fracking delay (via Democrat & Chronicle)

GRID 

Smart grid benefits set to surpass industry forecasts (via Renew Grid)

Half of consumers have never heard of the smart grid (via Energy Manager Today)

Smart grid success hinges on consumer education (via Renew Grid)

COAL 

Five bad arguments from the coal industry (via Bloomberg)

Environmentalists challenge coal lease deal in Ohio national forest (via Columbus Dispatch)

GREEN BUILDING 

LEED’s stunning growth, and what’s behind it (via EarthTechling)

KEYSTONE XL 

Keystone XL study warns of defective segments on pipeline’s southern leg (via InsideClimate News)

OPINION 

What a deadly typhoon in the Philippines can tell us about climate adaptation (via Washington Post)

Is your state ready for climate disasters? (via Grist)

It doesn’t have to be so hard: Making renewable energy siting easier (via Renewable Energy World)

Work not done, Obama climate adviser moves on (via AP)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.11.13

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

COP 19 CONFERENCE 

Mood of “realism” about future deal at climate talks (via BBC News)

Loss and Damage: Elements for successful negotiations at COP 19 (via World Resources Institute)

UN talks seek modest climate for 2015, to raise aid (via Reuters)

Report: Funding drought threatens 2015 UN climate agreement (via RTCC)

ENERGY POLICY 

New German government would put moratorium on fracking, cut wind support (via Reuters)

EU may challenge German green subsidy (via Energy Manager Today)

RENEWABLES 

Annual worldwide solar PV installations will double by 2020 (via Navigant Research)

European solar PV demand set to rebound in 2014 (via CleanTechnica)

Record-breaking wind integration in Denmark (via Greentech Media)

UK confirms plans for 39GW of offshore wind by 2030 (via Renewable Energy World)

Japan starts up offshore wind farm in shadow of Fukushima (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

UK offshore wind capacity rises 80% in one year (via Renewable Energy World)

Up to 21GW of small CSP could be integrated into US fossil plants (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Solar power begins to shine as environmental benefits pay off (via New York Times)

Midwest states grapple with value of homegrown solar electricity (via St. Paul Pioneer-Press)

Wind energy blows Michigan toward 30% renewables by 2030 (via CleanTechnica)

Solar company wins converts by going door-to-door (via Reuters)

Xcel, advocates at odds over Minnesota solar garden rules (via Midwest Energy News)

Iowa State study says ethanol mandate cut would have minor impact on corn price (via Green Car Congress)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

International shale plays likely to face water shortfalls (via Houston Chronicle)

What’s fueling fights over fracking? (via National Journal)

EMISSIONS 

China and US, two largest emitters, join in carbon reductions (via China Daily)

US and Norway bolster ties on CCS (via BusinessGreen)

Tony Abbott attempts to shift focus to carbon tax as new parliament opens (via The Guardian)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Alberta premier making Keystone pipeline push (via The Hill)

Enbridge files plan for $2.6 billion North Dakota to Wisconsin pipeline (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

CLIMATE 

Rising sea levels, falling real estate values (via Miami Herald)

South Florida faces ominous prospects from rising waters (via New York Times)

Study says Montreal Protocol ozone treaty slowed global warming (via Climate Central)

Latin America is already preparing for climate change adaptation (via Energy Collective)

ENVIRONMENT 

600,000 bats killed at wind energy facilities in 2012 (via Los Angeles Times)

Health effects of a nuclear test can last decades (via Washington Post)

Plastic bottle recycling up 6.2% in 2012 (via Environmental Leader)

GRID 

Europe seeks new smart grid boost as momentum slows (via Navigant Research)

Western energy imbalance market gets approval from CaISO board (via Renew Grid)

CaISO changes rules to enable solar and wind project downsizing with less risk (via Solar Industry Magazine)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Where do US states rank in terms of energy efficiency? (via Renew Grid)

Title 24 launches California toward net zero buildings (via Triple Pundit)

TRANSPORTATION 

Gas prices could fall below $3/gallon before year’s end (via Autoblog)

Mitsubishi to offer 20% plug-in cars by 2020 (via Green Car Reports)

Tesla Model S fires lead to investor lawsuit (via San Francisco Chronicle)

A hard week on Wall Street for Tesla (via GigaOm)

POLITICS 

Obama grasps for climate legacy as second-term agenda crumbles (via The Hill)

White House names new climate and energy chief to replace Zichal (via Washington Post)

OPINION 

Why hasn’t cellulosic ethanol taken over like it was supposed to? (via Washington Post)

New climate realism (via The Hill)

Top 10 things you didn’t know about ARPA-E (via Energy.gov)

Everything you need to know about “super-typhoons” (via Washington Post)

US ethanol expansion limited by blend wall, says Vilsack (via Reuters)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.8.13

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

EMISSIONS 

EU ministers approve carbon market backloading fix (via BusinessGreen)

Brazil greenhouse gas emissions drop to lowest level in 20 years (via Washington Post)

Nine states file brief against EPA emissions regulations (via The Hill)

Enviros, coal advocates push messaging at EPA listening session in DC (via National Journal)

Energy Department approves $84 million for 18 carbon capture projects (via Washington Post)

ENERGY POLICY 

Fossil fuels receive $500 billion a year in government subsidies worldwide (via Climate Progress)

US power companies struggle to profit in energy markets (via Reuters)

White House tallies shutdown’s energy and environmental impact (via The Hill)

Energy Department failed to report concerns as green tech firm headed for bankruptcy (via Washington Post)

RENEWABLES 

Japan’s solar market surge blows away earlier forecasts (via Greentech Media)

South Africa: Where clean energy is growing the fastest (via Sustainable Business)

China’s ailing solar panel makers see the light, on a farm (via Reuters)

Singapore launches 1st tidal turbine test bed (via Xinhua)

The promise and challenge of developing offshore wind resources (via Forbes)

Biofuels producers brace for major EPA changes as big lobby groups clash (via ClimateWire)

California seen beating renewable energy generation goal (via Bloomberg)

Two new green investing options could help avoid the carbon bubble (via CleanTechnica)

Massachusetts sets itself apart as global clean energy hub (via Renewable Energy World)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Climate impact of Canada’s tar sands is growing (via Climate Progress)

Keystone “not in Canada’s best interests” says federal party (via Globe and Mail)

A small victory for a Texas landowner in Keystone pipeline case (via Dallas Observer)

CLIMATE 

Warsaw climate talks expected to deliver loss and damage mechanism (via Thompson Reuters)

Super typhoon Haiyan, one of strongest storms ever, plows across Philippines (via CNN)

NOAA’s new tool puts climate on view for all (via Climate Central)

Amazon deforestation could mean droughts for western US (via Phys.org)

OIL 

OPEC acknowledges threat of US oil (via National Journal)

Saudi Arabia throttles back from record high oil output (via Reuters)

Strong dollar drives crude oil prices lower (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Three Texas universities win bid to launch offshore drilling safety center (via Houston Chronicle)

Bakken boom linked to haze at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (via Greenwire)

TRANSPORTATION 

Li-ion battery prices still headed down to $180/kWh by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

Third Model S fire drives down Tesla stock (via San Francisco Chronicle)

DOE launches alternative fueling station locator app (via Green Car Congress)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Big trucking companies shifting to natural gas across the US (via Autoblog Green)

Colorado cities’ fracking rejection poses political test for natural gas industry (via New York Times)

Colorado’s fracking bans could fall before courts (via Reuters)

OPINION 

Five issues to watch at COP 19, the “Construction COP” (via WRI Insights)

The solar industry is red hot – will it get hotter? (via Breaking Energy)

10 reasons you should care about the COP 19 UN climate talks (via RTCC)

Could California’s shale oil boom be just a mirage? (via DeSmog Blog)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.6.13

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

EMISSIONS 

Global atmospheric CO2 levels hit record high (via The Guardian)

Study: Carbon tax revenues could dwarf fossil fuel losses (via Grist)

China’s smog reduction plan could add to water stress and boost emissions (via The Guardian)

Clashing views on climate, coal on display at EPA listening tour (via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

NUCLEAR 

Environmental groups dispute climate scientists on nuclear power (via The Hill)

RENEWABLES 

Hitting EU green energy goals “would save billions, boost GDP” (via Reuters)

Japan government’s green fund targets local investment model (via Bloomberg)

Japan’s largest solar PV plant comes online (via Renew Economy)

Report: Onsite renewables will save businesses £33 billion through 2030 (via BusinessGreen)

Clean energy’s next big market: Off-grid solar (via Greentech Media)

On-site power may weaken centrally generated wind and solar (via Forbes)

Robots can keep solar panels clean and more energy flowing into the grid (via Forbes)

Wind fight’s next round likely to wait until 2014 (via EarthTechling)

Court fight over biofuels mandate intensifies as Hill action stalls (via National Journal)

EPA lists top US organizations using most green power (via Solar Industry Magazine)

American Energy Alliance rallies opposition to wind tax credit (via National Journal)

Report: Michigan’s 30% renewable energy mandate achievable (via Detroit News)

Michigan about to join wind power “gigawatt club” (via CBS Detroit)

CLIMATE 

Hopes for strong 2015 global climate deal fade as risks grow (via Reuters)

Britain’s new flood protection plan: Surrender to the ocean (via Climate Progress)

West Coast pact to cut, price carbon could have wider influence (via ClimateWire)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

UK “gets real” about shale gas (via Recharge)

China’s first floating LNG terminal to receive gas in December (via Reuters)

Chevron and Ukraine set shale gas deal (via New York Times)

Colorado’s elections were fracked (via National Journal)

TRANSPORTATION 

Beijing slashes car sales quota in anti-pollution drive (via Reuters)

Tesla posts smaller loss, but shares start to temper (via New York Times)

Tesla’s Elon Musk wants to build a giant battery factory (via San Francisco Chronicle)

GRID 

Mexico smart grid market will grow to $12.1 billion by 2023 (via Renew Grid)

Smart grid energy storage pilot deployed at Philadelphia Navy Yard (via Renew Grid)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Energy Star cable boxes saved $450 million in energy last year (via Energy Manager Today)

How Walmart brought low-cost LEDs to the mass market (via Forbes)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Survey says sustainability is stalled at most companies (via GreenBiz)

Dallas goes all-in on green building with mandatory regulations (via CleanTechnica)

Morgan Stanley launches institute for sustainable investing (via Sustainable Business)

OPINION 

Keep up the climate fight, Democrats (via Washington Post)

How the world is failing at its climate goals, in one chart (via Washington Post)

The 10 most polluted cities in America (via Time)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.5.13

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

COAL 

Coal mine spill dumps 264 million gallons of waste into Canadian waterways (via Climate Progress)

Who killed all the coal jobs? (via National Journal)

EMISSIONS 

Germans swing behind EU carbon market fix (via Recharge News)

Costa Rica launches first developing country carbon trading program (via Sustainable Business)

Study shows carbon sequestration can cause earthquakes (via Climate Central)

White House revisits “social cost of carbon” metric (via The Hill)

Environmentalists look to carbon markets to slow grassland conversion (via Greenwire)

KEYSTONE XL 

Gina McCarthy hints at Keystone XL approval (via National Journal)

RENEWABLES 

South Africa approves $3.3 billion of renewables projects (via Bloomberg)

The official explanation for Germany’s energy transition (via Energy Collective)

Five charts that explain the great energy shift (via Grist)

Biofuels makers mount last-ditch lobby push on EPA (via Bloomberg)

US ethanol plants reopen as record corn harvest boosts margins (via Reuters)

Google and Microsoft’s newest rivalry: renewable energy (via Quartz)

Rooftop solar, smart building features raise home values (via Sustainable Business)

Report green lights Michigan to expand renewable energy standard (via Union of Concerned Scientists)

OIL 

Federal appeals court to hear arguments on BP oil spill settlement (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION 

US Navy’s new all-electric destroyer is a seagoing microgrid (via CleanTechnica)

Tesla is top seller in nation’s wealthiest enclaves (via USA Today)

CLIMATE 

Carbon emissions must be cut “significantly” by 2020, says UN (via The Guardian)

Northwest governors face legislative roadblocks on climate agreement (via EarthFix)

California must adopt aggressive climate change policies, says report (via Los Angeles Times)

GRID 

Asian smart meter market forecast to reach $2.3 billion by 2020 (via Renew Grid)

UK energy storage research gets £5 million boost (via BusinessGreen)

Capacity markets: Life support for fossil fuels or the next frontier for renewables? (via Greentech Media)

POLITICS 

US midterm elections unlikely to change carbon pricing politics (via Energy Collective)

Obama’s climate resilience task force gets icy GOP welcome (via The Hill)

Green groups say Virginia push a preview of 2014 (via The Hill)

OPINION 

Here’s why Central Appalachia’s coal industry is dying (via Washington Post)

More myths about carbon taxes (via Financial Post)

Can biofuels make your White Castle slider more expensive? (via National Journal)

How the US coal industry found itself in an economic no-man’s land (via Climate Progress)

Is an ethanol compromise on the horizon? (via Energy Collective)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.5.13

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

COAL 

Coal mine spill dumps 264 million gallons of waste into Canadian waterways (via Climate Progress)

Who killed all the coal jobs? (via National Journal)

EMISSIONS 

Germans swing behind EU carbon market fix (via Recharge News)

Costa Rica launches first developing country carbon trading program (via Sustainable Business)

Study shows carbon sequestration can cause earthquakes (via Climate Central)

White House revisits “social cost of carbon” metric (via The Hill)

Environmentalists look to carbon markets to slow grassland conversion (via Greenwire)

KEYSTONE XL 

Gina McCarthy hints at Keystone XL approval (via National Journal)

RENEWABLES 

South Africa approves $3.3 billion of renewables projects (via Bloomberg)

The official explanation for Germany’s energy transition (via Energy Collective)

Five charts that explain the great energy shift (via Grist)

Biofuels makers mount last-ditch lobby push on EPA (via Bloomberg)

US ethanol plants reopen as record corn harvest boosts margins (via Reuters)

Google and Microsoft’s newest rivalry: renewable energy (via Quartz)

Rooftop solar, smart building features raise home values (via Sustainable Business)

Report green lights Michigan to expand renewable energy standard (via Union of Concerned Scientists)

OIL 

Federal appeals court to hear arguments on BP oil spill settlement (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION 

US Navy’s new all-electric destroyer is a seagoing microgrid (via CleanTechnica)

Tesla is top seller in nation’s wealthiest enclaves (via USA Today)

CLIMATE 

Carbon emissions must be cut “significantly” by 2020, says UN (via The Guardian)

Northwest governors face legislative roadblocks on climate agreement (via EarthFix)

California must adopt aggressive climate change policies, says report (via Los Angeles Times)

GRID 

Asian smart meter market forecast to reach $2.3 billion by 2020 (via Renew Grid)

UK energy storage research gets £5 million boost (via BusinessGreen)

Capacity markets: Life support for fossil fuels or the next frontier for renewables? (via Greentech Media)

POLITICS 

US midterm elections unlikely to change carbon pricing politics (via Energy Collective)

Obama’s climate resilience task force gets icy GOP welcome (via The Hill)

Green groups say Virginia push a preview of 2014 (via The Hill)

OPINION 

Here’s why Central Appalachia’s coal industry is dying (via Washington Post)

More myths about carbon taxes (via Financial Post)

Can biofuels make your White Castle slider more expensive? (via National Journal)

How the US coal industry found itself in an economic no-man’s land (via Climate Progress)

Is an ethanol compromise on the horizon? (via Energy Collective)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.31.13

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

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Looking for a way around Keystone XL, Canadian oil hits the rails (via New York Times)

Canadian emissions report undermines pipeline pitch to Washington (via InsideClimate News)

TransCanada CEO: Keystone process has been “circus” (via Politico)

CLIMATE 

Pacific Ocean may be “hiding” global warming (via RTCC)

In Sandy’s wake, flood zones and insurance rates re-examined (via NPR)

Climate change risks hiding in investment portfolios, says Gore (via Bloomberg)

RENEWABLES 

In Brazil, wind blowing in a new era of renewable energy (via Washington Post)

Renewables support here to stay, says UK government (via BusinessGreen)

2013 to be a record year for offshore wind (via Grist/Earth Policy Institute)

Renewable energy for mining industry will reach $4 billion in annual market value by 2022 (via Navigant Research)

Ethanol, oil groups blitz White House as biofuel rule nears (via Reuters)

Solar rebound beating Dot.Com recovery as demand surges (via Bloomberg)

New wind energy research focuses on turbine arrangement, wind seasonality (via Phys.org)

Study: 30% renewables in PJM would cut costs, emissions (via Midwest Energy News/EnergyWire)

Solar advocates and Xcel spar over future of rooftop solar (via Denver Post)

COAL 

The war on the “War on Coal” (via Marketplace)

Peak coal: Will the US run out of coal in 20 years or 200 years? (via Greentech Media)

GRID 

States receive grades on net metering and interconnection policies (via Renew Grid)

8 charts that illustrate progress on DOE’s smart grid investment grants (via Greentech Media)

Want to opt out of a smart meter in Texas? It will cost you (via StateImpact Texas)

OIL 

Poll: Oil to fall to $80 in real terms by 2020 (via Reuters)

Shell announces return to Arctic in 2014 despite mishaps (via Houston Chronicle)

North Dakota oil spill spotlights Obama delay on pipeline rules (via Bloomberg)

TRANSPORTATION 

US Department of Defense will acquire 92,000 EVs by 2020 (via Navigant Research)

How “smart parking” could save a million barrels of oil every day (via Christian Science Monitor)

Panasonic to supply more battery cells to Tesla (via San Jose Mercury News)

EMISSIONS 

GE says Australia headed for cap-and-trade (via Environmental Leader)

Germany’s Merkel faces internal opposition to EU carbon backloading fix (via Reuters)

74% of voters back EPA power plant emissions regulation (via CleanTechnica)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Russian government passes law to open up LNG exports (via Reuters)

UK government review says shale gas fracking a low risk to public health (via Reuters)

New natural gas pipeline should help reduce flaring in North Dakota (via Dickinson Press)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

PACE projects on a roll: $43 million and counting (via Greentech Media)

Dallas rolls out US green building code (via Sustainable Business)

OPINION 

How climate change threatens the ability of global populations to rise out of poverty (via Climate Progress)

Should we use geoengineering to cool the planet? (via Washington Post)

Why the new biofuel feedstocks deserve investment, incentives (via National Geographic)

Top 9 things you didn’t know about concentrating solar power (via Energy.gov)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.29.13

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

CLIMATE 

EU environment ministers call for “ambitious” 2030 climate goals (via The Guardian)

North American West Coast governments sign climate change pact (via CleanTechnica)

Bipartisan Congressional duo launch attack on EPA climate rules (via The Hill)

A year after Sandy, living dangerously by the sea (via Time)

COAL 

China’s largest city Shanghai to ban coal by 2017 (via Mongabay)

The county council election that could make or break big coal (via Mother Jones)

Top 5 coal producing states – TX, OH, PA, IN, IL – will decide coal’s future (via Facts of the Day)

Consol to sell 5 West Virginia mines as coal regulations increase (via Reuters)

RENEWABLES 

20GW distributed solar by 2015 is new target for China (via CleanTechnica)

Germany hits 59% renewable peak, grid does not explode (via Greentech Media)

Startups compete to defeat the “soft costs” of solar power (via Business Green)

US homeowners want solar, find two new reports (via Renewable Energy World)

AAA applauds potential renewable fuel scale back (via National Journal)

Wind in Texas produces more electricity than natural gas does in 40 states (via Facts of the Day)

Energy innovation in the states: From energy storage to offshore wind (via Energy Collective)

NFL’s 49ers, Rams go solar (via Energy Manager Today)

OIL 

Trains gain steam in race to transport crude oil in the US (via NPR)

Millions of Americans live within one mile of oil or gas wells (via InsideClimate News/Wall Street Journal)

State Department to determine how much oil would ship by rail in absence of Keystone XL (via National Journal)

California fracking study may take 18 months, Brown says (via Bloomberg)

TRANSPORTATION 

China adapts its electric vehicle plans to challenging realities (via Plugin Cars)

Tesla Superchargers now allow San Diego-to-Vancouver EV trips (via Green Car Reports)

How EVs could drive changes in power grid management (via Forbes)

Coca-Cola reveals plans for electric and hybrid distribution fleet (via RTCC)

TAR SANDS 

People who live downwind of Alberta’s tar sands operations are getting blood cancer (via Climate Progress)

EMISSIONS 

China to monitor air pollution effects in cities (via Bloomberg)

Decarbonization target narrowly defeated in UK House of Lords vote (via Business Green)

Japan to set 3.8% emissions reduction by 2020 goal (via RTCC)

Voters in 2014 swing states favor EPA carbon rules (via The Hill)

New battle in “War on Coal” with bill to block power plant rules (via National Journal)

OPINION 

Fossil fuels divestment campaign is gathering momentum (via The Guardian)

Uncertainty and investment: The real danger to the coal industry (via Energy Collective)

States will need coordination, creativity to meet EV goals (via C2ES)

Weatherization helps millions of families save energy and money (via Energy.gov)

Deadbeat states on electric car policy (via Plugin Cars)