Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.13.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Western Antarctic ice sheet collapse has already begun, warn scientists (via The Guardian)
Melt of key Antarctic glaciers “unstoppable,” find studies (via Climate Central)
How cities in developing countries are becoming climate resilient (via Sustainable Cities Collective)
Alabama avoids preparing for rising seas menacing Mobile (via Bloomberg)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Energy efficiency bill dies in U.S. Senate after feud (via Bloomberg)
RENEWABLES
Think green jobs can’t grow? 6.5 million workers think you’re wrong. (via CleanTechnica)
UK unveils shock changes to solar farm subsidies (via BusinessGreen)
Hungry solar developers look to booming South Africa (via Navigant Research)
How the GE-Alstom combination could save the offshore wind industry (via Navigant Research)
Renewables surged to 74% of German demand last Sunday (via Renew Economy)
Can the Texas solar market live up to its potential? (via Greentech Media)
The high cost of the solar middleman (via Grist)
Why solar net metering beats a value-of-solar tariff every time (via Grist)
EMISSIONS
Banning HFCs from 2020 could make big climate impact, says study (via RTCC)
Guandong carbon market sparks China green-vs-growth dispute (via Reuters)
Draft letter from EPA advisors urges tougher ozone standard (via Greenwire)
OIL
New projections show oil production soaring as rigs boost efficiency (via Houston Chronicle)
Spills at drilling sites up 18% across U.S. in 2013 (via EnergyWire)
House panel seeks briefing on DOE’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (via The Hill)
TRANSPORTATION
China promotes fuel efficiency and alternative-fuel vehicles to curb growing oil use (via US EIA)
Will Tesla Gigafactory fight come down to Texas v. California? (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
EV charging station startup ChargePoint raises $22.6 million (via Forbes)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Russia repeats Ukraine natural gas cutoff threat by June 2 (via Reuters)
Chile green tax on coal increases cheap shale gas gamble (via Bloomberg)
EPA regulations probably won’t tell us everything in fracking fluid (via Climate Progress)
GRID
Microgrid energy storage systems to reach nearly $4.2 billion in market value by 2024 (via Navigant Research)
Why the power grid will remain reliable without coal plants (via GreenBiz)
Testing ground for new energy storage in New York State (via Greentech Media)
California heat pushes power to six-year seasonal high (via Bloomberg)
UTILITIES
Six electric utilities charging a new energy course (via GreenBiz)
Why coal-dependent utilities shouldn’t be so scared of carbon regulations (via Greentech Media)
New York State prodding utilities to shift from monopoly model (via Bloomberg)
ENVIRONMENT
Acid rain’s dirty legacy (via FiveThirtyEight)
Southwest struggles to adapt to year-round fire season (via ClimateWire)
EPA unearths $3.6 million for green jobs in brownfields (via CleanTechnica)
POLITICS
U.S. Senate Republicans block energy efficiency bill, forfeit Keystone vote (via Reuters)
Why Democrats are afraid of a man who’s giving them millions (via National Journal)
A Senate race about…climate change! (via Washington Post)
OPINION
America versus China: The new reality of global energy (via Energy Collective)
This is what a holy shit moment for global warming looks like (via Mother Jones)
Why society is failing to stop global warming in one 90-second video (via Washington Post)
Americans’ aversion to science carries a high price (via Washington Post)
Marco Rubio makes a wrong turn on climate change (via Washington Post)