Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.27.14

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

ENERGY POLICY 

Australian power prices to surge, utilities to profit if renewable target scrapped (via Bloomberg)

India PM Modi appoints banker to oversee renewables, coal, power (via Bloomberg)

Wellinghoff to utilities: Time to rethink your business model (via GreenBiz)

CLIMATE 

Extreme U.S. and UK winters linked to greenhouse gases (via Bloomberg)

Over 50 trade unions launch global climate action campaign (via BusinessGreen)

COAL 

Russian firm studying world’s largest coal-fired plant to supply China (via Reuters)

A bogus claim electricity prices will “nearly double” because of clean coal technology (via Washington Post)

Rural North Carolina sites become coal ash dumping grounds (via News Observer)

RENEWABLES 

Danish report says 100% renewables feasible by 2050 (via Renew Economy)

China solar PV exports rise on emerging market expansions (via Renewable Energy World)

Solar farmers in Japan harvest electricity with crops (via Bloomberg)

Half of German solar jobs disappear in 2013 (via Recharge)

Australian navy to join U.S. in switch to biofuels (via Renew Economy)

U.S. to reach 20GW solar PV by end of 2014 (via CleanTechnica)

Wind Production Tax Credit still up in the air (via Energy Manager Today)

U.S. hydro losing edge to wind, solar (via Recharge)

Applying the lessons of politics to green power (via New York Times)

Utah’s solar power homeowners fight proposed utility fee (via Salt Lake Tribune)

Georgia power adding wind, boosting solar (via Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Smoothing the flow of renewable solar energy in California’s Central Valley (via Energy.gov)

Massive California multi-family apartment complex completes solar installation (via Inhabitat)

SolarCity snaps up another partner – and more money (via SmartPlanet)

SolarCity expands to second island in Hawaii (via CleanTechnica)

Community solar coming of age in Michigan (via Midwest Energy News)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Russia-China natural gas deal fuels U.S. export push (via The Hill)

Putin says Ukraine has no right to demand natgas price discount (via Reuters)

Polish plan on EU Russian natural gas buying gains support (via Reuters)

Shakeout threatens U.S. shale patch as frackers go for broke (via Bloomberg)

Gas boom starts to hit home for residents of Southeastern Pennsylvania (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

Bill introduced to speed up fracking in Illinois (via Chicago Tribune)

EMISSIONS 

Northern hemisphere hits carbon dioxide milestone in April (via Reuters)

“Time is running out” to stop rising CO2 levels, says UN (via Time)

Deep underground carbon deposits could pose global warming threat if exposed (via Raw Story/Agence France-Presse)

South Africa has Africa’s largest carbon footprint (via Africa Science News)

WRI tool shows “history of CO2 emissions” (via Environmental Leader)

OIL 

Mexican energy reform seeks to reverse oil production decline (via US EIA)

Sharp rise in West Coast oil trains, fears abound (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Oil boom places 3 of 5 fastest-growing U.S. cities in Texas, shows census (via AP)

TRANSPORTATION 

China to scrap over 5 million old cars in anti-pollution push (via Reuters)

100% of Dutch electric trains could run on renewable energy by 2018 (via CleanTechnica) 

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency (via Autoblog)

As of today, Nissan has solar 50,000 Leafs in U.S., 115,000 globally (via Autoblog Green)

KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS 

Canada oil will flow any way it can to U.S., says transport minister (via Reuters)

New safety requirements set for Keystone XL pipeline (via Kansas City Star)

ENVIRONMENT 

Alaska wildfire scorches an area larger than Chicago (via Los Angeles Times)

California drought: State’s flawed water system can’t track usage (via Huffington Post Green)

NUCLEAR 

U.S. plants prepare long-term nuclear waste storage facilities (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

GRID 

Brazil grid bottlenecks to ease with new transmission (via Recharge)

An almond farm and a “big-ass battery” show future of energy in California (via GigaOm)

POLITICS 

One GOP Senate candidate is backing climate change (via The Hill)

Hillary Clinton’s Keystone XL headache (via Politico)

OPINION 

Could Australia really dismantle its carbon price? (via The Guardian)

Tough emissions cuts would prove the U.S. is serious about climate change (via Washington Post)

The truth about Stanford’s coal divestment shows hurdles ahead (via New Republic)

No thanks to Congress, America has added 5,600 new clean energy jobs in 2014 (via Climate Progress)

What’s the best way to write U.S. climate rule? (via National Journal)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.19.14

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

EMISSIONS 

Obama greenhouse gas cuts split power, coal industries (via Bloomberg)

Obama’s big carbon crackdown readies for launch (via Politico)

California air board urges doubling of emission cut targets after 2020 (via San Francisco Chronicle)

Governor Brown says University of California coal divestment is a possibility (via Los Angeles Times)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Russia-China natural gas deal preparations in “final phase” says Putin (via Reuters)

Support for fracking in United Kingdom falls below 50% (via The Guardian)

A fracking boom where there is no fracking (via National Journal)

North Carolina bill would make fracking chemical disclosure a felony (via EnergyWire)

RENEWABLES 

India’s new government plans to use solar to bring power to every home by 2019 (via Bloomberg)

Saudi Arabia in policy shift seeking solar through Aramco (via Bloomberg)

Solar versus the grid: Map shows where PV makes the most sense (via Greentech Media)

Renewable energy wins in Colorado and Iowa, loses in Ohio (via Sustainable Business)

Texas renewable energy production increases 12% in 2013 (via Houston Chronicle)

Georgia Power plan would install 90MW in solar arrays on three Army bases (via EnergyWire)

Maryland Governor O’Malley vetoes wind turbine moratorium (via EnviroPolitics)

COAL 

Pipeline collapse in China coal mine kills 11 (via ABC News/AP)

The coal plant to end all coal plants? (via Washington Post)

Michigan seeks to expand coal ash use, but at what cost? (via Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE 

Greenland glaciers more susceptible to melt than thought (via Climate Central)

Rift widening between energy, insurance industries over climate change (via Forbes)

California governor links wildfire increase to climate change (via The Guardian)

TRANSPORTATION 

China’s push for better fuel economy has a bigger purpose (via Autoblog Green)

Tesla edges out Toyota as California’s top auto employer (via Bloomberg)

ENVIRONMENT 

Coral reefs protect shorelines by reducing wave energy 97% (via Climate Progress)

Rate of US honeybee deaths “to high for long-term survival” (via The Guardian)

Drought worse than Dust Bowl in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas (via Forbes)

US wildfire season starts 75 days early (via New York Times)

California drought conditions to persist through summer (via Bloomberg)

Louisiana lawsuits seek oil and gas industry money to restore coastline (via Los Angeles Times)

Project bringing 15,000 trees to vacant lots in Detroit (via AP)

KEYSTONE XL 

Jane Kleeb versus the Keystone Pipeline (via New York Times)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

In California, a real-world proving ground for energy efficient buildings (via SmartPlanet)

Latest generation video game consoles waste energy even when you’re not playing (via NRDC Switchboard)

NUCLEAR 

U.S. ends nuclear waste fee collections with $31 billion on hand and no disposal option in sight (via Greenwire)

GRID 

Germany’s residential battery storage subsidy sees 4,000 new systems in 1st year (via CleanTechnica)

POLITICS 

Efforts to make climate deniers pay a political price may finally be getting somewhere (via National Journal)

Senate blocks $85 billion tax cut bill because it would have helped wind energy (via Climate Progress)

Miami will likely be underwater before Congress acts on climate change (via National Journal)

OPINION 

What’s exceptional about the current drought, and what isn’t (via Washington Post)

Is climate change too risky for business? (via The Hill)

Obama’s FERC problem isn’t going away (via The Hill)

Clean tech investments are sexy again, here’s why (via SmartPlanet)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.21.13

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

COP 19 

Turmoil at COP 19 as blame game heats up (via Yahoo! News/AP)

Deep division as climate talks enter final stretch (via Phys.org)

China clashes with US & EU on roles in new climate deal (via Bloomberg)

EU denies attempt to hide greenhouse gas emissions (via The Hill)

Poland, while hosting COP 19 conference, sacks environment chief (via Los Angeles Times)

COAL 

Report tallies $35 billion in public funds for overseas coal plants since 2007 (via The Hill)

Coal seen as new tobacco, sparking investor backlash (via Bloomberg)

UK joins US pledge to stop funding foreign coal power plants (via Bloomberg)

Coal’s challenge to the EPA (via Bloomberg)

RENEWABLES 

UK solar industry facing job losses as household panels taper off (via The Guardian)

EU imposes duties on biodiesel from Argentina, Indonesia (via Reuters)

Net metering battle likely to shift to other fronts after Arizona clash (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Re-Powering America: Updated project tracking matrix and map (via US EPA)

Alstom unveils world’s largest offshore wind turbine (via BusinessGreen)

Solar fee defeated in Georgia Power rate case (via Renewable Energy World)

Key questions about the future for utility-scale solar industry (via Yale e360)

ENERGY POLICY 

House passes bill to tighten onshore drilling permit deadlines (via National Journal)

Fossil fuel subsidies outstrip climate aid fivefold (via Bloomberg)

EMISSIONS 

Just 90 companies caused two-thirds of all manmade global emissions (via The Guardian)

Australia’s lower house votes to dump carbon tax after 18 months (via The Guardian)

Mexico to follow carbon tax with region’s first carbon offset market (via Triple Pundit)

States press EPA for flexibility in power plant emission rules (via The Hill)

University of Illinois students vote six to one for fossil fuel divestment (via Grist)

FRACKING 

Fracking boom fractures the environmental movement (via National Journal)

House votes to block Interior Department from regulating fracking (via The Hill)

Fracking without freshwater at a West Texas oilfield (via Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION 

Chevy Volt owners drive more electric miles than Nissan Leaf drivers (via Green Car Reports)

Just 10% of EV charging stations California promised in legal deal are ready (via Washington Post)

US launches investigation into Tesla Model S fires (via Reuters)

Toyota shows off fuel cell concept vehicle (via New York Times)

KEYSTONE XL 

Keystone won’t be finished until 2016 – here’s what that means (via National Journal)

Keystone foes seek to thwart oil sands exports by rail (via Bloomberg)

CLIMATE 

Report: Climate protection goal slipping away (via The Hill)

2015 is make-or-break year for UN process, says former climate czar (via ClimateWire)

Forests buffer the effects of climate change on plants (via Phys.org)

Members of Congress recruit pro sports leagues for climate push (via Politico)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

More than 130 Members of Congress push Obama on energy efficiency extension (via The Hill)

Retailers save millions by curbing energy use (via Houston Chronicle)

A positive diagnosis: How hospitals are reducing their energy consumption (via GreenBiz)

Shaheen: Energy-efficiency bill could hit Senate floor soon (via The Hill)

ENVIRONMENT 

US, Norway, UK pledge nearly $300 million to cut deforestation (via Bloomberg BNA)

Great Lakes recover substantial water levels (via New York Times)

OPINION 

Why the UN climate talks keep breaking down in five simple charts (via Washington Post)

Explained in 90 seconds: Breaking the carbon budget (via Mother Jones)

Has demand response peaked in the Northeast US? (via Navigant Research)

Carbon capture and storage is coal’s pipe dream (via Energy Collective)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.9.13

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

EMISSIONS 

China says it will not set carbon cap (via Renewable Energy World)

Blueprint for Russia’s carbon market should be ready by end of 2013 (via RTCC)

DOE fielding aircraft-based study of aerosols generated by wildfires in US (via Green Car Congress)

Colorado mulls oil and gas air pollution rules as residents erupt (via Denver Post)

Website tracks 20 Minnesota cities’ greenhouse gas emissions (via Star-Tribune)

COAL 

China’s reliance on coal reduces life expectancy 5.5 years (via The Guardian)

RENEWABLES 

Navigant: Solar price to reach grid parity worldwide in 2020 (via Energy Manager Today)

Future of UK offshore wind power in “serious doubt” (via The Guardian)

Germany to pull plug on solar subsidies by 2018 (via Phys.org)

Renewables rise to 15% in Australia as power demand and emissions fall (via Renew Economy)

India risks Spain’s solar slump with move to cut tariff (via Bloomberg)

Los Angeles kicks off second round of solar feed-in tariff (via CleanTechnica)

Georgia Power to buy output from 38MW solar project (via Renew Grid)

NUCLEAR 

Nearly half of Japanese cities near nuclear plants would allow resumption (via United Press International)

Japan moves closer to restarting its nuclear reactors (via The Guardian)

World’s first floating nuclear power plant to begin operating in Russia in 2016 (via Russia Times)

CLIMATE 

Climate change to spawn more and stronger hurricanes (via USA Today)

Pacific Island nations meet in Fiji to discuss 2015 climate adaptation strategy (via RTCC)

Nigeria kickstarts adaptation efforts to head off climate disasters (via Thompson-Reuters)

Stressed native UK trees on the march as climate change collapses seasons (via ClimateWire)

Climate change could spark small mammal invasion (via Scientific American)

Climate change might be enabling beetles’ rise against pine trees (via MPR News)

OIL 

US well sites in 2012 discharged more oil than Valdez (via EnergyWire)

Quebec disaster highlights risk of moving crude oil by rail (via Washington Post)

TRANSPORTATION 

ABB to build world’s largest network of EV fast-charging stations in Netherlands (via Green Car Congress)

Ethanol critics rev up efforts to repeal biofuel rules on gasoline (via Omaha World-Herald)

Tesla Motors to join Nasdaq 100 (via Bloomberg)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Fracking ban halts first shale gas project in Spain (via Christian Science Monitor)

West Virginia natural gas well explosion kills at least five (via Reuters)

ENVIRONMENT 

Insurance companies given severe weather warning (via Climate Central)

Southwest US forests may never recover from megafires (via The Atlantic)

Hundreds evacuated as wildfire threatens Alaskan towns (via Anchorage Daily News)

KEYSTONE XL 

Obama’s Keystone approval could hinge on Canada’s climate measures (via Houston Chronicle)

State Department admits it doesn’t know exact Keystone XL route (via DeSmog Blog)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Energy efficiency saves Scottish homeowners £1 billion (via BusinessGreen)

DOE to toughen energy efficiency standards for new federal buildings (via The Hill)

World’s largest LED retrofit saves 80% for GM (via CleanTechnica)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Majority of EU citizens back green product labeling; 77% would pay premium (via BusinessGreen)

POLITICS 

Obama waves veto pen at House Energy Department spending bill (via The Hill)

Utility 2.0: Can political activism and microtargeting boost clean energy? (via Greentech Media)

“Nuclear option” decision arrives for Sen. Reid on Obama nominations (via The Hill)

OPINION 

Solar costs and grid prices on collision course (via CleanTechnica)

Google becomes a big energy player (via Houston Chronicle)

Survey: 76% of consumers don’t trust their utility (via Greentech Media)

Why France is the next big smart meter market (via Navigant Research)

Divestment: old tactic in new climate campaign (via New York Times)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.4.13

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

TRANSPORTATION 

Germany could have a million plug-in vehicles by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

Toyota recycling old hybrid batteries into energy-storage systems for dealers (via Autoblog Green)

Secretary Chu says 1 million EVs by 2015 is “ambitious” (via Plugin Cars)

DOE launches workplace charging challenge (via Energy Manager Today)

Chevy Volt sales drop to 1,140 in January, Nissan Leaf falls to 650 (via Autoblog Green)

OIL 

Land battles rise as US eyes 450,000 miles of new pipeline (via Bloomberg)

Vast California oil reserve may now be within reach, and battle heats up (via New York Times)

North Dakota weighs industrial water extraction tax for shale oil use (via Fargo-Mooread Forum)

RENEWABLES 

Red tape trips up France’s green energy hopes for wind power (via Reuters)

China adds one-third of world’s onshore wind in 2012 (via Recharge)

Solar power giving Haiti a hospital it can use (via EarthTechling)

Sabotage may have felled UK wind turbine (via United Press International)

First Solar may sell solar power cheaper than coal (via Bloomberg)

The top 10 wind energy states in 2012 (via AOL Energy)

Government’s plan to expand biofuel use runs into bumps on road (via Washington Post)

Wind now supplies 6% of US electricity (via Sustainable Business)

Texas grid operator says renewables competitive with natgas over next decade (via Facts of the Day)

Georgia Power planning 1.5GW of renewables by 2016, less coal-fired generation (via Renew Grid)

North Carolina governor boosts offshore wind (via Recharge)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Reshaping Panama Canal trade means boom in US gas to Asia (via Bloomberg)

US shale gas revolution throws down the gauntlet to Europe (via Reuters)

Legal loophole keeps fracking mixes murky (via Houston Chronicle)

US Senators propose making LNG exports automatic (via Houston Chronicle)

Fracking for state dollars (via Council on Foreign Relations)

Ohio farmers divided on fracking (via Columbus Dispatch)

GRID 

Pentagon promises massive response to increasing cyber attacks (via AOL Energy)

Energy companies and landowners are clashing over property rights (via Forbes)

SPP approves $751 million in transmission-expansion projects (via Renew Grid)

10-year low for electricity prices across ISO-New England in 2012 (via Renew Grid)

Texas mega-battery aims to green up the grid (via New Scientist)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

White House delay on efficiency standards costs consumers $300 million per month (via Greentech Media)

Employee “green teams” deliver $76 million boost for US Postal Service (via BusinessGreen)

Minneapolis considers energy benchmarking for commercial buildings (via Energy Manager Today)

CLIMATE 

Outgoing Energy Secretary Chu’s parting warning on warming (via Time)

Research shows the Antarctic ozone hole has changed ocean circulation (via Inhabitat)

TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL 

Why Canada’s oil sands industry wants a CO2 tax (via Bloomberg)

Rethinking opposition to Keystone XL (via Energy Collective)

EMISSIONS 

For US and China, world’s biggest climate polluters, it’s still business as usual (via InsideClimate News)

Like everything else, carbon emissions are bigger in Texas (via Houston Chronicle)

COAL 

Colorado communities take on fight against energy land leases (via New York Times)

Seattle’s coal training (via Seattle Weekly)

POLITICS 

Obama’s climate team appears primed for action (via Politico)

Top EPA air quality official in line to replace outgoing administrator (via The Hill)

Murkowski launches push for expanded drilling, green energy policy revamp (via The Hill)

Gore presses Obama to “follow through” on climate change promises (via The Hill)

Kerry: climate bill failure among biggest Senate regrets (via The Hill)

OPINION 

UK Green Power Auction Market a “win-win-win” for renewables, consumers, suppliers (via BusinessGreen)

How will energy productivity jumpstart the US economy? (via National Journal)

Steven Chu steps down as energy secretary – so how did he do? (via Washington Post)

Is wind power reaching a tipping point? (via Midwest Energy News)