Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.1.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
How 26 states created 85% of America’s energy efficiency savings (via CleanTechnica)
Dems want to boost military energy efficiency (via The Hill)
COAL
UNESCO alarmed over Australian coal port dredging near Great Barrier Reef (via Reuters)
Southern Company delays clean coal plant until 2015 amid rising costs (via Reuters)
Koch Brothers to face lawsuit over “swirling” Chicago petcoke pollution (via Climate Progress)
RENEWABLES
Shares shift in global wind turbine market (via Navigant Research)
PV demand in Middle East and Africa to grow 50% this year (via Solar Industry)
Surge in Australian rooftop solar PV displaces more fossil fuels (via Renew Economy)
A new federal push for more hydropower across the US (via Forbes)
Exciting times for West Coast offshore wind (via Recharge)
US solar power installed costs on course for 2020 target (via RTCC)
Cellulosic biofuel set to outpace US volume targets (via Argus Leader)
DOE proceeds with review of Cape Wind loan guarantee after favorable court ruling (via Bloomberg BNA)
NextEra eyes 1.4GW of new wind capacity in US (via Recharge)
Arizona may impose new tax on customers who lease solar panels (via Climate Progress)
Business fears Ohio bill will “kill solar” if approved (via Toledo Blade)
KEYSTONE XL
As Dem support builds for Keystone XL, pressure’s on Reid (via The Hill)
CLIMATE
World’s coastal megacities sinking 10x faster than rising sea levels (via Times of India)
Sweden delays $45 million climate fund contribution (via RTCC)
Sea change: Vital part of food web dissolving (via Seattle Times)
Extreme rainfall events like Pensacola’s on the rise (via Climate Central)
Climate change and the medical analogy (via Treehugger)
This man is on the hunt for California’s next climate leaders (via Grist)
OIL
Dutch police storm Greenpeace ship trying to block Arctic oil delivery (via Reuters)
As new shipping rules are studied, another oil train derails (via New York Times)
Explosive Virginia train carried fracked Bakken oil (via DeSmog Blog)
TRANSPORTATION
2013 model cars in Europe collectively met 2015 CO2 target two years before deadline (via Green Car Congress)
DOE’s advanced vehicle manufacturing loans come under attack in Senate (via ClimateWire)
ENVIRONMENT
El Nino could be the biggest weather story of 2014 (via Vox)
Court tells EPA to cough up new air pollution standards by December (via Huffington Post)
Group to sue US over changes to eagle protection rules (via Reuters)
EMISSIONS
Washington State’s governor wants the state off coal-based electricity (via Washington Post)
Tell your alma mater, fossil fuel divestment just went mainstream (via NRDC Switchboard)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg diverge on fracking (via Greenwire)
GRID
Exelon will acquire Pepco to form largest US utility (via Greentech Media)
Is an energy storage tsunami about to hit California? (via Greentech Media)
Boulder: Municipal utility will be platform for innovation (via The Daily Camera)
GREEN BUSINESS
Firms fail to disclose sustainability metrics in executive pay (via Environmental leader)
Monsanto announces aggressive sustainability goals (via TriplePundit)
Corporate America’s sustainability gains “not enough” says Ceres (via GreenBiz)
GREEN BUILDING
In Asia-Pacific, green buildings gain ground (via Navigant Research)
Zero energy buildings become reality (via Navigant Research)
OPINION
Status of US-China solar trade petition and what need to be done (via CleanTechnica)
Supreme Court makes the right call on a Clean Air Act provision (via Washington Post)
How loopholes could weaken CAFÉ standards (via Detroit News)
Supreme Court victory gives EPA more ammo in war on coal (via Forbes)
Better than dollars per watt (via Forbes)
Why we are blocking the office of Harvard’s president (via Huffington Post)
Economics trump environment in energy issues poll (via Houston Chronicle)
Link between electricity prices & renewable energy complete warped in Forbes article (via CleanTechnica)