Energy and Environment News Roundup – 4.4.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
CLIMATE
Climate change will “lead to battles for food,” says World Bank president (via The Guardian)
Global warming study casts doubt on “missing heat” hypothesis (via Washington Post)
Climate change is already altering the Australian landscape (via The Guardian)
ENERGY POLICY
EU concludes French feed-in tariffs for wind energy permissible (via Renewable Energy World)
Japan moves closer to approving post-Fukushima energy policy (via Bloomberg)
US used more energy, put out more CO2, in 2013 (via Greenbang)
RENEWABLES
Solar cheaper than LNG in Asia for power, says report (via Bloomberg)
Costa Rica opens the door to more renewable energy generation (via Tico Times)
US lags behind China in renewables investments (via Climate Central)
Senate Finance Committee votes to restore wind tax credit (via The Hill)
Consortium aims to bring solar to US schools (via Solar Industry)
Vermont boosts solar by nearly quadrupling net metering cap (via CleanTechnica)
Low-income rooftop solar program helping hundreds of California families (via Renewable Energy World)
SolarCity’s new $70 million securitized rooftop solar portfolio (via Greentech Media)
Robots find a job in the emerging world of solar energy (via Washington Post)
Ten clean energy stocks for 2014: Patience rewarded (via Renewable Energy World)
South Dakota senators confident in wind energy tax credit extension (via Prairie Business)
OIL
UN panel to weigh dangers of oil-by-rail cargo (via Reuters)
Bakken Shale oil output to soar as spending hits $15 billion (via Houston Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION
High gas prices not fueling decline in driving (via The Hill)
Average fuel economy of new US vehicles was 25.4 mpg in March; best mark yet (via Green Car Congress)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Exxon agrees to disclose fracking risk, quells shareholder action (via Dallas Morning News)
Mind the fracking data gap, says study (via Climate Central)
Toxic emission spikes at fracking sites are rarely monitored, finds study (via InsideClimate News)
Interior IG says agency’s injection wells “a threat to the nation’s drinking water” (via Greenwire)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
$13.2 billion derived from sales of energy efficiency services by end of 2014 (via Energy Manager Today)
Studies show efficiency still the cheapest energy resources (via Midwest Energy News)
Energy-saving company Opower set for public offering (via New York Times)
Opower prices IPO at high end of $19 per share (via GigaOm)
GRID
Millions of smart meters are coming to Pennsylvania (via Renew Grid)
Texas grid upgrade spurs wind records (via Recharge)
COAL
China to close nearly two thousand small coal mines (via Reuters)
ENVIRONMENT
El Nino probably won’t quench California’s thirst (via FiveThirtyEight)
OPINION
Earth has a fever, but the heat is sloshing into the oceans (via The Guardian)
“Big green bucket” needed for development bank loans (via Bloomberg)
Three “next steps” for California climate action (via National Geographic)