Energy and Environment News Roundup – 9.8.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
EMISSIONS
Shanghai opens carbon market to trading pros to boost liquidity (via Bloomberg)
U.S. carbon markets just dropped $400 million on clean energy (via CleanTechnica)
Aircraft emissions may be next for U.S. climate rules (via Bloomberg)
ENERGY POLICY
Scotland independence vote seen risking $23 billion in power projects (via Bloomberg)
Brazil delays power auction to attract more hydro, gas proposals (via Bloomberg)
It’s not just oil – power industry due to be overhauled in Mexico (via Houston Chronicle)
RENEWABLES
China spurs rooftop solar projects in world’s top market with call for higher subsidy (via Bloomberg)
Australian government increasingly divided over plan to scrap renewable energy target (via The Guardian)
U.K. leading offshore wind power market (via CleanTechnica)
$71 trillion in net savings by 2050 from transition to renewable energy (via CleanTechnica)
Mexico’s new power industry law: Implications for clean energy (via Breaking Energy)
Ontario set for 1.7GW wind binge by end of 2015 (via Recharge News)
U.S., China account for over half the world’s solar PV pipeline (via Solar Industry Magazine)
U.S. solar industry nears 16GW installed capacity (via Greentech Media)
Buoyed by business deals, solar dominates new U.S. clean tech jobs (via Solar Industry Magazine)
Banner second quarter for new U.S. solar PV installations (via Recharge News)
California solar projects plan undergoing major overhaul (via San Francisco Chronicle)
Ohio clean energy rules favored by voters, poll finds (via Plain-Dealer)
SolarCity bolsters operations in seven states (via PV Tech)
OIL
BP lashes out at journalists, “opportunistic” environmentalists (via Mother Jones)
BP oil spill penalty could reach 15% of company’s market cap (via Breaking Energy)
BP “grossly negligent” in 2010 oil spill, says judge (via Christian Science Monitor)
BP can absorb new oil spill fine, say analysts (via Reuters)
Ending oil export ban drawing more talk on Capitol Hill (via Houston Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION
Electrified car sales stall as buyers back away from hybrids (via Los Angeles Times)
London’s double decker buses get updated with wireless charging (via Autoblog Green)
U.S. vehicle fuel economy at record high (via Phys.org)
Nevada lures Tesla Gigafactory with $1.3 billion in tax breaks, expects $100 billion economic impact (via Bloomberg)
California may have shot at second Tesla Gigafactory (via San Francisco Chronicle)
COAL
America’s coal-fired divide (via National Journal)
North Carolina says Duke Energy coal ash dams are high hazard risk (via News Observer)
CLIMATE
World on track for 4 degrees Celsius warming by 2100 because of missed carbon targets (via The Guardian)
UN banking on business to drive climate negotiations (via RTCC)
Activists promise biggest climate march in history (via The Guardian)
Extreme snowfall events will continue even in global warming, says study (via Washington Post)
How climate change is affecting the world’s biggest food company (via Washington Post)
Yale fund takes aim at climate change (via New York Times)
NATURAL GAS
U.S. economy has gotten a lift by going deep to retrieve natural gas (via Forbes)
Poorly understood fracking wastewater is analyzed for first time (via InsideClimate News)
Ohio halts injections at two fracking wastewater wells after earthquake (via Columbus Dispatch/AP)
GRID
US electricity transmission investments vary by region (via U.S. EIA)
KEYSTONE XL
Nebraska Supreme Court examines governor’s role in blessing Keystone XL (via The Guardian)
ENVIRONMENT
8% of world’s remaining pristine forests degraded since 2000 (via World Resources Institute)
100 die in five days of flooding in Northern India (via New York Times)
Canada tops world in forest degradation thanks to climate change, logging, energy development (via Climate Progress)
Dramatic proof California’s drought is one of the worst ever (via KHON/CNN)
California governor to sign plastic bag ban measure (via The Hill)
POLITICS
Hillary Clinton and Rand Paul just kicked off 2016’s climate battle (via National Journal)
League of Conservation Voters expects huge jump in midterm election spending (via The Hill)
OPINION
How the U.S. government is saving taxpayer money with clean energy (via Greentech Media)
Republicans say gas prices are rising – they’re not (via National Journal)
How methane wrecked Obama’s fracking habit (via Mother Jones)
Anthony Foxx takes futurist turn at U.S. Department of Transportation (via National Journal)
Tesla mines gold in Nevada with Gigafactory decision (via Los Angeles Times)