Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.16.14

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

CLIMATE 

UN climate experts warn geoengineering may be essential for 2C world (via RTCC)

Australian heatwaves getting hotter and longer, says Climate Council (via The Guardian)

Seven US weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages in 2013 (via NOAA)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Half of Britons opposed to shale gas drilling within 10 miles of their homes (via Reuters)

EPA vows action on fracking rules, policy (via National Journal)

Mixing hazardous drainage from mining operations cuts fracking waste’s radioactivity (via ABC News/AP)

Shale plays? There’s an app for that (via Houston Chronicle)

RENEWABLES 

France-Germany energy plan to focus on renewables (via Reuters)

These charts show how solar demand has shifted around the world (via Greentech Media)

India proposes new national offshore wind energy agency (via India Briefing)

Clean energy investment down, but not out (via Christian Science Monitor)

BP sees renewables outpacing fossil fuels, eclipsing nuclear (via Bloomberg)

10 ways to generate $36 trillion in green investments by 2050 (via RTCC)

SolarCity wants to raise billions of dollars in capital – from you (via Quartz)

COAL 

China coal output seen up 2.7% in 2014 (via Reuters)

White House: International coal policy intact despite GOP rider (via National Journal)

EMISSIONS 

BP study predicts greenhouse gas emissions will rise by almost a third in 20 years (via The Guardian)

Hydroelectric dams said to be “hotspots” of greenhouse gas methane (via United Press International)

Study: Low-cost measures could cut EU emissions 40% by 2030 (via BusinessGreen)

Beijing has worst smog in a year (via The Guardian)

OIL 

Fracking chemicals may make oil extra explosive (via Grist)

Cities boost work on oil-train safety as production surges (via National Journal)

North Dakota’s top oil regulator is also its top oil promoter (via Grist)

OPEC outages cut its oil output to below 2014 demand (via Reuters)

On oil exports, it’s US Chamber vs. AFL-CIO – but Keystone XL brings harmony (via Greenwire)

TRANSPORTATION 

The trillion-dollar question: Where does transport investment come from? (via World Resources Institute)

Ford wants to double hybrid offerings by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

Boeing seeks approval this year for direct blending of renewable diesel in jet fuel (via Green Car Congress)

KEYSTONE XL 

TransCanada will look at rail if Keystone XL is rejected (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Keystone XL southern leg near activation (via Texas Tribune)

Additional comment period may prolong Keystone review (via Bloomberg)

ENVIRONMENT 

Sea ice cracks causing mercury buildup in Arctic air (via Climate Central)

Obama Administration seen as retreating on environment in Pacific trade talks (via New York Times)

Alaska’s Bristol Bay region could be devastated by mining, says EPA report (via The Guardian)

Trees accelerate growth as they get older and bigger, finds study (via The Guardian)

Holes in chemical regulations hampered West Virginia spill response (via Politico)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Google and Nest: The big picture for home automation competitors (via Greentech Media)

Better Buildings Alliance unveils Green Lease Leaders program (via Energy Manager Today)

OPINION 

America’s energy boom (via Washington Post)

WikiLeaks exposes what Obama’s secret trade deal would do to the environment (via Mother Jones)

A big test for Obama on the environment (via Washington Post)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.16.14

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

CLIMATE 

UN climate experts warn geoengineering may be essential for 2C world (via RTCC)

Australian heatwaves getting hotter and longer, says Climate Council (via The Guardian)

Seven US weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion in damages in 2013 (via NOAA)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Half of Britons opposed to shale gas drilling within 10 miles of their homes (via Reuters)

EPA vows action on fracking rules, policy (via National Journal)

Mixing hazardous drainage from mining operations cuts fracking waste’s radioactivity (via ABC News/AP)

Shale plays? There’s an app for that (via Houston Chronicle)

RENEWABLES 

France-Germany energy plan to focus on renewables (via Reuters)

These charts show how solar demand has shifted around the world (via Greentech Media)

India proposes new national offshore wind energy agency (via India Briefing)

Clean energy investment down, but not out (via Christian Science Monitor)

BP sees renewables outpacing fossil fuels, eclipsing nuclear (via Bloomberg)

10 ways to generate $36 trillion in green investments by 2050 (via RTCC)

SolarCity wants to raise billions of dollars in capital – from you (via Quartz)

COAL 

China coal output seen up 2.7% in 2014 (via Reuters)

White House: International coal policy intact despite GOP rider (via National Journal)

EMISSIONS 

BP study predicts greenhouse gas emissions will rise by almost a third in 20 years (via The Guardian)

Hydroelectric dams said to be “hotspots” of greenhouse gas methane (via United Press International)

Study: Low-cost measures could cut EU emissions 40% by 2030 (via BusinessGreen)

Beijing has worst smog in a year (via The Guardian)

OIL 

Fracking chemicals may make oil extra explosive (via Grist)

Cities boost work on oil-train safety as production surges (via National Journal)

North Dakota’s top oil regulator is also its top oil promoter (via Grist)

OPEC outages cut its oil output to below 2014 demand (via Reuters)

On oil exports, it’s US Chamber vs. AFL-CIO – but Keystone XL brings harmony (via Greenwire)

TRANSPORTATION 

The trillion-dollar question: Where does transport investment come from? (via World Resources Institute)

Ford wants to double hybrid offerings by 2020 (via Autoblog Green)

Boeing seeks approval this year for direct blending of renewable diesel in jet fuel (via Green Car Congress)

KEYSTONE XL 

TransCanada will look at rail if Keystone XL is rejected (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Keystone XL southern leg near activation (via Texas Tribune)

Additional comment period may prolong Keystone review (via Bloomberg)

ENVIRONMENT 

Sea ice cracks causing mercury buildup in Arctic air (via Climate Central)

Obama Administration seen as retreating on environment in Pacific trade talks (via New York Times)

Alaska’s Bristol Bay region could be devastated by mining, says EPA report (via The Guardian)

Trees accelerate growth as they get older and bigger, finds study (via The Guardian)

Holes in chemical regulations hampered West Virginia spill response (via Politico)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Google and Nest: The big picture for home automation competitors (via Greentech Media)

Better Buildings Alliance unveils Green Lease Leaders program (via Energy Manager Today)

OPINION 

America’s energy boom (via Washington Post)

WikiLeaks exposes what Obama’s secret trade deal would do to the environment (via Mother Jones)

A big test for Obama on the environment (via Washington Post)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.17.13

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

OIL 

Mexico gears up for an oil boom of its own (via Christian Science Monitor)

US oil production closing in on record (via National Journal)

Senate Dems press Interior to back off Arctic oil drilling (via National Journal)

Feds press California officials on refinery safety (via National Journal)

CLIMATE 

Alps warming at double average global rate, confirms new study (via Climate Progress)

Study: Climate change could drain access to water (via National Journal)

Plants “could stop being brake on global warming” (via The Independent)

RENEWABLES 

India on course to become solar “global leader” (via RTCC)

Solar’s massive growth in top 10 solar countries (via CleanTechnica)

US ethanol use to hit record as corn prices slump, feds project (via Houston Chronicle)

Dems push to extend clean energy tax credits (via National Journal)

Clean energy boosters blast feds’ forecast (via Houston Chronicle)

Analysis: Clouds over Hawaii’s rooftop solar growth hint at US battle (via Reuters)

Missouri is latest front in homeowners fight for “solar rights” (via Midwest Energy News)

Turning a building’s water system into a hydroelectric plant (via New York Times)

COAL 

More and more major banks pledge not to finance new overseas coal plants (via Climate Progress)

Remember the “war on coal?” – coal’s losing, but only in the US (via Washington Post)

EMISSIONS 

Oceans storing more carbon than previously thought (via Climate Central)

Study: Piecemeal approach to emissions proves surprisingly effective (via United Press International)

EU reaches deal to cap super-warming F-gases (via Reuters)

As backloading passes, Davey promises push for “structural reform” of carbon market (via BusinessGreen)

CARB approves another round of cap and trade amendments (via Environmental Leader)

Oregon weighing carbon tax (via Statesman-Journal)

Wisconsin on track to reduce CO2 emission by 22% (via Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)

NUCLEAR 

Ohio, Michigan riled over plan to bury nuclear waste (via Toledo Blade)

GRID 

Favorable consumer attitudes toward smart meters continue to increase (via Navigant Research)

PJM authorizes $4.6 billion in regional electric grid upgrades (via Renew Grid)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US forecasts natural gas boom through 2040 (via USA Today)

NY governor could delay fracking ban decision until after 2014 election (via Houston Chronicle)

Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing natural gas producing state (via US EIA)

TRANSPORTATION 

Do EV incentives impact resell value? (via EarthTechling)

Tesla Model E could arrive in January 2015, earlier than expected (via Autoblog Green)

TAR SANDS 

Kinder Morgan files application for another tar sands pipeline across British Columbia (via Climate Progress)

Need for more tar sands imports called into question with latest US energy data (via InsideClimate News)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Why the future of the light bulb is flat (via GigaOm)

Is Google getting back into the energy data game? (via GigaOm)

OPINION 

Which is more wrong: EIA’s latest coal or renewable energy market share projection (via Facts of the Day)

Solar energy heading to mainstream in the US (via Energy Collective)

Distributed storage: The killer app for solar? (via Greentech Media)

A burning question: Why don’t climate scientists sound more worried? (via ClimateWire)

Solar industry forecast: Sunny with a chance of issues (via GreenBiz)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.17.13

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

OIL 

Mexico gears up for an oil boom of its own (via Christian Science Monitor)

US oil production closing in on record (via National Journal)

Senate Dems press Interior to back off Arctic oil drilling (via National Journal)

Feds press California officials on refinery safety (via National Journal)

CLIMATE 

Alps warming at double average global rate, confirms new study (via Climate Progress)

Study: Climate change could drain access to water (via National Journal)

Plants “could stop being brake on global warming” (via The Independent)

RENEWABLES 

India on course to become solar “global leader” (via RTCC)

Solar’s massive growth in top 10 solar countries (via CleanTechnica)

US ethanol use to hit record as corn prices slump, feds project (via Houston Chronicle)

Dems push to extend clean energy tax credits (via National Journal)

Clean energy boosters blast feds’ forecast (via Houston Chronicle)

Analysis: Clouds over Hawaii’s rooftop solar growth hint at US battle (via Reuters)

Missouri is latest front in homeowners fight for “solar rights” (via Midwest Energy News)

Turning a building’s water system into a hydroelectric plant (via New York Times)

COAL 

More and more major banks pledge not to finance new overseas coal plants (via Climate Progress)

Remember the “war on coal?” – coal’s losing, but only in the US (via Washington Post)

EMISSIONS 

Oceans storing more carbon than previously thought (via Climate Central)

Study: Piecemeal approach to emissions proves surprisingly effective (via United Press International)

EU reaches deal to cap super-warming F-gases (via Reuters)

As backloading passes, Davey promises push for “structural reform” of carbon market (via BusinessGreen)

CARB approves another round of cap and trade amendments (via Environmental Leader)

Oregon weighing carbon tax (via Statesman-Journal)

Wisconsin on track to reduce CO2 emission by 22% (via Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel)

NUCLEAR 

Ohio, Michigan riled over plan to bury nuclear waste (via Toledo Blade)

GRID 

Favorable consumer attitudes toward smart meters continue to increase (via Navigant Research)

PJM authorizes $4.6 billion in regional electric grid upgrades (via Renew Grid)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

US forecasts natural gas boom through 2040 (via USA Today)

NY governor could delay fracking ban decision until after 2014 election (via Houston Chronicle)

Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing natural gas producing state (via US EIA)

TRANSPORTATION 

Do EV incentives impact resell value? (via EarthTechling)

Tesla Model E could arrive in January 2015, earlier than expected (via Autoblog Green)

TAR SANDS 

Kinder Morgan files application for another tar sands pipeline across British Columbia (via Climate Progress)

Need for more tar sands imports called into question with latest US energy data (via InsideClimate News)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Why the future of the light bulb is flat (via GigaOm)

Is Google getting back into the energy data game? (via GigaOm)

OPINION 

Which is more wrong: EIA’s latest coal or renewable energy market share projection (via Facts of the Day)

Solar energy heading to mainstream in the US (via Energy Collective)

Distributed storage: The killer app for solar? (via Greentech Media)

A burning question: Why don’t climate scientists sound more worried? (via ClimateWire)

Solar industry forecast: Sunny with a chance of issues (via GreenBiz)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.9.13

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

EMISSIONS 

US Supreme Court to hear cross-state air pollution rule (via The Hill)

Companies increasingly counting internal cost of carbon (via BusinessGreen)

Eastern US states press Midwest to improve air (via New York Times)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

LNG’s future hinges on demand more than exports (via Houston Chronicle)

Battle widens over “gas rush” climate footprint (via National Journal)

Marcellus region to provide 18% total US natural gas production this month (via US EIA)

USGS sending instruments to record Texas quakes (via EnergyWire)

Ohio shale gas boom closer than many realize (via Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

RENEWABLES 

US wind farms get extended leeway on eagle deaths (via Los Angeles Times)

Which states win and which states lose on the Production Tax Credit? (via CleanTechnica)

Wind energy projects rush to start construction in advance of expiring PTC – again (via Energy Collective)

Has concentrated solar power run out of steam in the US? (via Greentech Media)

Reservoir emissions: A quiet threat to expanding hydropower (via ClimateWire)

Bioports emerge as runway for aviation biofuels (via Navigant Research)

New wind farms in New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota cost just 2.2-3.3 cents/KWh (via Facts of the Day)

TVA to increase renewable energy capacity by 126MW in 2014 (via Solar Industry Magazine)

California utility merges forecasting, weather, economics to handle renewables (via Greentech Media)

Wind power and wildlife can get along, birders say (via EarthTechling)

Kansas lawmaker, religious allies push for renewable energy (via News OK/AP)

KEYSTONE XL 

Clock ticks on Canadian carbon rules as Keystone decision looms (via National Journal)

CLIMATE 

Study says Arctic thaw tied to European, US heat waves and downpours (via Reuters)

Can hacking the stratosphere solve climate change? (via NPR)

US Navy predicts summer ice-free Arctic by 2016 (via The Guardian)

Australian firefighter numbers “will need to double by 2030 as climate change bites” (via The Guardian)

What London would have looked like on Friday without flood defenses (via Forbes)

Two big issues to tackle as the green climate fund sets up shop (via WRI Insights)

OIL 

Oil near $98 as US economy shows improvement (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Offshore drilling industry takes aim at safety rule (via Houston Chronicle)

Northeast Nevada eyed for more oil exploration (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

TRANSPORTATION 

US partners with China to put auto emissions in check (via Washington Post)

Advanced batteries reached $10.8 billion in market value in 2012 (via Navigant Research)

Average new-vehicle MPG ratings continue to climb, now up to 24.8 (via Autoblog Green)

Americans are driving less and taking public transit more: Let’s invest accordingly (via Greentech Media)

COAL 

Minnesota orders Xcel Energy to study shutting down two large coal units (via Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Will costs delay energy efficiency gains in developing countries? (via Breaking Energy)

Interest groups call on EPA to write energy efficiency into upcoming regulations (via National Journal)

Expanded “Green Button” will reach federal agencies, more US energy consumers (via Energy.gov)

OPINION 

Four possible scenarios for Australia’s energy future (via CleanTechnica)

Five ways wind power can survive without extending the Production Tax Credit (via Christian Science Monitor)

How best can we use natural gas, or should we use it at all? (via National Journal)

Bye, bye biofuels: Why the US Renewable Fuels Standard failed (via Forbes)

The fracking-earthquake connection (Dallas Morning News)

Monterey Shale isn’t all it’s fracked up to be (via Smart Planet)

Cap, trade, and profit (via Albany Times-Union)

Renewable energy might save thousands of lives in Ohio (via Crain’s Cleveland Business)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 12.3.13

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

EMISSIONS 

UN carbon offset market seen “in a coma” for years after Warsaw (via Planet Ark)

Beijing starts China’s third carbon exchange with first trades (via Bloomberg)

US EPA chief to share air pollution lessons with China (via Reuters)

EPA to be “flexible” on carbon standards (via The Hill)

RGGI tells EPA: Keep cap-and-trade alive (via National Journal)

California’s carbon market caps off successful first year of auctions (via Environmental Leader)

Bloomberg LP launches first tool that measures risk of “unburnable carbon” assets (via InsideClimate News)

ENERGY POLICY

Report: China’s green economy faces significant challenges (via Environmental Leader)

Canada at crossroads in bid to become energy superpower (via Bloomberg)

Slashing fossil fuel consumption comes with a price (via NPR)

RENEWABLES

Solar PV “competitive” with natural gas in 2025 (via Recharge)

Wind could generate 18% of global electricity by 2050 (via RTCC)

For Minnesota utility, wind backed by hydro is “holy grail” (via Midwest Energy News)

Poll of businesses finds support for Ohio clean energy standards (via Cincinnati Enquirer)

KEYSTONE XL

Billionaire “absolutely” wants to sway Keystone XL decision (via The Hill)

US pipeline safety official admits he’d avoid buying a home near pipelines like Keystone XL (via DeSmog Blog)

CLIMATE

Scientists warn global warming “will be hard to reverse” (via Climate Central)

More droughts, heavier rains predicted for warmer Europe (via Agence France-Presse)

EPA leader urges cooperation on climate ahead of trip to China (via National Journal)

OIL

OPEC scrambling to keep oil prices stable (and high) as it meets (via Washington Post)

TRANSPORTATION

Delayed auto emissions targets will cost EU £21 billion (via BusinessGreen

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

London switches on to LED lighting revolution (via BusinessGreen)

Five of the most important changes to the LEED green building rating system (via Greentech Media)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

Who’s really cashing in on the fracking boom? (via National Journal)

10% of US earthquakes are in Oklahoma – is shale drilling to blame? (via EnergyWire)

GRID

Power struggle: Green energy versus a grid that’s not ready (via Los Angeles Times)

Stem looks beyond utilities to lead charge on batteries for the grid (via GreenBiz)

OPINION

Is EPA on the right track with the biofuels mandate? (via National Journal)

How do meteorologists fit into the 97% global warming consensus? (via The Guardian)

Why the utility death spiral myth needs to die (via Forbes)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.18.13

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

COP 19

Tense week ahead for UN climate talks (via AP)

Carbon market negotiations falter in Warsaw (via BusinessGreen)

3 ways to make progress on climate finance at COP 19 (via World Resources Institute)

EMISSIONS

Unabated coal use will break world’s “coal budget” (via World Resources Institute)

Carbon market “toolbox” could create global standards (via Environmental Leader)

The EPA might be able to push a carbon tax on its own (via Washington Post)

RENEWABLES

Brazil wind industry seeking clarity on grid operator interconnection plans (via Recharge)

EPA retreats on ethanol mandate (via The Hill)

US may be hitting its ethanol limit, so EPA wants to relax its biofuels goals (via Washington Post)

As ALEC shifts RPS opposition strategy, state law favors renewables (via Greentech Media)

Report highlights best practices to incorporate renewables onto grid (via Energy Manager Today)

California gets 19% electricity from non-hydro renewables, up from 12% in 2008 (via Facts of the Day)

First large-scale biogas plant in US coming online in California (via Sustainable Business)

LA solar energy investment atlas a model for renewables development (via Solar Industry Magazine)

Michigan Tech tests if solar power works up north (via Miami Herald/AP)

How whiskey makers could soon be providing a superior biofuel (via Climate Progress)

COAL

UN climate chief warns of financial risk to coal’s future (via BusinessGreen)

King coal enjoys an unexpected renaissance in the UK (via Financial Times)

The death of coal (via The Atlantic)

CLIMATE

Insurance shortfall hits poorest and most vulnerable (via Climate Central)

Super typhoon Haiyan: Realities of a warmed world (via Huffington Post)

Climate change rallies staged across Canada (via CBC News)

Thousands rally in Australia for climate action (via Phys.org)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

Shale revolution spreads with record wells outside US (via Bloomberg)

Water shortages could dry up shale gas craze (via Forbes)

The backdoor bid to ban fracking (via National Journal)

Breaking down the new proposed fracking rules released in Illinois and California (via Climate Progress)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

As utility efficiency programs grow, some industries want out (via Midwest Energy News)

PNNL’s lab homes run energy efficient technologies through the paces (via Breaking Energy)

NUCLEAR

Workers begin removing fuel rods at Fukushima (via National Journal)

GREEN BUILDING

Tool measures building materials’ environmental impact (via Environmental Leader)

TRANSPORTATION

Fast charging key to EV adoption, finds study (via Greentech Media)

6,554 Tesla Model S units sold in California through September 2013 (via San Jose Mercury News)

POLITICS

House GOP revives energy battles with Obama (via The Hill)

Sen. Stabenow criticizes proposed EPA fuel mandate (via The Hill)

OPINION

Are UN global warming talks futile? (via National Journal)

UN’s Ban Ki-moon says Philippines typhoon a “warning” on climate change (via Phys.org)

Global warming pragmatism (via Washington Post)

Is business leading the way in developing off-grid energy? (via The Guardian)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 11.4.13

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

EMISSIONS 

PwC: World set to blow carbon budget by 2034 (via BusinessGreen)

Alberta PM seeking “quid pro quo” from US on carbon tax (via Edmonton Journal)

Power plants try burning wood with coal to cut emissions (via New York Times)

The financial case for fossil fuel divestment by endowment fiduciaries (via Huffington Post)

ENERGY TAX POLICY 

IEA says feed-in tariffs not a subsidy but tax credits are (via Renew Economy)

US will begin publishing fossil fuel subsidy totals (via The Hill)

Wind tax credit could take a big hit in next tax battle (via Politico)

RENEWABLES 

Brazil plans new wind-only tender (via Recharge)

Japan many offer higher feed-in tariff for offshore wind projects (via Recharge)

Renewables “need huge mineral supply” (via Climate News Network)

Efficient turbine spacing boosts offshore wind farm output 33% (via CleanTechnica)

Attacks on clean energy failed across the country: Report (via Huffington Post)

Utilities across the US cashing in on lower price of wind power (via Renew Grid)

4 states lead US in Freeing the Grid for distributed solar energy (via CleanTechnica)

US wind power slumps in 2013 after tax credit drives 2012 boom (via Bloomberg)

Xcel sets 60% wind energy record in Colorado (via CleanTechnica)

$600 average annual savings for middle-class families who lease solar (via CleanTechnica)

Calvert launches green bond fund for retail investors (via Sustainable Business)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Fracking boom leading to fracking bust, say scientists (via Climate Central)

US shale boom to boost LPG exports, bring down prices (via Reuters)

Fracking’s “Red Queen” effect means even more drilling (via TriplePundit)

Coast Guard plan would let “frackwater” travel rivers on barges (via Pittsburgh Times-Tribune)

CLIMATE 

Warming report sees violent, sicker, poorer future (via AP)

Oceans warming faster than they have over past 10,000 years (via Time)

Kyoto veterans say global warming goal slipping away (via Bloomberg)

Hottest September on record, warmest Arctic in 120,000 years (via Climate Progress)

One potential problem with geoengineering: Less rain (via MIT Technology Review)

Columbia Law report encourages “managed coastal retreat” over fortification (via ClimateWire)

Obama signs order in response to weather disasters and climate change (via Washington Post)

Army Corps: Climate change threatens Naval Station Norfolk (via Washington Post/AP)

OIL 

Lightning strike may have caused North Dakota pipeline spill (via Huffington Post/AP)

North Dakota oil boom brings worry to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (via Los Angeles Times)

More mineral owners seek to join North Dakota gas flaring lawsuits (via Houston Chronicle)

TRANSPORTATION 

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf move combined 4,024 units in October (via Autoblog Green)

GRID 

Post-Sandy, US pushes microgrids for backup power (via USA Today)

New FERC rule improving outlook for energy storage (via Midwest Energy News)

Plugging interoperability into the nation’s electric grid (via GigaOm)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

Smart thermostat market will grow tenfold by 2020 (via Greentech Media)

Green buildings: A matter of health, not just energy (via EarthTechling)

ENVIRONMENT 

World’s soil moisture could decrease 15% by 2099 (via RTCC)

Bolivia, Madagascar, China see jump in forest loss (via Mongabay)

China’s clean air effort likely to take a long time (via New York Times)

In Rim Fire’s aftermath, a new worry emerges: water (via Los Angeles Times)

POLITICS 

In Britain, era of “green conservative” withers (via Washington Post)

GOP deeply divided over climate change (via Pew Research)

OPINION 

Global emissions grew more slowly in 2012, but will they ever decline? (via Washington Post)

What happens when the world dries out (via Climate Central)

Obama asks federal agencies to “prepare” for climate change – here’s what that means (via Washington Post)

Can coal states and the EPA just get along? (via National Journal)

Arizona Public Service should come clean on solar (via Environmental Leader)

China’s great dam boom: An assault on its river systems (via Yale e360)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 10.15.13

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

EMISSIONS 

Germany blocks EU car emissions law (via The Guardian)

Tony Abbott insists Australia’s carbon tax will end on July 1 even if Senate blocks repeal (via The Guardian)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Fracking comes to Saudi Arabia despite limited water resources (via Raw Story/AFP)

China will raise on-grid prices for gas-fired power generation (via Reuters)

Shell CEO says shale gas will take longer to develop than expected (via Reuters)

Combining distributed gas and solar in the US heartland (via Greentech Media)

Drilling water wells to foil fracking (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

RENEWABLES 

IEA projects renewable energy to surpass natural gas in 2015 (via Sustainable Business)

Global hydropower investment to top $75 billion through 2020 (via BusinessGreen)

World Bank support for China solar and wind power may have cost US jobs (via Washington Post)

Chile doubles renewable energy goal to 20% to spark new projects (via Bloomberg)

German green power surcharge to rise 18% in 2014 (via Reuters)

Solar and wind produced up to 60% of Germany’s electricity on October 3rd (via CleanTechnica)

1.8GW of new solar for Japan in Q2 (via CleanTechnica)

Solar vs. wind in Brazil’s power tender (via Recharge)

Putting robots to work in solar energy (via New York Times)

TAR SANDS 

Mercury levels rising near Alberta oil sands, study finds (via Globe and Mail)

CLIMATE 

Climate change making North American forests more vulnerable (via Washington Post)

Foliage season under fire from climate change (via Climate Central)

LA Times refuses to publish climate denial, will other newspapers? (via CleanTechnica)

Another dry year could be bad news for California (via Los Angeles Times)

TRANSPORTATION 

For EV makers, selling cars is just the start (via Navigant Research)

From RINs to supply to demand to seasonality, why gasoline is heading lower (via Houston Chronicle)

OIL 

Report: US oil growth having limited effect on energy security (via Houston Chronicle)

GRID 

Smart city market to hit $6.1 billion by 2020 (via Energy Manager Today)

10 reasons microgrids matter to corporate sustainability (via GreenBiz)

OPINION 

Clean energy not to blame for rising California energy costs (via EarthTechling)

Four key reasons why coal’s 2013 rebound will end and its decline resume (via Facts of the Day)

Renewable Fuel Standard: Are we nearing a compromise on ethanol? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Why residents of disaster-prone areas don’t move (via The Atlantic)

Renewable fuel standard needs to be modified, not repealed (via Phys.org)

Energy and Environment News Roundup – 9.13.13

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

EMISSIONS 

EU carbon hits 8 month high on jump in energy prices (via Reuters Point Carbon)

Will Costa Rica’s new voluntary carbon trading system work? (via Climate Progress)

Big business fights Obama Administration’s calculations on carbon costs (via Grist)

California carbon allowances retreat to $12.30 as bearish sentiment grows (via Reuters Point Carbon)

COAL 

China bans new coal-fired plants in 3 regions (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Air pollution waiver may decide fate of Illinois coal plants (via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

RENEWABLES 

Solar-Energy Storage market to reach $2.8 billion by 2018 (via Energy Manager Today)

UK hits 1GW of installed offshore wind capacity (via RTCC)

Hydroelectric power makes big comeback at US dams (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

Report: $603 million in DOE biofuels funding fails to meet goals (via The Hill)

60GW of new hydropower projects pending approval by FERC (via Facts of the Day)

US solar PV grows 15% in second quarter (via EarthTechling)

California passes 600MW shared renewables program (via CleanTechnica)

South Carolina rural electrical cooperatives back solar farm (via The State)

California regulators say proposed large-scale solar project could harm eagles (via Greenwire)

CLIMATE 

Progress at UN climate cash talks sets stage for ministers (via Reuters Point Carbon)

Unprecedented rate and scale of ocean acidification found in Arctic (via Phys.org)

Never-released DOE report predicts increasing domestic conflicts over water, energy (via DeSmog Blog)

US tree migration is not keeping pace with warming (via Yale e360)

Kentucky governor stands up to climate deniers, defends teaching science (via Climate Progress)

Global warming’s denier elite (via Rolling Stone)

KEYSTONE XL 

Canada touts carbon pollution cuts as Keystone XL pressure builds (via Houston Chronicle)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

US federal buildings brace for deep energy retrofits (via EarthTechling)

A bid to “shame” building owners into energy efficiency (via National Journal)

While one Ohio utility fights efficiency, another embraces it (via Midwest Energy News)

OIL 

Norway’s new government may bar oil firms from Arctic islands (via Reuters)

BP starts drilling at “giant” Gulf of Mexico oil field after spill setback (via Reuters)

Environmental groups bail on California fracking bill (via Huffington Post)

California fracking oversight bill nears final passage even as greens cancel support (via EnergyWire)

TRANSPORTATION 

Can DOE build a better EV battery? (via Christian Science Monitor)

Bumps in the road as Hawaii plugs into EVs (via Plugin Cars)

GRID 

Demand response hits a new record in PJM (via Greentech Media)

California proposes framework for energy storage procurement program (via Breaking Energy)

Texas shows transmission upgrade benefits for wind power (via Reuters)

NATURAL GAS 

US LNG exports will be higher than expected (via Reuters)

GREEN BUSINESS 

BG Group, Nestle, SAP named among world’s most sustainable companies (via BusinessGreen)

Millennials may not be as green as you think (via GreenBiz)

Why colleges should add green to their school colors (via BusinessGreen)

ENERGY POLICY 

Senate panel explores US-Mexico offshore drilling deal (via The Hill)

US to pass Russia in liquid fuels production, says IEA (via Wall Street Journal)

California lawmakers move to reform state’s electricity rate structure (via Reuters)

Arizona regulators drop retail electricity deregulation push (via Houston Chronicle/AP)

OPINION 

Canada’s climate actions sharply diverge from government promises (via Energy Collective)

Global warming is very real (via Rolling Stone)

Don’t believe the coal industry’s warnings (via Bloomberg)

How solar remains attractive without key incentives in California (via Forbes)

How long before the Great Plains runs out of water? (via Washington Post)