Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.24.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
COAL
EU finance arm curbs loans to coal-fired power plants (via Reuters)
Chinese coal companies releasing toxic wastewater in Inner Mongolia (via The Guardian)
Why is Germany’s greenest city building a coal-fired power plant? (via InsideClimate News)
Lessons from the beginning of the end of America’s coal industry (via Energy Trends Insider)
ENERGY POLICY
Utilities missing opportunity on combined heat and power (via Midwest Energy News)
Senate offshore energy revenue-sharing bill has $6 billion price tag (via The Hill)
RENEWABLES
Chinese tariffs may hurt U.S. makers of solar cells’ raw material (via Washington Post)
New radar technology could double number of UK wind farms (via RTCC)
Highlighting trends in global renewable energy generation (via Houston Chronicle)
The real solar feed-in tariff story in Spain (via CleanTechnica)
House lawmakers say U.S. renewable fuel mandate will change (via Bloomberg)
How twelve states are succeeding in solar energy installation (via Climate Progress)
Offshore wind gains in Virginia, stumbles in New Jersey (via EarthTechling)
First Wind Energy proposes New England’s largest wind farm (via CleanTechnica)
Maryland governor to propose 25% by 2020 renewable energy target (via Washington Post)
TAR SANDS/KEYSTONE XL
Report: Keystone XL would boost oil sands output and emissions (via Houston Chronicle)
The Alberta oil sands have been leaking for nine weeks (via Mother Jones)
Study finds little environmental enforcement in tar sands infractions (via Calgary Herald)
EMISSIONS
Social cost of carbon battle hits House floor (via The Hill)
A carbon tax by any other name (via New York Times)
11 reasons to divest from the fossil fuel industry (via Resilience)
What if we could harvest electricity from carbon dioxide? (via Energy Manager Today)
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
Wyoming fracking study to be funded by industry after EPA pulls out (via InsideClimate News)
CLIMATE
Ancient global warming raised sea levels nearly 70 feet (via National Geographic)
Global temperature plateau likely due to deep ocean warming (via Climate Central)
Arctic thawing could cost the world $60 trillion, say scientists (via BusinessGreen)
Biden, in India, calls climate change a risk to development (via The Hill)
Arctic shipping quadrupled in past year as global warming melts sea ice (via Slate)
Climate change threatens Bangladesh’s millennium development goal achievements (via Thompson-Reuters)
Heat and storms: research helps suburban homes adapt to climate change (via Phys.org)
OIL
US EIA says OPEC oil sales will decline through 2014 (via Houston Chronicle)
Hess, PetroChina sign China’s first shale oil deal (via Reuters)
TRANSPORTATION
EU in last lap of talks on global aviation emissions deal (via Euractive)
Renault-Nissan sells its 100,000th electric car (via Green Car Congress)
ENVIRONMENT
Severe drought plagues northeast Brazil (via Al-Jazeera)
China weighs environmental costs of economic growth (via Wall Street Journal)
Louisiana state agency to sue energy companies for wetland damage (via New York Times)
GRID
Smart meters must better integrate into utility operations (via Greentech Media)
Construction on 700-mile Clean Line transmission project could begin in 2015 (via The Oklahoman)
Microgrids and micro-municipalization (via RMI Outlet)
Demand response helps NYISO defend against record heat wave (via Renew Grid)
GREEN BUSINESS
Green job placements lag (via Environmental Leader)
“LEED for sustainable purchasing” to help corporate buyers (via GreenBiz)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Houses of the rising sun: developers build homes that make more energy than they take (via Washington Post/AP)
Milwaukee launches $100 million PACE program (via Journal Sentinel)
POLITICS
House bill limiting EPA power draws veto threat (via The Hill)
House Energy Committee chairman: biofuel-blending system “cannot stand” (via The Hill)
OPINION
Reuters climate change coverage declined significantly after “skeptic” editor joined (via Media Matters for America)
Last week’s hearing on social cost of carbon put right-wing objections to bed (via Climate Progress)
Washington heading for another round of devastating energy innovation cuts (via Energy Collective)
U.S. natural gas use must peak by 2030 to fight climate change (via Center for American Progress)
New Jersey offshore wind: Dead or alive? (via Huffington Post)
Is Georgia the next frontier for US solar development? (via GreenBiz)