Energy and Environment News Roundup – 5.28.14
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
EMISSIONS
World Bank: Carbon price efforts hurt by Australia, Russia policies (via Bloomberg)
Australia’s opposition leader concedes carbon, mining taxes to go (via Reuters)
South Korea releases tough CO2 caps on utilities, industry (via Reuters)
China’s Shenzen province to hold its first carbon permit auction (via Reuters)
Algeria site offers note of caution to storing carbon dioxide underground (via Christian Science Monitor)
Wind giant Texas stands tall as emissions rule change looms (via Houston Chronicle)
Cap and trade lives on through the states (via Politico)
Fossil fuel divestment spreads in Massachusetts: Three towns in ten days (via Treehugger)
RENEWABLES
Lessons from South Africa: Mobilizing renewable energy investment (via WRI Insights)
Consumer solar sales will hit $2.4 billion by 2024 (via Energy Manager Today)
U.S. seeks offshore wind investments near New York coast (via Bloomberg)
Big business buys into big wind (via Navigant Research)
How a little-used NREL tool could have saved the U.S. solar industry $6 billion (via Renewable Energy World)
Capitol One, SolarCity create $100 million investment fund (via CleanTechnica)
Barclays downgrades entire utility sector because of solar’s rise (via Sustainable Business)
Siemens plans to unveil 10MW offshore wind turbine by 2020 (via Recharge)
ENERGY POLICY
White House releases sweeping regulatory agenda (via Greenwire)
NATURAL GAS
Ukraine, Russia near deal to avoid natural gas cutoff (via The Hill)
Japanese lawmakers to lobby Abe for Russian gas pipeline (via Bloomberg)
CLIMATE
Light-colored insects surviving warming conditions in Europe (via Science World Report)
Pentagon “clear” climate change is a national security issue (via RTCC)
Yale poll: Americans much more worried about global warming than climate change (via Climate Progress)
Climate change officially now more divisive than abortion (via Climate Progress)
U.S. industry gears up to fight Obama’s climate change rules (via Huffington Post/Reuters)
Las Vegas water czar warns other U.S. cities to gear up for climate change (via Inhabitat)
Florida Governor Rick Scott won’t say if he things manmade climate change is real, significant (via Miami Herald)
OIL
Mexico’s oil production fell 25% in last decade, says EIA (via Houston Chronicle)
SEC writing new rules for foreign oil payment disclosures (via Houston Chronicle)
BP loses bid to stall oil spill payments during court appeal (via Bloomberg)
TRANSPORTATION
Top eight automakers all reduced vehicle emissions in 2013 (via The Hill)
Men and women drive, enjoy their EVs differently (via Autoblog Green)
KEYSTONE XL/TAR SANDS
Pipeline defects lead to new federal safety mandates on Keystone XL (via Houston Chronicle/AP)
Koch Brothers get rolling on their first tar sands project (via Grist)
GRID
Wall Street steps up warnings on distributed energy’s threat to utilities (via Greentech Media)
What the court decision on FERC Order 745 means for demand response (via Greentech Media)
NUCLEAR
Power market auction results place Exelon nuclear plants in jeopardy (via Chicago Tribune)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Efficiency directive could boost energy services in Europe (via Navigant Research)
States examine energy efficiency resource standards (via Energy Manager Today)
OPINION
Emissions markets with Chinese characteristics, or how transparency is key (via Energy Collective)
On oil and mining rules, should progressives be worried? (via National Journal)
New utility models require new understanding of customers (via Navigant Research)
How much difference can a year make? A lot, where emissions are concerned (via ClimateWire)
Four reasons why small solar installers will rise again (via Greentech Media)
Why is Hawaii scaling back on solar?