Energy and Environment News Roundup – 1.17.13

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

OIL AND GAS 

EPA halted fracking water contamination investigation in Texas after industry protest (via Huffington Post/AP)

OPEC sees weaker demand for its crude in 2013 (via Yahoo! News/Reuters)

BP, Justice Department say Gulf plea deal fair and appropriate (via Houston Chronicle)

Oil and gas lobby sees ‘early breakthrough’ for offshore royalty bill (via The Hill)

POWER GENERATION 

America’s 2012 power plant construction boom: new generation capacity jumps 21% (via Facts of the Day)

New coal generation capacity in 2012 up 135% over 2011 (via Facts of the Day)

RENEWABLES 

Japan to build world’s largest offshore wind farm (via New Scientist)

UK green bank chief plans to allocate $4.8 billion to clean energy by 2015 (via Renewable Energy World)

Green energy makes up half of new US capacity in 2012 (via BusinessGreen)

Indian states aim to boost solar power (via Panchabuta)

Mitsubishi invests $770 million in German offshore wind (via Houston Chronicle)

An emerging source of clean power in India: city waste (via GigaOm)

New study shows net metering is financial benefit, not burden, to ratepayers (via Renewable Energy World)

Reverse auctions seen as model for clean energy renaissance (via Sustainable Business)

EMISSIONS

Beijing’s toxic smog was years in the making, had many sources (via Reuters)

Airborne toxins down, but overall pollutant levels rising, EPA says (via Phys.org)

The simple technology helping Coca Cola, AT&T, Wal-Mart cut costs and emissions (via Forbes) 

GRID 

In smart grid energy savings, utilities must meet consumer expectations (via Pike Research)

FERC documents continued growth of demand response in the US (via Pike Research)

CLIMATE 

Study: global warming means more wildfires (via Coloradoan)

Fighting fires: you’re doing it wrong (via Live Science)

In Thoreau’s flower journal, clues for climatologists (via New York Times)

5 tips for handling climate skeptics in 2013 (via Huffington Post)

Sweltering summers to become the norm for US capital (via Climate Progress)

Climate change report forecasts major impacts for the Southwest (via Phys.org)

Europe’s climate change fail (via Energy Collective)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

2013 will bring phase-out of 75-watt incandescent light bulbs (via The Good Human)

TRANSPORTATION 

A vehicle engine that uses one-third the fuel (via MIT Technology Review)

2012 Coda sedan EV price slashed to $25,000 (via Green Car Reports)

ACEEE announces greenest cars of the year (via Green Car Reports)

Can subsidies get electric vehicles rolling in India? (via Forbes)

ENVIRONMENT 

Infographic study shows world’s oldest trees are dying off rapidly (via Inhabitat)

OPINION 

Will Australia become uninhabitable? (via Australia News24)

The road forward from cap-and-trade (via Grist)

America needs a vibrant clean energy manufacturing sector (via Innovation Files)

Why has climate legislation failed? (via Washington Post)

Why the renewable energy industry needs green banks (via Renewable Energy World)

Breaking down the federal clean energy innovation budget (via Innovation Files)

The really, really big picture: there isn’t going to be enough net energy for the economic growth we want (via Resiliency)