Energy and Environment News Roundup – 2.12.13
A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.
COAL
Coal’s darkest hour: Fitch warns of increased bankruptcy possibilities in US coal sector (via International Business Times)
EMISSIONS
Investors worth $87 trillion call on companies to reveal carbon data (via RTCC)
Carbon markets threatened if EU backload plan fails (via Bloomberg)
Critics blast “target-less” Irish climate bill (via BusinessGreen)
Energy-related carbon emissions lowest since 1994 (via Greentech Media)
OIL
Shell will repair rigs in Asia, possibly delaying Arctic drilling in 2013 (via Houston Chronicle)
The boom in US oil drilling hasn’t lowered gas prices (via Washington Post)
RENEWABLES
Global wind capacity increased almost 20% in 2012 to 82 gigawatts (via Climate Progress)
Corn shortage idles 20 Midwest ethanol plants (via Boston Globe/AP)
Solar outside the Sunbelt: Michigan (via Greentech Media)
ARPA-E summit hosts next generation renewable technologies (via Sustainable Business)
GREEN JOBS
EU budget delivers “mixed news” for green economy (via BusinessGreen)
State of Green Business Report 2013 (via GreenBiz)
Are green jobs meant to help the economy or the jobless? (via Grist)
NATURAL GAS
German minister dashes hopes for shale gas fracking (via Reuters)
“There’s no way to tell” how much gas the US can produce (via EnergyWire)
Cuomo warned on fracking in Iowa ads (via Politico)
CLIMATE
New Harvard report probes security risks of extreme weather and climate change (via Phys.org)
Wanted: business leaders to aid Obama on climate (via Politico)
Climate change impact on Nor’easters: an increased storm surge threat (via Weather Underground)
Hurricane Sandy survivors demand climate change action from Obama (via Huffington Post)
Hollywood actors press Obama to fight climate change (via The Hill)
ENVIRONMENT
IEA says energy industry in trouble with future water usage (via CleanTechnica)
Group seeks to jump-start ocean protections (via New York Times)
Rich moisture feed helped blizzard bury Northeast (via Climate Central)
GREEN BUILDING
Government considers replacing LEED as preferred federal certification (via Triple Pundit)
Cool steps help fight global warming (via San Francisco Chronicle)
TRANSPORTATION
Plugging in, Dutch put electric cars to the test (via New York Times)
America’s high speed rail dream: what it could look like (via EarthTechling)
GRID
CA-ISO release app that shows status of power grid (via Renew Grid)
POLITICS
Obama expected to announce executive action on climate during State of the Union speech (via The Hill)
MIT physicist Moniz seen as front-runner to replace Chu (via Greenwire)
OPINION
Never mind the State of the Union; here’s what Obama can actually do on climate (via Grist)
The state of our energy union is strongest in 40 years (via Facts of the Day)
Why Big Ag could become major fracking ally (via Sustainable Business)
Obama’s Keystone XL decision could doom the tar sands…or the planet (via Grist)
Why the fight over natural gas exports may be overblown (via Washington Post)
Will Ernest Moniz be the next Energy secretary? (via Christian Science Monitor)