Energy and Environment News Roundup – 8.15.14
Marcacci Communications publishes a daily roundup of energy and climate news and opinion. Inclusion of articles does not mean endorsement.
ENVIRONMENT
India plans to spend $1 billion to clean waters by 2017 (via Bloomberg)
Crippling California drought levels off, map shows (via Los Angeles Times)
California drought holds steady amid summer storms (via Huffington Post/Reuters)
COAL
Poland considering sanctions on Russian coal imports (via Reuters)
Charlotte considers swapping land with Duke Energy to bury coal ash (via Charlotte Observer)
RENEWABLES
Citigroup: Solar set to shine as costs plummet (via BusinessGreen)
Renewable energy companies to invest $7 billion in Chile power (via Bloomberg)
Italy imposes retroactive changes to feed-in tariff for solar PV (Renew Economy)
Total-backed Amyris get $11 million for farnesene research (via Bloomberg)
America is making lots of solar energy – what’s holding it back from making solar panels? (via Slate)
Ford, DTE Energy to build Michigan’s largest solar array (via Energy Manager Today)
Streamlined permits speed up solar development in Chicago (via Midwest Energy News)
NATURAL GAS
Putin’s pipeline bypassing Ukraine is at risk amid conflict (via Bloomberg)
Some chemicals in fracking fluids raise red flags, say researchers (via Yale e360)
Firm plans $1.75 new gas pipelines in Northeast U.S. (via Houston Chronicle)
Judge throws out Texas family’s fracking pollution case (via InsideClimate News)
CLIMATE
IPCC warns of widespread climate change impacts in South Asia (via The News)
Climate change may “bottleneck” the Panama Canal and disrupt world trade (via The Guardian)
Humans to blame for much of recent glacier melt (via Climate Central)
Map shows western U.S. may suffer huge reductions in snow (via Wired)
New York climate march swells to global movement (via RTCC)
OIL
Iraq’s Islamic fighters profit from oil sales (via Reuters)
Billions in oil investments at risk from low crude prices, says Carbon Tracker (via Reuters)
Rail oil tankers, victim of U.S. safety rules, also unwanted in Canada (via Reuters)
Oil industry threatens to take its underwater air guns and go home (via National Journal)
EIA: Eagle Ford shale to cross 1.5 million daily barrels output in September (via Houston Chronicle)
North Dakota energy panel says $1 billion needed for infrastructure in shale boom (via Billings Gazette)
TRANSPORTATION
DOE to fund $55 million in vehicle efficiency, EV projects (via The Hill)
Research suggests the beginning of hydrogen transition in transportation (via Green Car Congress)
Los Angeles plans pilot of Siemens eHighway (via GreenBiz)
Tesla: We have to respect integrity of California environmental rules (via San Jose Mercury News)
Why leasing a new EV is better than buying used (via Autoblog Green)
GRID
High-voltage transmission system investment will pass $250 billion from 2014-2023 (via Navigant Research)
Power traders profit as electric grid is overworked (via New York Times)
POLITICS
House Republicans: End “harmful” wind tax credit (via The Hill)
Environmental groups launch pro-Republican push (via Politico)
Christie’s national ambitions seen by critics as factor in green lighting fracking (via InsideClimate News)
NC Governor misstated Duke Energy holdings, sold stock after coal-ash spill (via News Observer)
OPINION
Why New Zealand did not accept “world’s first climate refugees” (via RTCC)
Why the scientific case against fracking keeps getting stronger (via Mother Jones)
Could hacked energy devices have a cascading impact on the grid? (via Greentech Media)
Do sustainable buildings really cost more? (via GreenBiz)
How dust could solve California’s drought (via Scientific American)
Montana: Big Sky country, big climate problems (via Huffington Post)