All Environment
Bear rescue: Man drives an hour to save injured cubAn Arizona man drove 80 miles to rescue an injured bear cub and bring it to a wildlife conservation center. It is unkown if the injured bear cub will be released into the wild.
California earthquakes may pose threat to nuclear plant, expert saysCalifornia earthquakes may pose a safety risk to the state's last operating nuclear plant, a senior federal nuclear expert says in a report obtained by the Associated Press. The report says no one knows whether the facility's equipment can withstand California earthquakes.聽聽聽
Who needs Keystone XL? Oil sands flow to US via loophole.As Keystone XL awaits a final decision from the Obama administration, at least one energy firm has found a loophole to ship controversial oil sands across the US border. The Keystone XL workaround could increase the flow of oil sands to the US by an additional 75,000 barrels per day without White House approval.聽
Climate change policies pay for themselves, study saysAn MIT climate change study released Sunday indicates the cost of slashing coal-fired carbon emissions would be offset by reduced spending on public health. The EPA-funded study examined climate change policies similar to those proposed by the Obama administration in June.聽
Oil trains face scrutiny; Alaska votes on oil taxes; Australia waffles on renewables [Recharge]Canada determined lax oversight and poor safety caused a deadly oil train explosion; Alaskans voted on a referendum they hope will revive falling oil production; Australia is shifting from renewable energy, just as it discovers oil offshore. Catch up on the week in global energy with Recharge.
Blue lobster is 'one-in-two-million' crustaceanBlue lobster caught by a fisherman in Scarborough, Maine Saturday. The blue lobster has been named Skyler and will be donated to the Maine State Aquarium.聽
In race for solar power, China is winningChina is cutting its dependence on carbon-heavy coal and replacing it with solar power at a breakneck pace, Topf writes. The world's top energy consumer added 3.3 gigawatts of solar power capacity between January and June.聽
For oil and wind, offshore is promised land 鈥� and muddled policyExtending the naton's oil and gas boom and wind power's technology to coastal waters makes logical sense. But it highlights the contradiction between President Obama's 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy and his environmental agenda.
National Zoo celebrates Bao Bao's first birthdayThe National Zoo in Washington marked the first birthday of panda cub Bao Bao, born from two pandas on loan from China. Bao Bao will celebrate with a cake of frozen juice and fruit.
Vin Diesel redirects ice bucket challenge: 'Plant a tree for Groot'Vin Diesel issues his own challenge to 'Plant a tree for Groot.' What kind of tree should it be?
Global warming 'hiatus': Scientists duel over which ocean steals some heatMany scientists say natural climate variability is behind a slowdown in the pace of global warming over the past 15 years. And the key to the variability is the way oceans can act as heat sinks.
West Virginia Senate test: Which candidate can cozy up closest to coal?Coal is the gold standard in West Virginia, where Senate candidate Natalie Tennant bashes her GOP rival for appearing on the campaign trail with out-of-stater Mitt Romney, who once said coal 'kills people.'
Will SeaWorld's larger whale pools quell 'Blackfish' backlash?After the documentary 'Blackfish' suggested that killer whales suffer in captivity 鈥� denting SeaWorld attendance 鈥� the park announced plans to enlarge their holding tanks. But will the move quell bad press?
On Alaska's oil tax referendum, Palin joins with liberalsWhile Alaska's governor and the industry want to keep a flat tax on the industry, Sarah Palin and liberal Democrats want to return to a sliding-scale system. Which plan brings more money to 聽Alaska depends on where oil prices head.
US wades into Iraq: Is it all about oil? Libya reintegrates. Shale and GOP. [Recharge]US airstrikes, which helped Kurdish peshmerga take back at least part of Mosul Dam over the weekend, are fueling speculation that oil motivated US involvement in Iraq. But the facts point otherwise. Also: Libya continues its reintegration into global oil markets; if the GOP captures the Senate, the US shale boom would likely accelerate. Catch up on the week in global energy with Recharge.
Humongous 1,000-pound alligator caught in AlabamaThe 15-foot-long alligator is the largest ever legally killed by an Alabama hunter. Alligators are no longer an endangered species in the US.
Birds igniting: California solar power plant scorches birds in mid-airFederal wildlife investigators who visited the BrightSource Energy solar plant last year聽 reported an average of one bird igniting in flight every two minutes.
Humans now the major cause of alpine glacier melt, researchers sayThe researchers estimate that between 1990 and 2010, some 69 percent of the mass lost by the world's alpine glaciers can be traced to human influence 鈥� basically global warming.
Sorry, Mr. Obama, Africa needs coalAfrica faces a dilemma: It's vulnerable to climate change but needs coal to grow robustly. So which way are Africans going?
Oil prices drop, raising worries for debt-heavy companiesOil prices have been steady or dipping in recent weeks, despite continued geopolitical turmoil. Calm prices are largely due to soft demand for oil globally 鈥� a situation that could pose problems for oil companies saddled with too much debt.
