All Environment
- Lake Berryessa wildfire smoke drifts to San FranciscoLake聽Berryessa: The forest fire in Napa County had burned 500 acres and was 75 percent contained as of Friday morning, a day after it began.
Tropical storm Karen: Why gas prices will weather the stormTropical storm Karen threatens to disrupt offshore US oil and gas operations during what has otherwise been a calm hurricane season. But any impact from tropical storm Karen will likely be muted by less offshore production in the Gulf of Mexico, low demand, and the government shutdown.
US energy boom aside, OPEC still mattersNorth American oil markets are pulling away from foreign market because of increased domestic production. Still, OPEC producers should still hold a key stake in a changing oil game, according to the International Energy Agency.
In government shutdown, who keeps the lights on?The Department of Energy and聽the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission continued to operate normally Thursday, according to officials. But if a shutdown lingers, the departments responsible for ensuring the security and reliability of the nation's electric grid will be forced to cut back.聽
Tesla stock drops after Model S catches fireTesla stock falls 6 percent after Internet video captures Model S in flames. Tesla says a large metallic object hit a battery pack, causing a fire that firefighters struggled to put out. Tesla stock is up more than 400 percent this year.
Fracking waste water contaminated Pennsylvania streambeds, study findsOutflow from a treatment facility that handles fracking waste in Pennsylvania left radioactive hot spots and elevated levels of contaminants in sediment near and downstream from a discharge pipe, the study found.
Government shutdown crimps US energy innovationThe government shutdown聽has a direct impact on America鈥檚 overall capacity to drive global energy innovation, Peixe writes. The short-term lack of a federal government means that many of the nation鈥檚 top energy innovation institutions and laboratories must scale down their operations, or be completely shutdown.
Congress could undercut US-Mexico joint drilling deal in GulfA US-Mexico deal to divvy up energy in the Gulf of Mexico offers mutual economic benefits between close allies and neighbors. But Congress can't agree on the language to implement the pact 鈥� and time is running out.
In oil shale, geology trumps technologyThirty years of oil-shale failure suggests that such a development remains far off, Cobb writes. And, in a world that is trying to wean itself from fossil fuels because of climate change and the risks of depletion, time may run out unless more realistic technologies are developed.
Gulf oil spill: How much flowed? BP trial judge to decide.The second phase of a federal civil trial involving BP began Monday. The company faces Clean Water Act fines ranging anywhere between $2.7 billion to $18 billion for the Gulf oil spill.- Why feds want gray wolf off the endangered species listMore than 5,000 gray wolves roam Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Hearings are being held this week into a federal proposal to drop legal protections for the gray wolf.
China's power capacity will double by 2030, report saysChina's power generation capacity will more than double by 2030, according to a new report. Half of China's new plants will run on renewable energy but coal will continue to dominate the mix.
Government shutdown threat sends oil prices near three-month lowGovernment shutdown is only the latest in a number of factors that's weighing on oil prices. Improving relations in the Middle East and steady supply in the US are putting downward pressure on oil prices that could be more long-lasting.聽
Plug In Day: Electric cars accelerate up a long, winding roadElectric car enthusiasts have plenty of successes to celebrate at the third annual Plug In Day events Saturday, and more may be on the horizon. But electric cars remain a sliver of the total market, and face an uphill battle toward widespread appeal.聽
Solar garden: Model T of renewable energy?Renewable energy law in Minnesota requires utilities to get 1.5 percent of their power from solar. By Monday, Xcel Energy has to show how it would manage rollout of neighborhood solar gardens. Rather than an expensive home retrofit for renewable energy, solar gardens allow residents to buy shares of solar power.- Solar garden: Model T of renewable energy?Renewable energy law in Minnesota requires utilities to get 1.5 percent of their power from solar. By Monday, Xcel Energy has to show how it would manage rollout of neighborhood solar gardens. Rather than an expensive home retrofit for renewable energy, solar gardens allow residents to buy shares of solar power.
UN panel: 'Extremely likely' that human activity behind most global warmingThe UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that the past decade has been the warmest on record and, with medium confidence, that the last three decades are the warmest in 1,400 years.- UN panel: 'Extremely likely' that human activity behind most global warmingThe UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that the past decade has been the warmest on record and, with medium confidence, that the last three decades are the warmest in 1,400 years.
Progress WatchCleanest air in 50 years! How did New York do it?Air quality in New York and many other US cities has been getting better since the 1970s. One factor in New York's recent improvement: a phase-out of heavily polluting heating oil in older buildings.
Colorado flooding exposes risk to state's oil and gas drillingThousands of gallons of oil have spilled as a result of mass flooding across the state of Colorado. The state has recently experienced a boom in oil and gas drilling and production due to the development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies.聽聽
