All Environment
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
Energy dilemma: What will Mexico do as it runs low on natural gas?Mexico is not producing enough natural gas to match consumption, despite large reserves.
Global warming: UN climate report warns on emissions, but some signs of progressA UN climate report sounds the alarm on rising greenhouse gas emissions fueling global warming. While the developed world shows some progress in smarter energy use, surging growth in emerging economies threatens to overwhelm that progress, prompting the renewed warning from the UN climate report.
Is Russia's economy running out of gas?With Europe finding new sources of natural gas, and Asian economies looking at Canadian markets, the Russian economy is starting to retreat behind the former Iron Curtain, Graeber writes.
Burmese python trap: Will it work?Federal wildlife officials will test a new trap designed to capture Burmese pythons. The Burmese pythons have overrun the Florida Everglades because they have no natural predators.
Brazil and the future of oil in the AmericasAttention in the run-up to Brazil鈥檚 inaugural pre-salt auction has been strikingly dissimilar to the tectonic-shifting announcements of the pre-salt several years ago, Arthur writes. Yet with a mix of emerging market and European players, the list of bidders is perhaps a reflection of the nature of exploration and production in the Americas today.
In US vs. Iran, oil boom gives US an edgeChanging global energy dynamics loom large over the latest attempt to reconcile differences between the US and Iran.聽Production in the US and Saudi Arabia has boomed in recent years, eroding any leverage Iran might have in the ongoing debate over its nuclear ambitions.
