All Environment
Grid power reliability: Do we take it for granted?Coal-based electricity is one of the least expensive, most reliable means of producing electricity, Tracey writes, and it鈥檚 a central part of the American energy portfolio.聽
BP Energy Outlook: why the oil giant's forecasts are flawedThe BP Energy Outlook 2030 is not a statistical or scientific document, Cobb writes, but rather a political one. It is not a statement about the way the world is so much as about the way BP wishes it to be over the next 20 years, he adds.聽
Will leak detection end the oil pipeline impasse?Adrian Banica, founder and CEO of Synodon, a company that builds systems to detect pipeline leaks, discusses聽how remote sensing technology can find little pipeline leaks before they become big leaks, in an interview with OilPrice.com.
Keystone XL pipeline action coming in 'near term,' says KerryKeystone XL pipeline,聽a flashpoint in the debate over climate change, will receive a聽"fair and transparent" review from the US State Department, secretary of State John Kerry said Friday. Kerry said he hopes to make an announcement about the Keystone XL pipeline in the 'near term.'
Pirates want your oil and they are smart enough to get itIncreased security has forced pirates to rethink their strategy for obtaining oil, Alic writes, and they have repeatedly demonstrated that they are capable of moving with the times.
Super Bowl outage: Is US ready to address reliability?Super Bowl 2013's power outage was caused by a faulty relay, utility says. If an outage can occur at the Super Bowl, in front of the nation's largest TV audience, can it happen anywhere?
Two Great Lakes hit record low levels: Climate crisis or natural cycle?Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are at their lowest levels since record keeping began a century ago, but experts say it's too soon to tell exactly what combination of issues is causing the drop.
Why energy investors should not give up on EgyptEgypt may be a hydrocarbon importer struggling to meet its domestic energy demand, Alic writes, but in terms of oil, Egypt is believed to have significant untapped potential.聽
Gas prices surge as economy shows growthGas prices soared last week on signs of economic health. The annual transition to summer-blend gasoline also contributed to the largest one-week increase in average US gas prices since February 2011.
Lucy Lawless fined $547 for trespassing on Arctic oil drilling shipLucy Lawless and seven other Greenpeace activists were each ordered to pay US$547 in costs to a port company and complete 120 hours of community service. Lucy Lawless, called the relatively light sentence a 'great victory.'
New England blizzard: One for the record books?New England blizzard: Forecasters are predicting more than 2 feet of snow in New England, and blizzard conditions, including high winds, blowing snow, and coastal flooding.
USPS ends Saturday letter delivery. How much fuel will it save?USPS owns and operates the world's largest civilian vehicle fleet, paying $1 billion a year for fuel. Ending Saturday letter delivery will help cut those costs, but the savings for the USPS are less than you might expect.
Could a 'smart grid' have prevented the Super Bowl blackout?Smart grid technology would have either prevented the Super Bowl blackout, or isolated the fault and reapplied the electricity in a much shorter time frame, Burgess writes.
Canada considers oil spill legislation. Repercussions for Keystone XL?Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's聽cabinet is reportedly considering offshore oil and pipeline legislation that would appease environmentalists, Alic writes. While environmentalists focus聽on the new pipelines like Keystone XL, Alic adds, the real threat is the older pipelines.
Boeing 787 batteries: What's causing their 'thermal runaways?'The Boeing 787 batteries may have overheated due to a structural flaw that prevented adequate ventilation. The ongoing investigation could keep the Boeing 787 grounded for weeks or months.
Energy innovation: views on the futureStepp summarizes the major themes from a conference dedicated to discussing聽the possibility of developing and deploying all of the cheap, high-performing zero-carbon technologies necessary to meet 40 terawatts of projected global demand by mid-century.聽
EPA doubles down on ethanol mandatesThe EPA鈥檚 decision to increase the 2012 cellulosic ethanol mandate by over 60 percent is odd to say the least, Rapier writes. It seems like they have doubled down on last year鈥檚 wishful thinking with an even larger dose of wishful thinking, he adds.
Gov. Cuomo's grand plan post-Sandy: give some of New York back to natureNew York Gov. Cuomo is proposing creation of an undeveloped coastal buffer zone by spending $400 million to buy and demolish up to 10,000 homes destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
Global warming vs. time: why some problems can't waitGlobal warming appears to be speeding up as ice melts faster and faster on Greenland and at the poles, Cobb writes.聽Problems such as global warming and resource depletion will not wait for a long-term schedule.
Carbon emissions in US drop to lowest level since 1994Carbon dioxide emissions in the US in 2012 were at their lowest levels since 1994, according to a report by聽Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.