NewsRack: flenvcenter/Energy_National

Oil hovers above $82 as month-long rally stalls (AP) - Yahoo: Business

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

AP - Oil prices hovered above $82 a barrel Friday in Asia as investors mulled whether extending a monthlong rally is justified amid evidence of weak U.S. crude demand.

Most Senators Don’t Think Climate Science is Murky - Switchboard, from NRDC

Dan Lashof — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said today that she is putting on hold her effort to block EPA’s determination that carbon pollution is a danger to public health and the environment. This is a strong indication that she doesn’t think a...

Obama adviser pushes multi-pronged energy policy - Houston Chronicle: Business

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers told a CERAWeek audience that energy policy must include investment in renewables, nuclear power and fossil fuels.

NJ: Terrorism suspect didn't breach nuke plants (AP) - Yahoo: US National

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

AP - A New Jersey official says a suspected terrorist who worked at a complex of nuclear power plants did not breach security there. ...

Toyota 'mystified' by runaway Prius case in Calif. (AP) - Yahoo: US National

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

AP - A Toyota executive said Thursday the company is "mystified" by a report that a California man's Prius gas pedal became stuck and caused the car to speed out of control on a California freeway. ...

Financial regulation bill to be introduced without GOP backing (McClatchy Newspapers) - Yahoo: Politics

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — Long-awaited Senate legislation that would direct the broadest overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression will be introduced on Monday without any Republican support, despite weeks of bipartisan negotiations.

Earth Day 2010: A Call to Action on Clean Energy - Switchboard, from NRDC

Bob Deans — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Forty years ago this spring, we were a nation divided by war in Vietnam. The Chevrolet Monte Carlo got 11 miles to the gallon. Simon and Garfunkel were making their way up the charts with “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” And...

Climate activists say businesses are buying their way out of costly greenhouse gas cuts - Star Tribune: Science & Technology

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

US criticizes China's domestic, economic policies - Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The Obama administration accused China on Thursday of abusing its citizens' rights and maintaining currency policies that cost millions of U.S. jobs, a double-barrel attack that comes amid a growing willingness to confront and even antagonize the Asian power.

Council to mull a city energy cooperative - Philly.com News

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Philadelphia City Council will consider establishing Philadelphia's own energy cooperative to harness consumer buying power to offset an expected spike in electricity prices next year.

The Climate Post: Uptick in denialism halts glacier melt, lowers sea levels - Gristmill

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

First things first: “The absence of an actual bill” is one impediment to the Senate taking up climate legislation, The Hill reported earlier this week. The climate leadership troika of Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) continue to work behind the scenes to steer the many interests toward a common framework. Key business leaders and allied politicians are reportedly encouraged by movement away from the comprehensive approach that passed the House of Representatives last summer. The oil industry, which found the House bill rather expensive, is listening cautiously to a policy that would require them to pay a “carbon fee” rather than buy into an economy-wide fix. President Barack ...

Dumb grids - Gristmill

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The smart grid conversation is stupid. Policies to encourage smart grids are at best minor distractions, and at worst contrary to the public interest. Smart grids are also the key to cleaning up and modernizing the electric system. These sentences are not in conflict with one another. The smart grid is the cart, not the horse. There is no doubt that better access to real time data could facilitate a much more rational use of our electric infrastructure, shifting usage patterns (both in time and in space) to reduce the costs of grid construction and operation. But we don’t need new technologies. Don’t get me wrong—new technologies are great, and they’ll keep getting greater. But since when do we need to invent a way ...

Democrats toughen up on finance reform. Could it work for clean energy? - Gristmill

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

A funny thing happened outside the twisted world of Congressional energy politics. Over at the Senate Banking Committee, Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) announced he’s going to push forward with finance reform and consumer protection bill, even if Republicans don’t want to help. This comes after weeks of negotiating between Dodd and Tennessee Republican Bob Corker, who showed more interest in protecting large banks and predatory lenders. ( Payday lenders , as it happens, have a strong presence in Tennessee and have given Corker more than $31,000.) Now Dodd’s fed up and moving the bill. As a result, Congress may eventually get something done on the issue. On healthcare reform too, Harry Reid sent Mitch McConnell a letter ...

Energy: A foot on the gas - Financial Times: Analysis

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Energy: Enthusiasm for shale deposits – part of a wider revival for a fuel that could cut carbon emissions and transform global politics – is tempered by risks to investors

Siemens moves power unit to NC, adds 825 jobs (AP) - Yahoo: Business

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

AP - German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG is consolidating production of gas turbines for electric utilities in North Carolina to position itself for an expected boom in electricity demand in the Southeast and around the world.

Business Highlights - Seattle Times: Top stories

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Trade deficit shrinks as auto and oil imports drop

Vt. utilities enter deal with Quebec - Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Two Vermont utilities signed an agreement Thursday on a 26-year deal to buy power from Canadian provincial utility Hydro-Quebec, replacing contracts that expire beginning in 2012.

Maine high court upholds state wind farm law - Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Maine's highest court on Thursday upheld a state law that aims to hasten the permit process for wind farms in the state.

Uranium mining focus of Va. forum - Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Opponents of uranium mining in Southside Virginia and the people who want to end a state moratorium on mining the fuel for nuclear power plants have one more difference of opinion: the size of the deposit.

Nuclear power: Chameleon of green energy - Salt Lake Tribune

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Here we go again. With the Obama administration's promise of federal loan guarantees to build two new nuclear power plants at a cost of $8.3 billion, the radioactive monster is rising from a long dormancy, pumped to life by the lobbyists for nuke designers, nuke contractors, nuke operators and

Uranium mining focus of Va. forum - SFGate: Business & Technology

By STEVE SZKOTAK, Associated Press Writer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Uranium mining focus of Va. forum

Know your solar - Grist Magazine

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

Concerns about global warming, rising fossil fuel prices, and oil insecurity have prompted calls for a new energy economy, one that replaces fossil fuels with renewables. The sun is an enormous reservoir of energy; in fact, the sunlight reaching Earth in just one hour is enough to power the global economy for a whole year. Harnessing some of this energy is an essential component of Earth Policy Institute’s carbon cutting plan, as presented in chapter 5 of Plan B 4.0. Here are some highlights from the accompanying data on three types of solar energy: solar photovoltaics (PVs), concentrated solar thermal power (CSP), and solar water and space heating. Annual production of solar photovoltaics reached nearly 7,000 megawatts in 2008. Although ...

Natural Gas drilling chemicals a concern - Environmental News Network

dotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdotdot — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

President Barack Obama's top environmental adviser urged the natural gas industry on Tuesday to disclose the chemicals it uses in drilling, warning that the development of massive U.S. shale gas reserves could be held back otherwise. Joseph Aldy, special assistant to the president for energy and the environment, said concerns about water contamination from drilling chemicals could lead to states requiring disclosure and that could deter additional investment.

Richard Branson Aims to Rock the Boat for Green Shipping - Energy & Climate | Greenbiz.com

Marc Gunther — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The billionaire's new NGO, Carbon War Room, puts the global shipping industry's massive carbon footprint under the spotlight, and spread the word about simple ways to shrink its impact.

Why China drags its feet on UN sanctions against Iran (The Christian Science Monitor) - Yahoo: Opinion/Editorial

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:30:00 GMT

The Christian Science Monitor - For months, the United States and other countries have spent an enormous amount of diplomatic capital pressuring China to impose a new round of sanctions on Iran.