All Environment
- Gas prices hit 100-day low as US oil cushions global turmoil
Gas prices in the US have fallen to the lowest level in 100 days, and drivers have strong US energy production to thank. Analysts say the domestic oil boom is softening the impact that turmoil in Iraq and Ukraine would otherwise have on prices at the pump.
- Typhoon Rammasun hits southern Chinese island of Hainan
Typhoon Rammasun made landfall on the southern Chinese island of Hainan Friday, causing at least one fatality. More than 26,000 people on Hainan were evacuated, and Typhoon Rammasun is expected to make landfall in Vietnam.
- Power plant bomb scare actually a mosquito trap
A mosquito trap inadvertently caused a power plant bomb scare Wednesday, when security guards spotted a seemingly suspicious device with wires and a battery at a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming.
- Bogotá goes (literally) green with sustainable buses, bikes
To solve the problem of inequality, the mayor of Bogotá, Colombia turned to better buses and more bike lanes, Guevara-Stone writes. Can urban development done right develop a more egalitarian and sustainable city?
- Can nuclear power rebrand itself as environment-friendly?
The nuclear industry is lining up heavy hitters from past administrations to convince Congress and the public that nuclear power represents a solution to climate change. But safety fears post-Fukushima, along with concerns about high building costs and the lack of permanent storage for spent fuel rods, remain big hurdles.
- In US energy boom, who decides if fracking comes to town?
Americans across the country are weighing the benefits and downsides of increased domestic energy production, and the controversial new technologies that come with it. Increasingly, they're also debating who gets to decide when and where fracking happens, or if it takes place at all.
- Tesla Motors targets masses with cheaper Model 3 electric car
Tesla Motors chief executive Elon Musk confirmed the Model 3, a forthcoming electric car that will cost less than half its coveted Model S. Can a cheaper Tesla Motors model woo a broader public still wary of electric cars?
- For clean energy, think small (nano small)
Inexpensive nanotubes – sheets of carbon rolled into pipes thinner than a human hair – may be the key to making hydrogen fuel cleaner and less expensive. A new study shows how nanotubes could bring clean energy technologies closer within reach.
- Push to export US oil gets staunch ally in Congress
With US energy production booming, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) of Alaska is leading the charge to overturn a decades-old ban on US crude oil exports. Murkowski met with the Obama administration this week to discuss oil condensate exports and the prospect of further loosening the oil export ban.
- Google searches for natural gas leaks, finds a lot of them
Google is teaming up with an environmental group to map methane leaks from natural gas pipelines in US cities. Methane contributes to global warming, and Google hopes its new maps will encourage utilities to patch and replace old pipelines.
- In Latin America, Putin wheels, deals on energy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed several energy deals in Latin America as he visits the region this week. Will it hurt the US's energy influence, or is Putin just focused on expanding Russia's economic relationships?