All Environment
Biden warns Russia about more sanctions, but not US 'energy weapon'Crimean and Russian leaders signed an agreement Tuesday, annexing the Ukrainian peninsula as part of Russia. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden promoted European energy security in Poland and Lithuania, but stopped short of aggressive US oil and gas intervention as a way to counter Russia.
New York pipeline blast shakes up an industryNew York City's fatal pipeline blast focuses new attention on the aging pipeline infrastructure, some of it more than a century old. With the natural gas industry needing at least 29,000 more miles of pipeline to meet new demand, can the system expand and become safer at the same time?
- Smog insurance? One response to Beijing's pollution
Smog insurance: A state-owned Chinese insurance company will pay Beijing residents 1,500 yuan ($240) if they are hospitalized due to smog. If the official smog index reaches 300 for five consecutive days, it will pay out $48.
Warmest winter on record worsens California droughtWarmer winters make for less snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. When the snow melts into the state's rivers, it provides water throughout the summer, when the state typically experiences little rain.
Can Crimea survive without Ukraine's power?Crimeans voted overwhelmingly to secede from Ukraine in a controversial referendum Sunday, but the peninsula is largely dependent on Ukraine for its power and natural gas. Moscow might be willing to change that, if it means access to the Black Sea's significant oil and gas resources.
Is Canada the next energy superpower?Canada is on the verge of becoming an energy superpower, according to its natural resources minister. The Canadian government is already signing trade deals and building pipelines that could help it beat the US in a race to energy hegemony, Graeber writes.
Lab results raise question: Do we need oil if we have natural gas?Researchers say they've unlocked the chemistry that could help gas beat oil as a cheaper source for liquid fuels and 'commodity' chemicals used to make plastics and other products.
Ukraine crisis: There is no US 'energy weapon'The Ukraine crisis has led many to call on the US to use its growing oil and natural gas production to help Ukraine and Europe wean itself off Russian energy. There's one very big problem with this view, Cobb writes: The US is still a net importer of both oil and natural gas.
Europe looks to cut Russian gas imports amid Ukraine crisisEuropean leaders are scrambling to reduce their exposure to the political meddling of Russia, which has demonstrated its willingness to disrupt energy supplies for geopolitical leverage.
Would exporting energy to Ukraine raise US gas prices?The crisis in Ukraine has stirred support for expanded energy exports that could counter Russia's oil and gas leverage. How might expanding oil and gas exports impact US consumers?
Three years after Fukushima tragedy, Japan makes U-turn on nuclear energyThe terrible Fukushima nuclear accident has not stopped Japan from revamping its safety measures and restarting its nuclear reactors. Thirty-five years after its far less terrible Three Mile Island accident, the US still hesitates to embrace nuclear power
US oil boom fuels rail industry resurgenceAn increase in US crude oil production has strained the nation's existing pipeline capacity. The rail industry is picking up the slack but oil train accidents have raised questions about how to safely transport oil.
Cover StoryGermany's aggressive push for a clean-energy futureGermany has a bold plan for a clean-energy future. A majority of the public is on board even though they're paying a steep price – but industry is balking.
Concentrated solar power: Did it miss its chance?The world's largest concentrated solar power plant is now up and running, but the technology is losing out to cheaper photo-voltaic solar power.
Will more US natural gas to Europe help 'keep Putin in check'? Doubtful.Republicans say faster approval of LNG export terminals could help check the influence of other suppliers, like Russia, and allow Europe to take a tougher diplomatic stance on Ukraine. Energy analysts say that would take years.
Why Russia needs to sell natural gas more than EU needs to buy itRussia has a track record of using its natural gas supplies as a political weapon, Cunningham writes, but this time around the EU appears to be in better shape.
Caddo Lake: The open-mouthed dinosaur-era paddlefish is welcome back!At Caddo Lake, in Texas, the paddlefish will return decades after it was almost completely wiped out. The fish will be closely tracked by scientists, researchers, and students as part of a broad collaboration attempting to revitalize a long-damaged ecosystem by changing the water releases from a nearby dam.
Why redwood burl poaching is so destructiveA road through the Redwood National and State Parks in northern California is closed at night due to a rise in redwood burl poaching. Without the burls, redwoods may not be able to reproduce.
Chevron wins in court, avoiding $9 billion rainforest fineChevron doesn't have to pay Ecuadorean judgment because lawyers obtained it by corrupt means, a New York federal judge rules. Chevron had been sued for environmental damage to the rainforest from oil operations.
Court rejects BP claim that Gulf oil spill settlement is unfairBP argues that people are fraudulently claiming business losses related to the Gulf oil spill under the settlement reached last year. But a federal appeals court has backed the claimants.
