All Environment
Dammed, dirty, drained by war: can Iraq's Tigris River be restored?Nature Iraq wants to restore the Tigris, which contributed to the birth of agriculture about 7,000 years ago, to its free-flowing, clean former self. The environmental group is swimming upstream.
Oil spill puts North Dakota back in the spotlightIt could be years before the oil spill in North Dakota is cleaned up, a process the pipeline's operator estimates will cost about $4 million. While North Dakota's production will likely remain unscathed, how it copes with these new challenges may be a factor in its oil legacy, Graeber writes.
What oil-hungry China means for the rest of the worldAs Chinese oil imports grow, Beijing will increasingly depend on global markets to satisfy its ever-growing oil demand. This necessitates further engagement with the international system to protect its interests, encouraging a fuller integration with the current liberal order, Johnston writes.
Three reasons US is better off 40 years after Arab oil embargoFour decades after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the US has more efficient cars, a strategic oil reserve, and a homegrown energy boom that is reducing its reliance on OPEC oil. But oil prices remain high and some see the nation's newfound resource wealth as a boom that will eventually go bust.
Forget Solyndra. Clean energy is hot again.A number of big institutional investors see risks declining in clean energy and returns that are higher than junk bonds. As a result, clean-energy stocks have soared. Is it too late to get in?
Nuclear power plants: Uneven enforcement suspected at nuclear plantsNuclear power plants: Some regions have many more safety violations than others, suggesting inconsistent enforcement of nuclear power plant regulations, according to a GAO study.
Much ado about shale gas, but coal is still kingA boom in US energy production has mades shale natural gas and tight oil the talk of the energy industry. But coal is still the fastest-growing source of energy in the world and is the primary source of fuel for electricity, according to the International Energy Agency.
Landmark case? Supreme Court to review EPA regulation of greenhouse gases.The Supreme Court said Tuesday it would take up six petitions seeking review of EPA actions regarding greenhouse gases. But it will not take up the agency's so-called endangerment finding.
Tropical storm Octave approaches Baja California: Arriving tomorrow?Tropical storm Octave is weakening as it nears the Mexican coast, say experts, but tropical storm Octave still has maximum sustained wind speeds up to 60 mph.
Renewable fuel standard: Are we nearing a compromise on ethanol?The Environmental Protection Agency's mandate on biofuels has stirred strong opinions from farmers, renewable fuelmakers, and traditional oil companies. Is there room for compromise?
Why gas prices drop in autumnFall almost always brings relief at the gasoline pump. Pundits frequently notice this phenomenon during election years, and assume that vested interests are trying to manipulate prices to win elections, Rapier writes. But there is a more straightforward explanation to what’s going on.
China drives its way to No. 1 oil importer, overtaking USChina has topped the US as the biggest importer of oil in the world, according to government data released this week. It's more evidence of China's economic growth and America's shale drilling boom and increased efficiency, which has reduced its reliance on foreign oil.
Germany eyes new kind of net-metering: 'self-consumption'As German utilites reduce the amount they pay for solar-produced electricity, solar companies are looking at installing an additional meter that measure how much of the electricity homeowners consume themselves. If utilities go along, 'self consumption' rates could drive more energy efficiency moves by consumers.
Oil industry group sues government over EPA renewable fuel standardThe American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry group, has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the government’s estimate over how much ethanol must be blended into the US fuel supply this year.
Government shutdown forces 90 percent staff cut at nuclear regulator. Don't panic.On-site inspectors will remain on the job at nation's 100 commercial reactors, despite the Nuclear Regulatory Commission implementing its government shutdown plan. The agency had been able to skirt the government shutdown by using carryover funds, but now those funds have run dry.
Nuclear power: why US nuclear 'renaissance' fizzled and plants are closingFour nuclear plants have closed this year and dozens are at risk of early retirement, as the industry faces low-cost competitors and renewed doubts about the wisdom of nuclear power.
Global warming: Record heat of today could be new norm in 2047, study saysA new study suggests that, globally, the maximum temperatures of the past 150 years will be the new minimum by 2047. It also pinpoints when this shift will take place in 26 cities.
Natural gas 'fracking' has flipped US energy map, study saysIn a reversal from the recent past, the Northeast has become a net supplier of natural gas and the South a net consumer, thanks to 'fracking,' according to a new study.
Malaysia invests in Canada's natural gas futurePetronas, Malaysia's state-owned energy giant, announced Sunday it will invest $35 billion in the Canadian liquefied natural gas industry. British Columbia's government hopes to use the revenue generated by projects like this to pay down the province’s debt and to establish a prosperity fund to bank energy-related revenue.
- Pipeline explosion shoots flames into Oklahoma sky
Pipeline explosion left no injuries late Tuesday in northwest Oklahoma. The natural gas pipeline explosion occurred at about 11 p.m. and shot flames into the sky that were visible up to 50 miles away.
