All Environment
- Earthquakes: Another source of global-warming gas, scientists say
A team of scientists has linked a major earthquake in southwest Asia in 1945 to the ongoing release of methane gas from the Arabian seafloor.
- EU, China settle solar-panel trade dispute
Chinese companies agree not to sell their solar panels below a specified price in the EU market. EU officials say new agreement will stabilize solar-panel market after steep losses and job cuts by European manufacturers.
- New lake at North Pole? More of a pond, really
Is the buzz warranted over a new "lake" at the North Pole thanks to global warming? Mostly no. But the Arctic ice is melting.
- Halliburton spill probe resolved. Will BP contractor cut another deal?
Halliburton has agreed to pay a fine for its role in the 2010 Gulf oil spill, thereby resolving a U.S. Justice Department criminal probe. Still, Halliburton, the cement contractor involved in the spill, has a powerful incentive to cut another deal with businesses and residents.
- Could Alaska end tax breaks for Big Oil?
Republicans in Alaska have long argued that only a massive tax break would give oil companies the certainty necessary to ramp up production to bolster the state economy, but citizens backed by Democrats feel this was a simple giveaway of the state’s oil wealth and that they won’t see much in return.
- Tropical storm Dorian: Will it fall apart or head for Puerto Rico?
Tropical storm Dorian is projected to weaken over the next 24 hours, only to gain a bit of that strength back four days from now. The center of the storm is currently about 1,500 miles east of Puerto Rico.
- On the road in Texas, where oil is king again
The increase in US oil and gas production buys some time in terms of resource scarcity and depletion concerns, Warren writes. The windfall also brings with it time to wisely reflect about what America’s energy landscape should look like for the generations that follow.
- Gulf oil spill: Halliburton to plead guilty to destroying spill evidence
Gulf oil spill: Halliburton Energy Services has agreed to plead guilty to destroying evidence in connection with the 2010 Gulf oil spill, the Department of Justice said Thursday.
- Tropical storm Dorian loses strength in Atlantic Ocean
Tropical storm Dorian continued to weaken in the Atlantic Ocean, centered off the coast of west Africa late Thursday, as Flossie spun far from land in the Pacific Ocean. Both tropical storm Dorian and Flossie are expected to weaken further over the coming days.
- Gulf rig fire: How safe is offshore natural gas drilling?
A Gulf rig fire off the coast of Louisiana underscores the dangers of offshore natural gas and oil drilling. Though no sheen was reported during initial surveys after the Gulf rig fire, federal officials said it was time the industry address safety issues in offshore natural gas and oil projects.
- World will use 56 percent more energy by 2040
Developing countries are driving the consumption of inexpensive fossil fuels, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Government intervention and international exchanges of low-carbon technology could help mitigate the effects of climate change, experts say.
- Tropical storm Dorian moves west across Atlantic
Tropical storm Dorian grew stronger Thursday morning as it moved west across the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of west Africa. Currently, there are no land threats from tropical storm Dorian.
- Does fracking lead to earthquakes?
There is mounting evidence that fracking can cause seismic temblors thousands of miles from the site, King writes. The fracking is not the culprit but rather the disposal of the brine used to do it.
- FocusAs Poland's fracking future turns cloudy, so does Europe's
If any European country could have a US-like fracking boom, it's Poland. But optimism has waned.
- Wood-rail bird spotted in US. Birders go nuts.
Wood-rail bird is causing a stir in the birding world. The rare Rufous-necked wood-rail bird has never before been spotted in the US, but for the last two weeks one of the birds has been right at home among the cattails at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
- Wood-rail bird spotted in US. Birders go nuts.
Wood-rail bird is causing a stir in the birding world. The rare Rufous-necked wood-rail bird has never before been spotted in the US, but for the last two weeks one of the birds has been right at home among the cattails at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
- Rig blowout: Gulf of Mexico natural gas well catches fire
A rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and continued to burn Wednesday. No injuries have been reported, and officials stress the rig blowout wouldn't be close to as damaging as the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Middle East unrest continues to roil oil markets
While the poles are shifting away from the Middle East in terms of oil production, global economic concerns and conditions remained anchored solidly to the region, Graeber writes.
- Electricity prices on the rise. Higher bills to come?
A rise in natural gas prices pushed wholesale electricity costs higher in the first half of 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration. While that doesn't directly translate to retail energy costs, the upward trend doesn't bode well for ratepayers in the long run.
- Rig blowout forces evacuation of Gulf natural gas rig
Rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday forced the evacuation of 47 workers aboard a drilling rig, authorities said. Natural gas flowed from the leaking rig off the Louisiana coast in the wake of the rig blowout.