All Environment
- Asia pushes for free-market liquefied natural gas
Natural gas consumers in Asia are pushing to break the longstanding linkage between the price of oil and and the price of natural gas. Japan is pushing for a futures market for liquefied natural gas, Schaefer writes, and the potential Canadian supply could be the first to get priced this way.
- San Onofre nuclear plant to shut down permanently
San Onofre nuclear plant is shutting down for good after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. The problems at San Onofre center on steam generators that were installed during a $670 million overhaul in 2009 and 2010.
- $500 a barrel? How high could oil prices rise?
Current energy trends could threaten the Western way of life by 2040 when oil prices could reach as high as $500 a barrel, according to a recent report from the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The continued rise of China and South Asian economies will increase the cost and reduce the availability of energy supplies.
- Carpe diet? Chinese firm's plan to export Asian carp could help US waterways.
A Chinese firm says it's seizing on the explosion in the population of invasive Asian carp, which environmentalists say threatens the Great Lakes, and will open a fishery dedicated to its export.
- EPA biofuel rule: energy solution or economic burden?
The EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard program has attracted controversy for driving up food prices and the cost of gasoline. Republican lawmakers lambasted the EPA's fuel standard in a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, but supporters say the standard is flexible and an important part of a transition to alternative fuels.
- Why energy innovation is like mowing an Earth-sized, overgrown lawn
Developing competitive, high-performance, clean-energy technologies is not unlike a group of people mowing an Earth-sized, overgrown lawn, Stepp writes. It is a problem we’re trying to collectively address and we’re implementing a coordinated set of policy solutions to do so.
- US opens first bid for offshore wind energy
America's first offshore wind lease sale will take place in July, the Interior Department announced Tuesday. It's good news for the US wind industry, which is hoping to expand beyond land-based production.
- NY college explosion blamed on natural gas leak
An explosion at a college building in New York Tuesday is being blamed on leaking natural gas. The presumed natural gas explosion blew out windows, sent a door sailing through the air and injured seven people, but authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening.
- Rail vs. pipeline: How should we ship oil?
The debate over shipping oil via pipelines versus rail hinges on access, price and reliability, Graeber writes. For now, it seems trains are winning the race, but what happens long-term with more pipeline access remains to be seen.
- Solar plane on trans-US flight: It's about 'pioneering spirit,' pilot says
Solar Impulse, the first human-piloted solar aircraft able to operate day or night, was flying from Dallas to St. Louis Monday, aiming to make the trip in about 21 hours.