All Environment
- Super Bowl outage: Is US ready to address reliability?
Super Bowl 2013's power outage was caused by a faulty relay, utility says. If an outage can occur at the Super Bowl, in front of the nation's largest TV audience, can it happen anywhere?
- Two Great Lakes hit record low levels: Climate crisis or natural cycle?
Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are at their lowest levels since record keeping began a century ago, but experts say it's too soon to tell exactly what combination of issues is causing the drop.
- Why energy investors should not give up on Egypt
Egypt may be a hydrocarbon importer struggling to meet its domestic energy demand, Alic writes, but in terms of oil, Egypt is believed to have significant untapped potential.
- Gas prices surge as economy shows growth
Gas prices soared last week on signs of economic health. The annual transition to summer-blend gasoline also contributed to the largest one-week increase in average US gas prices since February 2011.
- Lucy Lawless fined $547 for trespassing on Arctic oil drilling ship
Lucy Lawless and seven other Greenpeace activists were each ordered to pay US$547 in costs to a port company and complete 120 hours of community service. Lucy Lawless, called the relatively light sentence a 'great victory.'
- New England blizzard: One for the record books?
New England blizzard: Forecasters are predicting more than 2 feet of snow in New England, and blizzard conditions, including high winds, blowing snow, and coastal flooding.
- USPS ends Saturday letter delivery. How much fuel will it save?
USPS owns and operates the world's largest civilian vehicle fleet, paying $1 billion a year for fuel. Ending Saturday letter delivery will help cut those costs, but the savings for the USPS are less than you might expect.
- Could a 'smart grid' have prevented the Super Bowl blackout?
Smart grid technology would have either prevented the Super Bowl blackout, or isolated the fault and reapplied the electricity in a much shorter time frame, Burgess writes.
- Canada considers oil spill legislation. Repercussions for Keystone XL?
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet is reportedly considering offshore oil and pipeline legislation that would appease environmentalists, Alic writes. While environmentalists focus on the new pipelines like Keystone XL, Alic adds, the real threat is the older pipelines.
- Boeing 787 batteries: What's causing their 'thermal runaways?'
The Boeing 787 batteries may have overheated due to a structural flaw that prevented adequate ventilation. The ongoing investigation could keep the Boeing 787 grounded for weeks or months.
- Energy innovation: views on the future
Stepp summarizes the major themes from a conference dedicated to discussing the possibility of developing and deploying all of the cheap, high-performing zero-carbon technologies necessary to meet 40 terawatts of projected global demand by mid-century.
- EPA doubles down on ethanol mandates
The EPA’s decision to increase the 2012 cellulosic ethanol mandate by over 60 percent is odd to say the least, Rapier writes. It seems like they have doubled down on last year’s wishful thinking with an even larger dose of wishful thinking, he adds.
- Gov. Cuomo's grand plan post-Sandy: give some of New York back to nature
New York Gov. Cuomo is proposing creation of an undeveloped coastal buffer zone by spending $400 million to buy and demolish up to 10,000 homes destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
- Global warming vs. time: why some problems can't wait
Global warming appears to be speeding up as ice melts faster and faster on Greenland and at the poles, Cobb writes. Problems such as global warming and resource depletion will not wait for a long-term schedule.
- Carbon emissions in US drop to lowest level since 1994
Carbon dioxide emissions in the US in 2012 were at their lowest levels since 1994, according to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
- Can India sweep up its 'soot' pollution challenge?
India is among the biggest emitters of black carbon, from the use of coal and wood for cooking and heating and from a rising number of cars on the road.
- What caused power outage at Super Bowl: Is 'abnormality' the whole story?
'What caused power outage' may be the biggest mystery of Super Bowl XLVII. The local energy company cited an 'abnormality in the system,' but the root cause for that is still unknown.
- What caused power outage at Super Bowl XLVII? 'Abnormality'
The Super Bowl power outage was caused by a piece of equipment sensing an 'abnormality,' according to Entergy New Orleans, which supplies power to the Superdome. The Super Bowl power outage occurred shortly after Beyonce put on a halftime show that featured extravagant lighting and video effects.
- Power plant imploded to make way for park
Power plant imploded in San Diego after 50 years of service. The power plant, imploded Saturday with dynamite, is to give way to a city park and other economic development.
- How do you spot a leaking oil pipeline?
Pipeline leaks, ruptures, and spills are increasingly causing property damage, according to a new study, and detection systems to detect pipeline leaks may be lacking.