No to a New Tar Sands Pipeline. NYTimes editorial, 4/2/11. “Later this year, the State Department will decide whether to approve construction of a 1,700-mile oil pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast called Keystone XL. The underground 36-inch pipeline, built by TransCanada, would link the tar sands fields of northern Alberta to Texas refineries and begin operating in 2013. The department should say no…

“The environmental risks, for both countries, are enormous. The first step in the process is to strip-mine huge chunks of Alberta’s boreal forest… The E.P.A. estimates that the greenhouse gas emissions from tar sands oil -- even without counting the destruction of forests that sequester carbon - are 82% greater than those produced by conventional crude oil. The project poses a major threat to water supplies on both sides of the border... Operations in Alberta have already created 65 square miles of toxic holding ponds, which kill migrating birds and pollute downstream watersheds, a serious matter for native communities… Political pressure to win swift approval has been building in Congress... From all of the evidence, Keystone XL is not only environmentally risky, it is unnecessary.”

San Onofre Wave Farm Idea Churns Up Concerns. By Tony Barboza, LATimes, 3/30/11. “The waves off San Onofre have for generations beckoned surfers and sport fishermen to a wild stretch of coastline in the shadow of domed nuclear reactors. Now, an Orange County entrepreneur wants to tap the power of that legendary surf in a novel but highly controversial plan to build one of the nation's first hydrokinetic wave farms. Federal energy regulators have given JD Products of Fountain Valley permission to begin a three-year study looking at the feasibility of installing thousands of ocean wave electricity generators a mile off San Onofre State Beach. The firm's general manager, Chong Hun Kim, said he chose the site because it is close to transmission lines that serve the San Onofre nuclear power plant…

“Environmental groups, which are broadly supportive of renewable energy projects, said putting the devices in the waters of San Onofre could harm marine life and potentially mar the view from the coastline. Surfers are worried it would dampen waves and alter seafloor terrain along a stretch of coast famed for its surf breaks. Sport-fishing groups said a wave farm could block off favored waters for sand bass, bonito and barracuda fishing.”

EPA to OK Higher Ethanol-Gas Blends. By Robin Bravender, Politico, 10/12/10. “The Obama administration will approve a boost in gasoline’s ethanol content for new cars on Wednesday, in a partial victory for supporters of the corn-based fuel. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to issue its long-awaited decision on a petition from the ethanol industry, which wants to raise the amount of ethanol allowed in gasoline to 15% from the current 10%. EPA will approve the use of gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15) for new vehicles built in model year 2007 and after… but will reject the request to raise the ethanol content for vehicles manufactured before 2001 and for off-road machinery. The agency is expected to hold off on a decision on cars for model years 2001-2006 until later this year…

“An unusual coalition composed of oil industry groups, environmentalists, food manufacturers and others has lobbied EPA to delay its decision based on concerns about safety, the environmental effects of boosted ethanol production, and fears of rising food costs. The ethanol industry and its backers, meanwhile, are expected to applaud EPA’s decision on new vehicles, but will likely prod the agency to allow its use in older vehicles. Growth Energy, the ethanol trade group that filed the petition seeking the waiver, has said the higher ethanol blend is safe for all cars.”

A High-Risk Energy Boom Sweeps Across North America. By Keith Schneider, YaleEnviro360, 9/30/10. “Energy companies are rushing to develop unconventional sources of oil and gas trapped in carbon-rich shales and sands throughout the western United States and Canada. So far, government officials have shown little concern for the environmental consequences of this new fossil-fuel development… As one of the largest energy booms in history has erupted along a great arc of the continent, the consequences are prompting civic discontent, lawsuits, and political battles in state capitals. The boom is producing fresh scars on the land and new threats to scarce water supplies. Government studies show that exploiting unconventional fossil-fuel reserves generates more C02 emissions than drilling for conventional oil and gas and uses three to five times more water.”

Power Investing. By Liam Denning, WSJournal, September 13, 2010. "There's a lot of money to be made -- and lost --in the energy markets. Here's what you need to know." Wall Street Journal Energy Report. September 13, 2010. See articles on different energy sectors.

Central America Taps Volcanoes for Electricity. By Sarah Grainger, Reuters, September 21, 2010. "Dotted with active volcanoes, Central America is seeking to tap its unique geography to produce green energy and cut dependence on oil imports as demand for electricity outstrips supply. Sitting above shifting tectonic plates in the Pacific basin known to cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the region has huge potential for geothermal power generated by heat stored deep in the earth. Guatemala, Central America's biggest country, aims to produces 60% of its energy from geothermal and hydroelectric power by 2022. The government is offering tax breaks on equipment to set up geothermal plants and electricity regulators are requiring distributors buy greater proportions of clean energy.

"Run by Israeli-owned Ormat Technologies, the plant harnesses energy from water heated by chambers filled with molten rock deep beneath the ground. The company has been operating two plants in Guatemala for three years and wants to expand but is weighing the risks of drilling more costly exploratory wells… More than a fifth of El Salvador's energy needs come from two geothermal plants with installed capacity of 160 MW and investigations are being carried out to build a third. Costa Rica, which has 152 megawatts of capacity in four geothermal plants, is due to bring a fifth plant online in January 2011 and is looking into building two more. Nicaragua generates 66 MW from geothermal energy and in the next five years plans an increase to 166 MW."

Mammoth Tidal Turbine Unveiled in Scotland. By John Collins Rudolf, NYTimes, August 13, 2010. "What is being described as the world's largest tidal power turbine was recently unveiled in Scotland. Dubbed the AK1000 by its developer, the Atlantis Resources Corporation, the one-megawatt turbine weighs 1,430 tons, stands nearly 75 feet tall and has six 60-foot diameter blades that can produce enough electricity to supply more than 1,000 homes. The turbine will be installed later this summer at the European Marine Energy Center in the far north of Scotland, where it will be used to power a computer data center... The allure of producing clean, reliable power from the daily in-and-out flux of the tides continues to attract significant investment. And Atlantis faces substantial competition in the race to develop affordable commercial-scale tide power, with dozens of other companies developing a variety of turbine designs... The majority of [the] turbines in operation are experimental prototypes deployed in Europe."

The Challenge of Storing Clean Power. By Lauren Sommer, NPR, August 18, 2010. "Solar and wind power are booming in California, but there are times when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. So California utilities are looking to smooth out those bumps by doing something rarely done on the grid today: storing electricity."

Waxman Rejects Expansion of Oilsands Pipeline to Gulf Coast. By Dina O’Meara, Calgary Herald, July 7, 2010. “A top U.S. politician has waded into the debate against a Canadian pipeline expansion to take crude from Alberta's oilsands to southern markets, calling the Keystone XL a ‘step in the wrong direction.’ House Energy and Commerce committee chairman Henry Waxman called on the U.S. government to block the expansion of TransCanada Corp.'s proposed pipeline expansion to the Gulf of Mexico... The proposed $7 billion expansion would pump 510,000 barrels per day of crude from Alberta to U.S. refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. It would be completed by 2013, and forms part of TransCanada's Keystone line which began pumping to refineries in Illinois last week...

“On June 23, 49 Democratic representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to halt the Keystone XL expansion on grounds the bitumen carried on the line represents damaged environments in northern Alberta and higher carbon dioxide emissions in North America. In response to mounting pressure against the oilsands, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach ran a half-page ad in the influential newspaper the Washington Post on Friday. Stelmach outlined the importance of Canada's secure oil supply, the jobs the industry represents in the U.S. on the pipelines and refineries processing the resource, as well as technologies being used to mitigate some of the environmental impacts. He urged collaboration between the nations to develop a secure energy future. Canada is the largest exporter of oil to the United States, followed by Mexico, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia.”

A Colossal Fracking Mess Along the Delaware Watershed. By Christopher Bateman, VanityFair, June 21, 2010. “Stretching some 400 miles, the Delaware is one of the cleanest free-flowing rivers in the United States, home to some of the best fly-fishing in the country. More than 15 million people, including residents of New York City and Philadelphia, get their water from its pristine watershed. To regard its unspoiled beauty on a spring morning, you might be led to believe that the river is safely off limits from the destructive effects of industrialization. Unfortunately, you’d be mistaken. The Delaware is now the most endangered river in the country, according to the conservation group American Rivers. That’s because large swaths of land -- private and public -- in the watershed have been leased to energy companies eager to drill for natural gas here using a controversial, poorly understood technique called hydraulic fracturing. ‘Fracking,’ as it’s colloquially known, involves injecting millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals, many of them toxic, into the earth at high pressures to break up rock formations and release natural gas trapped inside...

“The town of Dimock [PA], population 1,400, makes all too clear the dangers posed by hydraulic fracturing. You don’t need to drive around Dimock long to notice how the rolling hills and farmland of this Appalachian town are scarred by barren, square-shaped clearings, jagged, newly constructed roads with 18-wheelers driving up and down them, and colorful freight containers labeled ‘residual waste.’ Although there is a moratorium on drilling new wells for the time being, you can still see the occasional active drill site, manned by figures in hazmat suits and surrounded by klieg lights, trailers, and pits of toxic wastewater, the derricks towering over barns, horses, and cows in their shadows. The real shock that Dimock has undergone, however, is in the aquifer that residents rely on for their fresh water. Dimock is now known as the place where, over the past two years, people’s water started turning brown and making them sick, one woman’s water well spontaneously combusted, and horses and pets mysteriously began to lose their hair.”

Bay State Rethinking Wood Power. By Beth Daley, BostGlobe, June 11, 2010. “Burning wood to generate electricity can be worse for global warming than burning coal, according to a Massachusetts-sponsored study [Executive Summary, PDF, 4 pp; Full Report, PDF, 183 pp] released on June 10. That surprising conclusion immediately prompted state officials to reconsider substantial financial incentives provided to wood-burning plants. The six-month study by the Manomet Center for Conservation Science in Plymouth comes amid controversy over the proposed construction of two large wood-burning power plants in Western Massachusetts. ‘These findings have broad implications for clean energy and the environment in Massachusetts and beyond,’ said Ian Bowles, state secretary of energy and environmental affairs...

“Wood is projected to be one of the fastest-growing sources of renewable energy in the next decade, but if the benefits take too long to appear, policy makers under urgent deadlines may choose not to embrace it... Matt Wolfe of Madera Energy Inc., which is proposing a wood-burning power plant in Greenfield, said the study incorrectly assumes whole trees would be cut to fuel the power plants. Rather, he said, most wood for his plant would come from tree tops and branches left over from logging operations or from storm damage, land clearing for new development, or tree-trimming operations... The Manomet Center analysis, however, concludes that there is only a small amount of such leftover wood, and that whole trees will have to be taken to fuel Massachusetts wood-burning power plants.”

Can EPA Handle the Job? By Bradford Plumer, NewRepublic, February 8, 2010. "EPA officials have stayed fairly tight-lipped on their exact plans going forward, but here's a sketch of how many experts think the agency would go about cracking down on greenhouse gases. In March, the EPA will propose its new fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks (the goal is an average of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016). And as soon as that happens, the agency would be legally obligated to begin the process of regulating stationary sources, too -- though the precise timeline here is still fuzzy. The first wave of regulations would involve the EPA's 'Prevention of Significant Deterioration' program. Anyone who wanted to build a new power plant or factory-or upgrade an existing facility -- would need to apply for a state permit and adopt 'best available control technology' for greenhouse-gas emissions. The EPA hasn't specified what technologies that might entail, but it could mean anything from more efficient processes for cement kilns to forcing coal-fired plants to switch to cleaner natural gas. The appropriate technologies would be decided on a plant-by-plant basis. Since this would only apply to new plants -- or plants undergoing significant upgrades -- it wouldn't affect the vast majority of existing polluters...

"If the EPA can survive that challenge, it would then have to figure out how to regulate existing polluters. This part is crucial: The original Clean Air Act ended up grandfathering in existing coal plants, which perversely gave utilities incentives to keep their oldest and dirtiest boilers chugging along for as long as possible. The agency has a variety of options here. According to Jason Burnett, a former EPA official who helped craft greenhouse-gas rules during the Bush years, one plausible scenario would see the agency setting pollution targets for different industrial sectors under section 111 of the Clean Air Act, the 'New Source Performance Standards' program. Cement kilns and nitric-acid plants would get regulated first, possibly as soon as this year. After that would come oil and gas refineries, and, later still, fossil-fuel power plants. These rules could involve anything from inflexible limits (i.e., kilns have to emit no more than a certain amount of carbon-dioxide per ton of cement produced) to a carbon-trading program, although the latter would be much dicier, legally speaking... In the coming months, many climate advocates may have to shift gears. Instead of talking about the EPA's authority as some terrifying prospect that only the passage of a cap-and-trade bill can stop, the EPA option could increasingly get framed as something worth defending in its own right. Especially since it may be one of the few viable options left for tackling climate change."

French Nuclear Giant Buys Californian Solar Startup. By Michael Burnham, Greenwire, February 9, 2010. "The French energy company Arevais buying Ausra, a California solar-power startup backed by high-profile venture capitalists. Perhaps best known for its nuclear power plants, Paris-based Areva has branched out in recent years into designing and building wind farms and biomass power plants. The Ausra acquisition, which is slated to close in the next few months, would form the backbone of Areva's new solar electricity business. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal. Mountain View, Calif.-based Ausra makes and sells concentrated solar power systems that use curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto water-filled tubes to produce steam for electric utilities and industrial customers. Areva plans to build -- but not necessarily own and operate -- power plants using the solar-thermal technology... Areva is also looking to gain a foothold in the U.S. wind and biomass power sectors."

Obama Sets Aside Curbing Greenhouse Gases in Talk with House Republicans. By Ben Geman, The Hill, January 29, 2010. "President Barack Obama avoided talking about mandatory greenhouse gas curbs that are deeply unpopular within the GOP caucus Friday at the House Republican retreat. Instead, Obama emphasized his support for 'clean coal' and nuclear power, issues more popular with the GOP, in talking about climate change legislation. Obama, echoing his State of the Union speech, is emphasizing common ground with Republicans as he seeks a bipartisan climate and energy deal that's an iffy election-year proposition. But in doing so, Obama and his advisers appear to be underplaying their support for cap-and-trade proposals that require reduction of emissions linked to global warming." Video, 86 min. Transcript.

British Firm Bets on Tidal Power. By Robert P. Walzer, NYTimes, January 7, 2010. "A British company with a device that creates energy from tidal movement announced late last month that it had received $5.6 million in financing that it hopes will help it reach larger commercial production within two years. With this most recent injection of cash, which came from Carbon Trust Investments, Bank Invest, EDF Energy and High Tide, as well as private and government investors, Marine Current Turbines has raised roughly $48 million. The company is trying to raise further cash to help it build a five megawatt array based on its 'SeaGen' prototype. The SeaGen is akin to a submerged windmill that is driven by flowing water, and the Bristol-based company already has a small-scale operation established in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, where it has been generating 1.2 megawatts of electricity since April 2008... Considering SeaGen's development costs, its makers reckon the device generates electricity at about $5.5 million per megawatt installed -- or roughly double the cost of offshore wind energy. They consider that a victory."

Solar and Biomass Plants to Work in Tandem in China. By Todd Woody, NYTimes, January 11, 2010. "China's plans to build 2,000 megawatts of solar thermal power using technology from a California company, eSolar, will also include the construction of biomass power plants to generate electricity when the sun sets. The solar and biomass plants will share turbines and other infrastructure, reducing the projects' cost and allowing around-the-clock electricity production... in the 66-square-mile Yulin Energy Park in northern China. A local shrub grown in the surrounding region to fight desertification, called the sand willow, will supply fuel for the biomass power plants, according to Penglai Electric."

Federal Biomass Assistance Program Having Unintended Consequences. By Juliet Eilperin, WashPost, January 10, 2010. "It sounded like a good idea: Provide a little government money to convert wood shavings and plant waste into renewable energy. But as laudable as that goal sounds, it could end up causing more economic damage than good -- driving up the price of raw timber, undermining an industry that has long used sawdust and wood shavings to make affordable cabinetry, and highlighting the many challenges involved in decreasing the nation's dependence on oil by using organic materials to create biofuels. In a matter of months, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program -- a small provision tucked into the 2008 farm bill -- has mushroomed into a half-a-billion dollar subsidy that is funneling taxpayer dollars to sawmills and lumber wholesalers, encouraging them to sell their waste to be converted into high-tech biofuels. In doing so, it is shutting off the supply of cheap timber byproducts to the nation's composite wood manufacturers, who make panels for home entertainment centers and kitchen cabinets. While it remains unclear whether Congress or the Obama administration will push to revamp the program, even some businesses that should benefit from the subsidy are beginning to question its value."

Geothermal Industry Struts Its Stuff. By Nathanial Gronewold, Greenwire, January 15, 2010. "The geothermal power industry is maneuvering to escape the shadows of the wind, solar and biofuels sectors and get financiers and lawmakers to take notice. But high up-front project costs and the impatience of investors keeps getting in the way, leaving industry with its hopes pinned on government grants and tax incentives. Hoping to change its luck, the Geothermal Energy Association held its largest gathering ever Thursday, drawing financiers, politicians and project developers to a posh hotel in Lower Manhattan. The gathering featured a lunchtime keynote speech by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). GEA representatives capped the day by ringing the closing bell at NASDAQ. The goal: 'to let Wall Street know about the fundamentals of geothermal energy, which has ... been around for more than 100 years,' said Arni Magnusson, executive director of sustainable energy at Islandsbanki, a major geothermal player in Iceland... The United States is already far and away the world's largest home for geothermal. Of the roughly 10,000 megawatts of global geothermal capacity, about a third is in the United States, about 3,153 MW, according to GEA. Almost all of that is in California, with Nevada and Utah catching up."

Arthur Rosenthal, Energy Conservation Gurus, Retires from California Energy Commission. By Marc Lifsher, LATimes, January 11, 2010. "When octogenarian Arthur H. Rosenfeld vacates his utilitarian office at the California Energy Commission this week, one of his final tasks might seem of little consequence: He'll turn off the lights. But that simple act -- some would say compulsion -- has transformed California into a world leader in energy efficiency. California homes are loaded with personal computers, widescreen TVs, iPods, PlayStations, air conditioners, massive refrigerators, hot tubs and swimming pool pumps. Despite that, Golden State residents today use about the same amount of electricity per capita that they did 30 years ago. For that, they can largely thank Rosenfeld... [who], starting in the 1970s, provided California energy regulators the data they needed to enact some of the toughest efficiency standards in the world. New homes and buildings were required to be better insulated and fitted with energy-wise lighting, heating and cooling systems. Appliances had to be designed to use less power. Utilities were forced to motivate their customers to use less electricity. The principle, Rosenfeld said, was simple: Conserving energy is cheaper and smarter than building power plants... These mandates have yielded about $30 billion annually in energy savings for California consumers. They've eliminated air pollution that's the equivalent of taking 100 million cars off the roads. They have been copied by states and countries worldwide. California's gains are so closely linked to Rosenfeld that they've been dubbed the Rosenfeld Effect in energy efficiency circles, where the 83-year-old has taken on rock star status."

Garbage to Gas: Methane for Trucks in California. By Jason Dearen, AP, January 5, 2010. "Trash trucks across California are rumbling down city streets using clean fuel made from a dirty source: garbage. The fuel is derived from rotting refuse that San Francisco and Oakland residents and businesses have been discarding in the Altamont landfill since 1980. Since November, the methane gas created from decaying detritus at the 240-acre landfill has been sucked into tubes and sent into an innovative facility that purifies and transforms it into liquefied natural gas. Almost 500 Waste Management Inc. garbage and recycling trucks run on this new source of environmentally friendly fuel instead of dirty diesel."