news_07.htm

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Waste Management (WM) announced on Wednesday an initiative to expand its roster of landfill gas to energy (LFGTE) facilities, resulting in another 60 renewable energy facilities over the next five years.

A bloc of fiscally conservative Democrats in the US House of Representatives unveiled Wednesday a set of energy principles that could make it harder for their more liberal counterparts to pass comprehensive energy and global-warming legislation this summer.

Consumers have a right to be wary of building new generation. After all, they were told in the mid 1990s that the nation was short power facilities and henceforth "agreed" to a massive build out. Everyone knows the punch line: Demand sank and so did a lot of unregulated generation companies that saw their stock and bond values rapidly tumble.

Europe's main weapon against climate change, which makes industry buy rights to emit carbon dioxide, has not stopped power generators from using dirty coal because they can still make plenty of money from burning it.

The side-by-side electric meters at the back of Lester Ginsberg's Long Beach home run in opposite directions when the sun's out.

His tenant's meter spins in the standard left-to-right manner. But since Ginsberg installed solar panels on his roof last week, his meter runs right to left on sunny days, giving him a credit on his LIPA account.

Public health and environmental groups recently filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's April 2007 regulations governing how states must conduct air quality planning to reduce fine particle pollution. Clean air advocates argue that the EPA's requirements are much weaker than those mandated in the Clean Air Act and would allow life-threatening levels of air pollution to continue years longer than legally allowed.

The Democratic majority in Congress is making decisions that will damage the coal industry, according to Robert Murray, president and CEO of Murray Energy.

With just a few clicks of the mouse and a ZIP code, consumers can see how their individual energy use is affecting the Earth. EPA's Power Profiler calculates how much air pollution results from individual electricity use, the fuels used to produce that electricity and how to reduce the impact.

Desertification represents one of the "greatest environmental challenge of our times" and could set off mass migrations of people fleeing degraded homelands, a United Nations report warned Thursday.

"Today, I am here as an advocate for Duke Energy's 4 million electricity customers in five states in the Midwest and Carolinas. These customers rely upon coal-fired generation for 70 percent of their electricity.

A new survey says Canadians are responding to higher energy costs by cutting back on energy use at home and taking public transportation.

More than a third say they've changed their summer vacation plans because of higher gasoline prices.

Wholesale food distribution business in Springfield is facing new challenges in a tight energy market.

“On the distributor side, it is very significant,” Potter said. “For each penny that fuel goes up, it costs our industry a million dollars. Each time you see a penny of fuel rise, that’s a million dollars of operating cost being added to the industry.”

"The television reports we have all seen showing piles of garbage rotting in the streets of Campania or set on fire by angry residents have been truly shocking," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement.

FPL Group, recognized nationally among electric utilities as being at the forefront of clean energy production and conservation, stepped up today on Capitol Hill to help shape the debate on how to deal with global climate change.

All that is needed, claims Global Resource Corporation (GRC), is a finely tuned microwave and – hey presto! – a mix of materials that were made from oil can be reduced back to oil and combustible gas (and a few leftovers).

Gold has continued its decline into the European morning, being bid at $640.80/oz spot as of 0752 GMT Wednesday, compared to the spot price at a similar time the day before -- $648.50/oz at 0803 GMT Tuesday.

Two nuclear energy watchdog groups have filed an appeal with a federal appeals court in Washington that says the high-level radioactive waste dry cask storage pads at the Palisades Nuclear Plant violate earthquake-safety regulations established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Backers of tougher fuel economy standards in the U.S. House pledged Wednesday to push their proposals ahead over the next several weeks, while U.S. Rep. John Dingell said his committee will wait until later this year before tackli g any such plan.

To the chagrin of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and other environmental advocates, the bill neglects to tackle contentious issues such as motor vehicle fuel economy, coal to liquids and a renewable portfolio standard. It does, however, promote energy efficiency, a "smart" electricity grid, plug-in hybrid vehicles and a renewable fuels infrastructure.

The state has committed at least $2.4 million to attract two coal conversion plants to Kentucky. Fletcher has said repeatedly that Kentucky would not even be considered for such projects without tax incentives that he is proposing for a special legislative session, tentatively scheduled to begin next week.

A US Senate panel Wednesday began drawing up a sweeping law that would put mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions after a key Republican endorsed the idea.

Georgia groups are challenging the air permit of a proposed coal-fired project and have filed suit over emissions enforcement at such mainstay stations as Plant Scherer.

A committee set up by the Nigerian Senate on last week's general strike has said it would conduct a public hearing on the sale of the government's share of two oil refineries to private investors, according to Thisday
newspaper Thursday.

One of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's top officials said yesterday he is "disappointed" with the way FirstEnergy Corp. has attempted to recoup $200 million in insurance for damage stemming from the near-rupture of the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor head in 2002.

Today’s power outage in Manhattan and the Bronx affecting vital subway travel and incapacitating more than 100,000 businesses and households on one of the hottest days of the year provides stark evidence of the need for the Pennsylvania legislature to pass the Energy Independence Strategy immediately, according to Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture).

A new fund aimed at promoting and securing high-paying renewable energy jobs for residents in the Canadian province of Ontario was announced last week. Premier Dalton McGuinty unveiled the Next Generation Jobs Fund, which will make $650 million available to companies looking to invest in the development of clean cars, clean fuels, and renewable technologies and products...

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is holding an event today to launch a program that lets customers offset their household energy use by voluntarily paying extra for environmentally beneficial projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Vancouver - British Columbia Planktos Corp. of San Francisco and Vancouver engages in developing and delivering ecorestoration solutions to slow the catastrophic decline of ocean and terrestrial ecosystems driven by the escalating surplus of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.

Washington, DC - recently the Environmental Protection Agency proposed revised standards for ozone (the main component of smog) that health experts say still do not go far enough to protect our lungs and our health.

Ever-changing regulations, the high cost of raw materials and the increasing labor shortage are just some of the challenges facing the US coal market, according to industry executives.

New Region 962 rotated onto the visible disk and is currently classified as a Bxo beta sunspot group. There is a slight chance for an isolated M-class flare from Region 962. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled. Isolated active periods are possible on 29-30 June due to a recurrent coronal hole high speed stream.

In a backdrop of newly found Republican support for climate-change legislation, the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday heard ideas and concerns from electric utilities that support a market-driven solution, but differ on key parts of its architecture.

A 2-megawatt solar-power system will be built on eight acres near Tracy by San Francisco-based GreenVolts Inc. That site, when operational during the day, will be able to produce enough electricity to power about 1,500 homes. Also, a 1.6-megawatt solar farm will be constructed on 12 acres this year near Woodward Reservoir

Switzerland is to introduce a nationwide levy on emissions from oil and gas in January 2008 following the country's failure to reduce emissions by 6% in 2006 compared with 1990 levels.

Ministers in Cardiff Bay are to go ahead with a joint consultation on the burial of nuclear waste - despite the Scottish Executive pulling out of the process. Defra and the administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland are consulting on how burial sites will be chosen. The consultation will look at so-called "geological disposal", where waste is buried between 200m and 1,000m underground and the rock structure prevents radioactive leaks.

Turkey's energy market regulator Enerji Piyasasi Duzenleme Kurulu has approved an application from petroleum distributor Petrol Ofisi to construct a 10 million mt/year capacity refinery near the oil port of Ceyhan...

The cost of building a carbon capture plant is nearly twice that of a traditional plant, suggests a recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The United States Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) announced two new members today -- The Chrysler Group and Ford Motor Company -- as part of its second expansion in less than six months. The group now includes 23 of the world's largest corporations and six of the nation's most respected non-governmental organizations.

Most of the additions to wind power in the United States will occur in northwestern regions under a five-year extension of the production tax credit for green power.

Thirteen cities will receive $2.5 million each to promote increased use of solar technologies in each city under the ‘Solar America Cities’ cooperative agreements, says energy secretary Samuel Bodman.

The U.S. Senate has passed the National Energy & Environmental Security Act of 2007, which includes a mandated increase for ethanol and new fuel-efficiency standards.

However, a US$32 billion tax package that would have extended production tax credits for wind and other green power facilities was dropped from the final version.

The officials were gathered in Morelia, Mexico for the 14th Council Session of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States to address regional environmental concerns.

The US Department of Energy will provide up to $51.8 million for five cost-shared projects designed to help speed a modernization of the country's electricity transmission system, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Wednesday.

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday, aiming to put an end to the debate over whether global warming is actually occurring, passed legislation recognizing the "reality" of climate change and providing money to work on the problem.

A day after Iranians took to the streets to protest new gasoline rationing rules, two US House members Thursday introduced legislation to broaden current sanctions against Iran to include all companies that provide or help provide gasoline to the regime.

The US Mineral Management Service's oil and natural gas royalty program registered a $26.2-million increase in revenue in fiscal 2006 by relying heavily on in-kind rather than cash payments, the agency says in a report released Thursday.

Freddie Mac yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey(PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.67 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending June 28, 2007, down from last week when it averaged 6.69 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.78 percent.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Thursday said it will step up its oversight of Omaha Public Power District's Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska after agency inspectors determined that plant workers had improperly installed a valve that "degraded the condition of a safety system" for well over a year.

Before we turn the page to July and the Holiday Week gets under way, we thought we'd compile a well-grounded & fun Weather Top-10 List:

After nine months of back and forth, Idaho Power Co. and a Magic Valley wind farmer have reached an agreement both say could launch a fledgling wind industry in southern Idaho.

Four solar power projects were among the international winners of the 2007 Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy. “What impresses me most about these projects is they truly are becoming the change that’s needed in the world,...

The world must start building nuclear power plants at the unprecedented rate of four a month from now on if nuclear energy is to play a serious part in fighting global warming, a leading think-tank said on Wednesday.

Not only is this impossible for logistical reasons, but it has major implications for world security...

This week, the 1,175 employees who work at the head office of Enbridge Gas Distribution are engaged in a head-on battle with Ontario Power Generation, Toronto Hydro and Direct Energy.

Duke Energy said that about 70 alternative energy providers submitted proposals to sell power to the Charlotte-based utility.

DESPITE its use to symbolise a bright idea, the traditional incandescent lightbulb is a dud. It wastes electricity, radiating 95% of the energy it consumes as heat rather than light. Its life is also relatively short, culminating in a dull pop as its filament fractures. Now a team of researchers has devised a lightbulb that is not only much more energy efficient. It also lasts, in effect, forever

Global warming is such a threat to security that military planners must build it into their calculations, the head of Britain's armed forces said on Monday.

American utilities need to build more nuclear power plants to help meet the nation's energy needs without contributing more to global warming, President George Bush said here Thursday.

The California Clean Tech Open (CCTO), the USA's richest cleantech business plan contest, is calling all early-stage clean technology companies to compete for prizes each worth over $100,000 in six categories: Smart Power; Air, Water & Waste; Green Building; Transportation; Renewables and Energy Efficiency.

The world needs more oil if another price surge is to be averted, the Centre for Global Energy Studies said June 25, disagreeing with the OPEC oil cartel's insistence that global crude supply is sufficient to meet demand.

Moms and dads sat in the City Council chambers until no seats were left; then they stood in the back, their strollers blocking the aisles.

Drought affecting large swathes of China has left more than 8 million people short of water, and many livestock have died of hunger, the official Xinhua news agency said.

When utility and energy execs gathered at the Edison Electric Institute's annual conference to discuss how to combat climate change, they all shed their ties. They were amiable and informal, all part of their willingness to embrace the hottest topic now permeating the energy sector.

Before the bill was passed both Democrats and Republicans had pitched amendments that would have boosted efforts to transform coal into liquid transportation fuels. But both parties failed in their efforts, handing a huge victory to environmental groups that argued that the coal-to-liquids approach should be scrapped because it would generate huge amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and exacerbate global warming.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat-Nevada told reporters on June 21 that he would not allow the derailment of the tax package to sink the overall bill, even as he excoriated Republicans for "pandering to the big oil and energy companies."

Global crude futures benchmarks retreated Monday from last week's record highs following the end of the four-day general strike by labor unions in Nigeria, sources said.

Global crude futures were weaker Tuesday as concerns over US refinery glitches eased and gasoline futures consequently retreated from Monday's rally, sources said.

Desert dust blown onto Rocky Mountain peaks has cut the duration of snow-cover by a month or more, and the same thing is probably happening in the Alps and Himalayas, researchers reported Monday.

...skepticism was rampant Friday. One prominent presidential candidate, New Mexico's Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, called it a "Band-Aid approach," a sentiment expressed by other critics. Some called price-gouging provisions in the bill virtually meaningless, and President Bush has threatened to veto any bill containing such provisions.

The Government of Saskatchewan demonstrated a continued commitment to the environment today by announcing an energy efficient rebate program for new homes. In support of the province's Green Strategy...

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson told reporters during a teleconference. "I'm a 26-year veteran scientist and as administrator, there is no scientific justification for retaining the current standard."

Gold pulled back in London morning trade Monday and was expected to remain suppressed this week due to interest rate speculation.

New research shows that man-made climate change could cause the Greenland ice sheet to break up in hundreds, rather than thousands, of years, the chair of a United Nations panel of scientists said on Monday. Its entire collapse would raise sea-levels globally by around 7 metres (23 feet), they said.

The citizens' lawsuit suggests the law was passed to accommodate Noble's wind farm project after it was presented informally to town officials, along with an offer to pay the town's necessary legal fees. They say they are not against wind energy facilities...

Emboldened by a Supreme Court ruling this week that could force utility companies to upgrade aging coal-fired power plants, Georgia environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday seeking to clean up one of the nation's largest coal plants.

A heatwave has claimed two lives in Greece and killed six more people in Romania as temperatures soared to 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 Fahrenheit) in parts of southeast Europe. Turkey and Cyprus also reported deaths blamed on the intense heat, while three people drowned in Bulgaria...

With an ambitious target of one million hydrogen-fuelled vehicles on roads and 1,000 MW electricity by 2020, research on making hydrogen a commercially viable fuel is sure to get a big boost

Quest for hydrogen fuel just got stronger.

Squeeze Play: The city of Toronto last week approved a pay-as-you-throw garbage system that will reward homeowners who manage to stuff all the stuff they generate biweekly into a 75-litre bin. Here is the Toronto Star´s take on the city´s new trash system; here is the Globe and Mail´s.

Indian authorities prepared to evacuate tens of thousands of people threatened by fresh rains and flooding to higher ground on Monday as the death toll in the havoc wrecked by the annual monsoon crossed 150.

Citgo Petroleum Corp. faces fines in the millions of dollars if convicted of knowingly allowing excess amounts of cancer-causing benzene to be released from its 156,000 barrel-per-day Corpus Christi refinery in 2001 and 2002, a US prosecutor said Friday in closing arguments.

PPL Corp. customers have a new tool for saving energy and money. The Allentown company calls it the "energy analyzer." It's part of the PPLelectric.com Web site...

Cities in 36 states are going "green," mainly by running cars on alternative fuel and installing energy-efficient streetlights and traffic signals, says a survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors out today.

No matter what the scenario, New England is likely to find it hard to meet upcoming greenhouse gas and renewable portfolio standard requirements, according to an ISO New England analysis released Friday.

Utah mining prospector Kyle Kimmerle has more than a hunch that uranium will make him rich. It is a conviction so strong he has bet his house on it.

Seeking to match a desire to make money with his environmental instincts, Louis Redshaw, a former electricity trader, met with five top investment banks to propose trading carbon dioxide.

The New Jersey Legislature passed the Global Warming Response Act late Thursday evening, requiring mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions to below 1990 levels by 2020, and to 80% below 2006 levels by 2050.

The California Energy Commission today announced the launch of the Western Renewable Energy Generation Information System (WREGIS), a renewable energy registry and tracking system for electricity generation.

Nigerian President Umar Yar'Adua said Sunday his administration would accord top priority to boosting local production of petroleum products and ending the country's nearly 100% reliance on fuel imports.

The Kentucky Supreme Court gave new life Thursday to a once-dismissed lawsuit claiming the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant devalued the land of surrounding property owners.

August crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 3 cents lower at $69.15/barrel Tuesday, losing the support of refined product prices.

Co-op America's Climate Change Program today applauded a decision by Dominion Power to cancel three of four new dirty coal-fired power plants originally slated for construction by the company.

Privately-run refineries in east China's Shandong province will increase their total nameplate straight-run fuel oil refining capacity by some 10 million mt/year to 50 million mt/year (1.15 million b/d) by the end of next year, industry sources who had just visited most of the area's refineries told Platts Tuesday.

"A lot of them (independent refineries) are expanding or renovating their residue fluid catalytic crackers and delayed cokers, in a way to increase refined oil products like gasoil and gasoline's output and raise their refining efficiency."
Privately-run refineries in east China's Shandong province will increase their total nameplate straight-run fuel oil refining capacity by some 10 million mt/year to 50 million mt/year (1.15 million b/d) by the end of next year, industry sources who had just visited most of the area's refineries told Platts Tuesday.

The railroad industry has gained the support of coal producers in its efforts to convince Congress to pass a bill that would grant a 25% investment tax credit for railroad infrastructure projects.

Tax credits that industry officials said would speed the development of renewable power in Nevada were left behind when the Senate passed a broad energy bill this week.

No significant flares have occurred in the past 24 hours. The geomagnetic field is expected to remain quiet from 26 to 28 June.

Emerging Energy Research forecasts more than $65 billion will be invested in additional capacity between 2007 and 2015. Its new study concludes the United States will lead the world in wind power by 2015, holding approximately 19 percent of the global wind market share.

Rich countries are being hypocritical in criticizing China's greenhouse gas emissions while using the country's cheap labor in industries that pollute, Asian business and government leaders said Monday.

Thirsty San Francisco city workers will no longer have bottled water to drink under an order by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who says it costs too much, worsens pollution and is no better than tap water.

It has been described as the "greatest untapped source of energy Scotland has ever had", capable of generating enough electricity for every home and business in the country several times over.

The Senate passed a wide-ranging energy bill on June 21 that would slash US oil consumption by mandating the largest increase in fuel economy standards for cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles in more than 20 years. It would also require a huge amount of ethanol and other renewable biofuels -- 36 billion gallons -- to be blended into gasoline and home heating fuels over the course of the next 15 years.

Senior advisers to President Bush said on June 20 that his administration has no short-term plans to address high gasoline prices, such as suspending the federal tax on the fuel.

Engineers obtained chunks of gas hydrate from the deposit about 135 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the southeastern industrial city of Pohang and not far from the Donghae gas field, an official at the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Energy said.
"They successfully separated gas from the hydrate," the official said. The sample is top quality, comparable to 99% methane gas

Anticipating that the US Congress will pursue national policy to address climate change, state utility regulators plan to offer lawmakers a framework on crafting any federal legislation that would seek to limit greenhouse gas emissions from electric and gas utilities.

Natural gas prices will need to remain high to encourage enough drilling in North America just to maintain current production, Cambridge Energy Research Associates and HIS said in a study released Tuesday.

In another 5-4 squeaker, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the EPA acted appropriately in granting Arizona the authority to operate its own Clean Water Act pollution permitting program without first taking into account the risk of harm to endangered species.

Global warming is the focus of at least seven bills on Capitol Hill, but whether any of them will become law before President Bush leaves office in 2009 is a matter of keen debate.

Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors endorsed EPA's Energy Star Challenge as a key strategy in meeting the goals of the conference's Climate Protection Agreement. As part of the resolution, the organization will encourage its members to support and take the Energy Star Challenge, a national campaign to improve energy efficiency by 10 percent or more in commercial and industrial buildings across the United States.

US food processor Tyson Foods and synthetic fuels company Syntroleum have formed a joint venture to produce "ultra clean" fuels using animal fat, greases and vegetable oils, the companies said Monday.

Western Canada's crude exports to the US are expected to rise by about 94% between now and 2015, according to a study published by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Monday.

"It doesn't make a great deal of sense for Westmoreland to operate the mine if it not profitable for them," Offutt said. "If you're not making much money and have other more profitable areas in which to invest your money, it makes sense to invest elsewhere."

•Global crude futures benchmarks retreated Monday from last week's record highs following the end of the four-day general strike by labor unions in Nigeria, sources said.

•"You can see on the COT report the assault on heating oil and RBOB that was made by the funds in the last two weeks. Maybe they feel the market is reaching its top levels,"

•-Global crude futures were weaker Tuesday as concerns over US refinery glitches eased and gasoline futures consequently retreated from Monday's rally, sources said.

Rising LPG supply from the Middle East will outpace growth in global demand leading to a bigger surplus of LPG, a senior analyst at energy consulting firm Purvin & Gertz said Tuesday.

The world needs more oil if another price surge is to be averted, the Centre for Global Energy Studies said Monday, disagreeing with the OPEC oil cartel's insistence that global crude supply is sufficient to meet demand.
Crude prices look set to record an increase of nearly $11/barrel between the first and second quarters of this year--the biggest quarterly increase this decade...

The British Government has raised nearly (PndStlg)2.1 billion (NZ$5.5 billion) toward the cost of decommissioning the country's aging nuclear power stations after selling more than a third of its stake in British Energy.

Bull Moose Energy recently announced that Morgan Stanley has agreed to invest up to $60 million in the San Diego-based firm to finance the development of a new generation of biomass power production plants near urban centers to generate power from renewable energy sources.

President Bush Thursday said US utilities could build up to 30 new nuclear power plants and start construction by 2010 in order to keep up with growing electricity demand without spurring more global warming.

In the June 2007 issue of the China Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development Report from Lou Schwartz, recent developments in renewable energies in China offer insight into that country's burgeoning challenges between population, energy and the environment.

The Ice Bear units will provide 69 tons of cooling and slash the air conditioning peak demand by more than 95% at the 14,000 square foot event facility.

I have to respectfully disagree with your column today on the potential of coal to liquids. I don’t doubt that it can be done. The Germans did it during World War II. The question is whether it should be done; clearly the answer is “No!”

From a global warming perspective coal to liquids is an obvious loser, producing twice as much CO2 as gasoline run through a massively inefficient internal combustion engine!

A new coal-gasification power plant in northern Knox County would cost ratepayers about $2 billion and cause electric rates to increase 13 percent to 16 percent, a Duke Energy official testified Monday.

The Environmental Protection Agency offered tighter standards for ozone pollution for the first time since 1997 but critics said Thursday the proposal is more lax than what the EPA's own experts recommended.

22Jun2007--Global crude futures traded lower Friday, ahead of the weekend, as crude exports from Nigeria remained unaffected by the ongoing strike. However, later in the day market players expected some short covering ahead of the weekend due to the uncertainty over oil exports from Nigeria.

Global crude futures traded lower Wednesday, currently ignoring industrial action taken by Nigerian labor unions and ahead of the weekly US inventory crude and product stock data.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced that DOE will make available nearly $60 to increase the use of solar power across the country, building on the President's commitment to further the development of clean, renewable energy technologies.

DTE Energy said it has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange, a voluntary, legally binding program that allows companies to chart their reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.

It's been more than 25 years since a power plant of the scope of the FutureGen plant has been constructed anywhere in the nation.

Freddie Mac yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.69 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending June 21, 2007, down from last week when it averaged 6.74 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.71 percent.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md The pollution prevention team at Fort Lewis, Wash., diverted more than 725 tons of organic material and 1,400 tons of waste wood from its solid waste stream and avoided $174,000 in disposal costs by reusing lumber and other resources from building deconstruction.

Business and commercial activities in Nigeria came to a halt Wednesday as workers began a general strike that could disrupt crude oil exports from Africa's top producer.

Global carbon emissions are set to rise from 26 billion mt in 2004 to 40 billion mt by 2030 unless concrete measures to reduce greenhouse gases are taken, according to the director-designate of the International Energy Agency Nabuo Tanaka.

Google Inc.´s philanthropic arm is providing $11 million in funding to accelerate the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and oil dependence.

Ernst Conservation Seeds, is involved in an innovative effort to create energy from biomass through high-energy switchgrass and other warm season grasses.

Hedge funds buying uranium holdings in 2006 contributed to substantial increase in spot prices for uranium, the raw material for nuclear power plant fuel, the Euratom Supply Agency said Thursday.

A $150 million investment will help Ontario homeowners fight climate change, conserve energy and adopt green technologies, Premier McGuinty announced today.

Imagine: "I like your jacket! Is it new? Fleece, right? And the bouquet! Flowery yet brooding, with a shimmery fruitiness, and ... do I detect a hint of spicy oak? ..."

Far be it from me to suggest that nobody in Canada understands the importance of electrical safety awareness but there does exist large segments of the electrical industry who are, to put it lightly, not very informed when it comes to how devastating an arc flash incident can be.

Some people say that renewables are too expensive, but the European energy commissioner says it is “too expensive not to take this step.”

It's still a great time to be a refiner, based on AG Edwards' latest weekly survey of refining margins. But it's not quite as good as it used to be,

While our National forecasts remain essentially the same for the entire mid-May to mid-September Season (see summary points below), there are some noticeable transformations that will take place as we shift from May/June 2007 to July/August 2007 climate:

A new extremely inexpensive, pollution-free source of electricity has been discovered and is now being considered by major international corporations. This new technology produces electricity without chemical reactions, combustion or pollution. Mechanical energy generated by the powerful magnetic forces of neodymium magnets (manufactured by Hitachi Corporation) turns electric generators producing electricity.

As the Senate debates a comprehensive energy bill, today Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) introduced legislation to press the Bush Administration to take action to help small businesses increase their energy efficiency.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says Ontario will build on its efforts to fight climate change by setting aggressive targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the government's climate change plan.

A lake in southern Chile has mysteriously disappeared, prompting speculation the ground has simply opened up and swallowed it whole.

The Nigerian government has deployed troops to secure oil export terminals while major oil companies have moved senior managers to man production facilities as a general strike in Africa's top oil producer enters its second day, union and industry officials said Thursday.

The XDOBS night radiant condensation system is a water-from-air extraction system and air conditioner that does not use any external electricity or fuel. Power is provided by an integrated solar panel. The system uses almost no moving parts, consuming 95% less energy than conventional AC systems

August crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 30 cents higher at $68.95/barrel Friday, reversing overnight losses as gasoline firmed on the open. There was no fresh news of refinery problems in the US, but ongoing tightness in the gasoline market remains a supportive factor.

OPEC and the European Union Thursday expressed their mutual desire to see "reasonable" oil prices that would not harm the world economy but would be high enough to encourage upstream investment in producing countries.

Solar power easily handles their computers, lights, large-screen televisions, microwave ovens, refrigerator-freezers and more.

"Ninety percent of the people here, if (outside) power were offered to them, they'd turn it down," said Gary...

Nitrates are on the increase the world-over due to factors that include wastes from municipal, agricultural, and industrial processes. Health and environmental issues associated with nitrates are various and multiple, ranging from reduction in the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and increased cancer risks, to promoting anoxic conditions in surface and ground waters world-wide. Literally, billions of dollars are spent every year in attempts at resolving these issues

"With regard to the oil market situation, the EU expressed its concern about expected seasonal increase in demand coupled with possible supply disruptions over the next few months which could lead to tightening in the oil market. OPEC reiterated in its presentation that the present oil market remains well supplied, with commercial crude oil stocks above five-year average and an increasing level of upstream spare capacity."
OPEC and the European Union Thursday expressed, in a communal statement

We are going to make sure that we disrupt the exports and the production, it cannot go on as usual."
Nigeria's powerful oil workers' unions

Solar activity was very low. The visible disk is spotless. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to active for the forecast period, 22 - 24 June.

The federal government should quadruple annual funding for coal research to $190 million to make better use of the nation's resources and minimize the impact on the environment, the National Research Council says.

Save the planet by saving money? Sen. Charles Schumer says he has a "bright idea" to make it happen.

"The Department of Energy has failed to meet its deadline for meeting higher standards time and time again. Energy efficiency should be the norm, not the exception," Schumer said.

19Jun2007--The US Senate Finance Committee Tuesday approved a tax package seeking about $29 billion in incentives for renewable and alternative energy, while increasing to $28.5 billion the levy faced by oil and natural gas companies to pay for the tax breaks.

Report Says Uniform Rules Save Utilities and Consumers Billions. Congress is set for a showdown this week over a controversial provision in the Senate energy bill. The federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) would require utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity using renewable resources by 2020. The Senate has passed an RPS three times since 2002, only to have it quashed in the House

A leading lawmaker seemed willing today to pare back a dramatic hike in automotive fuel economy standards, but car makers still say the proposed rules are too aggressive.

The spot gold price failed to hold onto Wednesday's rebound above $660/oz and slipped in the morning trading session in Hong Kong on Thursday. Gold opened at $654.10-654.60/oz in Hong Kong on Thursday, down from $660-660.50/oz...

AB 32 requires the state to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. That's equivalent to reducing gasoline consumption by an average of 800 million gallons a year, each year, for the next 13 years.

EPA is proposing to strengthen the nation's air quality standards for ground-level ozone, revising the standards for the first time since 1997. The proposal is based on the most recent scientific evidence about the health effects of ozone -- the primary component of smog.

Nuclear waste would accumulate on the surface of Yucca Mountain at a rate of 800 to 1,200 tons annually, with more arriving at the site each year than can be moved right away into the mountainside repository, government models show.

Their innovative, airfoil-like blade design allows them to create the same airflow as a conventional flat-winged fan, but at much lower speeds; this results in lower energy consumption, less noise, and great modern looks to boot. Designed to spin at 70-130 revolutions per minute (rpm), the blade can nearly cut in half the normal operating speed of a conventional ceiling fan, which rotates around 140-200 times per minute -- yep, twice as efficient...

While 2005 in many ways marked the birth of the global carbon market, 2006 represented both a rude awakening and a fresh start. The European carbon market came under massive criticism following the price collapse in April/May last year, when it became clear that far too many allowances had been handed out by European governments.

The next wave of hydropower may be tidal power, or harnessing the energy of the oceans and rivers to generate pollution-free electricity. It's a budding sector. And producers have come up with a host of new technologies that they say will speed development.

A former utility gas-plant site in Hempstead once classified by the state as requiring "no further action" has spawned a nearly 4,000-foot plume of toxic material and could present exposure pathways to people at or near the site, according to a recently released report.

An online calculator that enables people to work out their carbon footprint using government-recognised data and calculations was launched by Environment Secretary David Miliband at an eco-friendly internet cafe in Central London today.

The British government will not subsidise new nuclear power plants, so if the private sector does not provide the huge investments needed, the country will have to do without, the minister responsible for energy said on Thursday.

SunPower Corporation, a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, today announced that Morgan Stanley has agreed to own and finance solar electric power systems totaling more than four megawatts that SunPower will deploy on seven Wal-Mart facilities in California.

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's chief enforcement officer Wednesday expressed confidence that the federal government can adequately police the expanding physical and financial energy markets.

20Jun2007--The US House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday is preparing for floor action an energy tax package that would increase taxes on the oil and gas industry to provide $16 billion in incentives to boost renewable and alternative.

20Jun2007--The broad energy bill the US Senate has been debating since June 11 appeared to be in trouble Wednesday, after senior Democrats accused Republicans of trying to derail the legislation by blocking the consideration of several controversial amendments.

The US Senate on Tuesday voted down two pieces of legislation that would have boosted efforts to commercialize the transformation of coal into liquid transportation fuels, handing a victory to environmental groups that argued that coal-to-liquids should be scrapped because it would generate carbon dioxide emissions and exacerbate global warming.

US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, hoping to attract enough support to include a renewable energy portfolio standard in the Senate's broad energy bill,

The Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission announced this week that the Asian nation has plans to build its first nuclear power plant by 2020.

•Global crude futures recovered in Thursday morning trading from the strong selling activity seen Wednesday following the release of the EIA's weekly US oil data.

•"ICE Brent spreads are weakening and gasoil spreads are rallying, so cracks are higher," a trader said. "There is strong Argentinian demand for heating oil due to a severe winter as well as cargoes heading to West Africa and Asia." Low refinery yields in the US also contributed to the rally, he added.

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell switched on the wind turbines of the state´s newest wind farm, which will produce enough electricity to power 6,500 homes, during a June 19 ceremony.

Both sides in the debate over the 130-turbine wind farm proposed for Nantucket Sound claimed vindication yesterday in a federal report that designates a buffer zone around military radar.

Algeria plans to make use of its hot southern desert to develop solar power for export and domestic consumption, the OPEC member country said on Monday.

...nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. homeowners claim to have taken 'some' or 'a lot' of action to reduce greenhouse gases, yet only four percent believe their homes and offices contribute most to apparent increases in greenhouse gas emissions.

A new movie showing young polar bears and walruses struggling toward adulthood in a melting Arctic puts a pair of charismatic faces on the global warming threat.

Until giant sand dunes swallowed his home, Deng Baogui was a shepherd and wheat farmer in an Inner Mongolian village where his family had lived for three generations.

Beijing is trying to slow the push on water-intensive alternative energy on mounting signs that China might face a serious water shortage in the future.

Balancing likely US limits on carbon emissions with the need to meet growing demand for electricity is the major challenge facing the US electric utility sector, industry executives said in a new survey.

Colorado State University scientists are studying the reduction of solar ultraviolet radiation by atmospheric particles to learn how the various sources of pollution - biomass burning, auto exhaust and oil refining - affect the atmospheric chemistry and air quality of Mexico City. This particular technique will be used along with data retrieval from satellites around the world to study the influence of pollution on global warming and climate change.

In the most recent court decision in environmental groups' long-standing battle to stop mountaintop mining, a federal district judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers must protect and regulate streams leading to sediment ponds under the Clean Water Act.

It's not clear how MEA's resource plan would change if the Chugach coal-fired plant were no longer a factor that CH2M Hill considered in its report.

At 11:00 GMT, the August ICE Brent futures contract was at $71.17/b, slipping 30 cents from Friday's close, while the July WTI contract was on NYMEX and $67.75/b on ICE, down 27 cents/b and 25 cents/b respectively. "There have been no real drivers this morning," said a London-based broker.

Stetson Mountain is more ridgeline than mountain, running like a backbone for six miles through the rolling hills that dominate Washington County's northernmost border with Canada.

For the past year, the Faeroese scientist's sonar has been pinging the Gulf Stream, the warm ocean current that has kept this subpolar archipelago unfrozen for centuries. His findings are of big interest because they contradict one of the most catastrophic predictions linked to global warming: that Arctic melting will strangle the Gulf Stream, thrusting Europe into a new Ice Age.

Global climate change is affecting American business, and more companies are starting to do something about it, according to an energy expert who spoke in San Antonio on Wednesday.

EPA is launching a new public service announcement promoting Energy Star as an important part of the solution to climate change.

European Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs called Friday for the use of more renewable energy in the European Union (EU) as the first European Wind Day was marked across the continent.

Half a century after Mao Zedong's "Great Leap Forward" brought irrigation to the arid grasslands in this remote corner of northwest China, the government is giving up on its attempt to make a breadbasket out of what has increasingly become a stretch of scrub and sand dunes.

Thomas Edison can rest in peace -- his incandescent light bulb won't be banned by California lawmakers this year after all.

Responding to a call from Governor Deval L. Patrick, dozens of Massachusetts "green power" companies, trade groups, lawyers, and academics agreed yesterday to launch a Massachusetts Clean Energy Council by fall and pledged tens of thousands of dollars to fund it.

If rising sea levels force the people of the Maldive Islands to seek new homes, who will look after them in a world already turning warier of refugees?

After spending most of the decade in relative obscurity, the Sustainable Energy Fund is trying to raise its profile in the Lehigh Valley with a message both simple and alluring.

TXU Corp. filed documents Thursday that put a slightly higher price on the planned buyout of the Dallas-based power company and detailed the participation of the various private-equity groups, investment bankers and lenders involved in the deal

The Toronto Star editorializes thus: "Some consumers may balk at [the] price increases. But the recycling fees would be relatively insignificant compared with the cost of the big-ticket items they are buying. And if the fee is visible to shoppers, rather than buried in the purchase price, it will help make all of us more aware of the toll that cast-off electronic products are having on the environment."

Iraq will supply Jordan with 40,000 b/d oil at the preferential price of $18/barrel less than market price, the Jordan-based Al-Dustour newspaper reported Monday.

An environmental justice activist is suing the federal government over new rules that allegedly allow refineries to flare excess gases for hours at a time, emitting toxic pollution over neighborhoods.

For a program meant to bring solar power to a million rooftops in the state, the new California Solar Initiative isn't bringing a lot of sunshine to Tommie Nellon's life.

Senators Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici each led charges to defeat the other's plan for curbing greenhouse gas emissions Thursday, and now both proposals might die.

Nuclear power would only curb climate change by expanding worldwide at the rate it grew from 1981 to 1990, its busiest decade, and keep up that rate for half a century, a report said on Thursday.

The Ontario government set its climate targets Monday, promising to close the province's coal plants and reduce emissions to below 1990 levels.

The Ontario government plans to meet its greenhouse gas emissions target by 2014 by shutting the province's four remaining coal-fired power plants, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Monday.

With the start of summer approaching and demand for power on the rise, Ontario is trying to encourage more small-scale energy producers to add power to the grid.

A pending energy tax credit in Oregon has some solar energy analysts predicting a statewide solar technology investment boom.

Eastern Wisconsin's air quality has been getting better in recent years, but rising ozone levels this spring could jeopardize an important bid by state officials on Thursday to have sanctions against the region removed.

Australia is planning to build one of the world's largest desalination plants as part of a $4.9 billion ($4 billion) programme to provide drinking water to the nation's second-largest city Melbourne.

Ameren and other electricity providers have pumped more than $2 million into the campaign funds of Illinois General Assembly members since 2005, state election records show. The dollars are flowing as the utilities fight to prevent a rollback of the higher electric rates that began.

The average US electricity customer loses power for more than three hours annually - outages that cost the US economy about $80 billion.

A push from Congress and the White House for huge increases in biofuels, such as ethanol, is prompting the oil industry to scale back its plans for refinery expansions. That could keep gasoline prices high, possibly for years to come.

Where will the car of the future come from? Detroit, which fumbled the electric automobile and let Japan grab the lead in hybrids?

Solar activity was very low. The visible disk remains spotless. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet to unsettled on 19 June. Expect unsettled to active conditions, with minor storm periods possible, on 20-21 June as a recurrent coronal hole moves into a geoeffective position.

A new coalition is warning users of the potential impact of mid-level ethanol blends on engines, vehicles and other equipment. ..that concludes increasing ethanol blends beyond 10 percent could lead to "adverse, large-scale impacts" on existing on- and off-road equipment.

Technique has the potential to reduce more than 90 percent of an individual plant's carbon emissions.

Carbon capture and storage, also called carbon sequestration, traps carbon dioxide after it is produced and injects it underground. The gas never enters the atmosphere. The practice could transform heavy carbon spewers, such as coal power plants, into relatively clean machines with regard to global warming.

The Scottish Executive has approved an application to build a 550MW decarbonized fuel plant in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, adjacent to an existing power station, which would provide clean electricity capable of powering 720,000 homes in the region.

Senate Democrats who want to require utilities to produce more wind- and solar-generated electricity faced a headwind of political heat Thursday from Southern Republicans and power distributors.

Nevada Solar One, a giant solar thermal power plant at Boulder City that represents a revival of old technology, is producing electricity sporadically. But the solar plant is not ready to start commercial operation yet.

Swedish utility Malar Energi has practically eliminated its use of oil for electricity and district heating in favor of biomass, while cutting its coal consumption, vice president Anders Ericsson told a renewable
energy conference in Vasteras, Sweden late Monday.

Dallas oilman and investor Boone Pickens wants to build the world's largest wind farm in the Texas Panhandle, a project that would put as many as 2,000 turbines on nearly 200,000 acres in four counties.

Two of China's major lakes are again threatened by spreading algae that has endangered drinking water and underscored the pollution choking the country's waterways, state media reported on Sunday.

The UK government has published a new paper on the responsibilities of regional utilities, in which it has asserted that the future role of household energy suppliers could be as much about helping consumers to cut energy use and carbon emissions as about supplying energy.

The Senate Monday pressed ahead with a Democrat-driven rewrite of American energy policy that would strip nearly US$15 billion in tax breaks from large companies and put the money toward making energy from clean, renewable sources like wind, solar and soybeans.

A second week of US Senate debate on energy legislation is expected to kick off later Monday, with the Democratic leadership determined to finish the bill by the end of the week and amendment votes due to start Tuesday.

The US Senate Finance Committee Tuesday unveiled a new energy tax package that seeks about $29 billion in incentives for renewable and alternative energy and increases to $28.5 billion the amount the panel proposes to levy on oil and gas companies to pay for the tax breaks.

Democratic and Republican leaders in the US Senate reached an agreement late Monday to vote on five controversial amendments to the major energy bill that they began debating early last week.

Concern over views prompts Blowing Rock council to ban windmills, even in backyards.

Federal tax benefits for wind power development may be scheduled to lapse next year, but wind farm developers proposing local projects are unfazed.

The sparsely populated town was home to a wind project test tower since 2005, but the instrument is gone, and so is the interest.

Western Wisconsin may never be a wind energy mecca like southwest Minnesota, northwest Iowa or the Dakotas. But that doesnt mean windmills won't someday dot our skyline.

Program Will Capture and Destroy Methane from 200 Farms. The agreement is part of the first large-scale livestock methane offset program established in the United States that will capture and destroy methane from approximately 400,000 head of livestock on as many as 200 U.S. farms. Cost of the credits is not being disclosed due to confidentiality agreements.

When APS first brought the lawsuit, Brophy said, he said he thought the company couldn't operate without their water. He added that if they were going to the judge, saying there would be blackouts without the water, he thought they must need that water.

New Mexico's senators offered dueling proposals to slash greenhouse gas emissions Wednesday, setting up a showdown for a likely vote on the Senate floor today.

Diverting sugar and maize for biofuels could lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths from hunger worldwide, the United Nations' food envoy warned on Thursday.

A 10% ethanol gasoline blend, or E10, will be effectively mandated for the state of California by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday, analyst Eric Brown at Bank of America predicted Wednesday.

Investigators from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice determined that Santa Maria Refining Co., located in Santa Maria, Calif., and a subsidiary of Greka Energy Corp., disposed of contaminated wastewater into wells that were not permitted for that use, posing a risk to groundwater supplies. The wastewater contained benzene, which can cause anemia, excessive bleeding and cancer, as well as affect the immune system

The Canadian government on Thursday decided to adopt a hybrid approach to nuclear waste storage that an agency charged with coming up with the solution to the problem has recommended, it said.

Huadian Power International, a Chinese electricity producer listed in Hong Kong, plans to cut spending on new plants by two- thirds next year to increase profitability.

While it can be hard to get the U.S. government and even individual consumers to “go green,” private industry has the power to significantly affect the environment in the near term, according to Gwen Ruta, director of corporate partnerships at Environmental Defense.

Houston-based Tondu Corp. is backing away from plans to build a 600-megawatt power plant in Corpus Christi, saying costs for the coal gasification technology it planned to use were too high.

The reaction was to a Rocky Mountain News story that detailed some of the proposals in Denver's Climate Action Plan, which aims to cut the city's output of gas emissions linked to global warming.

...air conditioners and cooling systems have been going full tilt through the last of May and early June. May 29 was the only day last month that climbed into the 90s, hitting 91, according to Rod Gonski, a National Weather Service meteorologist

If you are smart enough to invent a bright, highly energy-efficient, solid-state "light package" to replace the 60-watt bulb, you might qualify for a $10 million federal prize. A similar invention to replace halogen bulbs could carry a $5 million award.

The generation of electricity from wind is becoming one of the fastest and most acceptable Renewable Energy (RE) resource in the world. In this technology, a wind turbine converts kinetic energy into mechanical energy, and this is in turn, converted into usable electricity.

Blame surging oil and gasoline prices for driving up the cost of US groceries, the ethanol industry said on Thursday, defending itself from charges that the corn price spike was making food more expensive.

EU greenhouse gas emissions in 2005 decreased by 0.7% from the year before, according to a report from the European Environment Agency Thursday, though the decrease is still off the pace required to reach its Kyoto Protocol reduction target by 2008-2012.

Oil company Exxon Mobil Corp. never in the past decade doubted the risk from climate change, its global spokesman Kenneth Cohen said on Thursday, in a latest attempt to improve its green credentials.

The Carbon Trust has unveiled a new carbon map which shows that Belfast produces 1,779,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, or more than 4,800 tonnes per day. It is one of 33 UK towns and cities featured on the map.

German solar power investment is expected to grow threefold by volume in 2007, the German association of solar power (BSW-Solar) said Wednesday. BSW-Solar expects that investment volumes in the German solar sector are to grow from Eur400 million ($430.87 million) in 2006 to Eur1.2 billion in 2007.

Global crude futures were down Friday with no new headlines or data to support Thursday's products-led rally when the July NYMEX WTI futures contract nearly hit $68/barrel, market sources said.

Gold prices were indicated modestly lower in morning European trade Friday but the market was holding in its broad $648-653/oz range, with attention focused on US consumer price data due later in the day.

Google and Intel threw their weight behind an initiative Tuesday to help blunt the impact of global warming by bringing greater energy efficiency to personal computers and servers.

Massachusetts --Announces plan for installation of solar power at 12 state facilities.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said Tuesday that he hopes Congress can pass far-reaching energy legislation this year, but it may take longer.

Freddie Mac yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.74 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending June 14, 2007, up from last week when it averaged 6.53 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.63 percent.

Hungary highlights the problems faced by EU member states, especially the new accession countries that are trying to adopt EU energy laws. Like most EU members, Hungary's electricity market will be opened to competition from July 1, 2007. However, this may be compromised by the current nature of the region's energy sector...

A few hours away from a US Senate floor debate on a wide-ranging bipartisan energy bill, a senior Republican Tuesday called the legislation "very premature" and "tremendously unbalanced" for not having greater US production measures to deal with the country's immediate fuel needs.

Sad stories like this crop up way too often. A body -- a human being, someone´s parent or sibling or child -- is discovered at a landfill, or at a recycling plant, or inside a garbage truck.

India is constructing two more reprocessing plants in addition to the three already operating at Tarapur, Kalpakkam and Trombay, S. K. Munshi, chief superintendent of reprocessing facilities at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center at Trombay, said June 12.

The daily dumping of millions of tonnes of sewage is killing India's rivers and threatening the lives of thousands of poor people, an environmental think-tank said on Thursday.

In an apparent change of tactics, the president is acknowledging that man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions contribute to climate change. Toward that end, he is urging the world's industrialized nations to use an integrated approach that involves both developed and developing countries to solving the dilemma.

Two new initiatives that help reduce barriers for small energy generators and encourage larger co-generation projects will increase Ontario's supply of cleaner energy, Minister of Energy Dwight Duncan announced today.

Energy policy is once again up for debate on Capitol Hill with Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) expected to introduce an amendment today that would require 15 percent of electricity generated in the U.S. to come from renewables by 2020. The legislation will be countered by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM), who is planning to offer a "weaker" amendment that defines coal and nuclear as clean energy, and eligible for renewable credits.

July crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 5 cents higher at $67.70/barrel Friday with RBOB continuing to pace the complex. Several refinery issues were behind continued gains in the gasoline market.

World oil markets are well supplied with crude and OPEC will only raise output if it sees changes in fundamentals, including a "constant" draw in consumer oil inventories and oil prices at high levels for a sustained period, OPEC Secretary General Abdalla el- Badri said June 5.

China, where hundreds of millions lack regular access to drinking water due to drought and pollution, plans to build a huge sea water desalination plant south of Shanghai, state media said on Wednesday.

The president and chief executive officer of ISO-New England said Tuesday it will be "many, many years" before the region achieves a mix between power plants fueled by oil or natural gas and renewable energy sources.

"Some gunmen attempted yesterday (Wednesday) to attack Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ogbambiri flowstation. Soldiers stationed at the facility engaged them in gun battle, killing nine of them."
Nigerian troops engaged members of a militia group who attempted to attack an oil production platform in southern Nigeria operated by Italy's Eni, killing nine militants, security and company sources said Thursday.

"Bandar Abbas is functioning at full capacity...Although the refinery staff had done their best to prevent damage to the tanks, part of their walls have been destroyed due to the high speed of the gusts."
Cyclone Gonu caused damage to eight storage tanks at Iran's 230,000 b/d Bandar Abbas refinery when it struck the Persian Gulf last week, but the refinery is operating at full capacity, Iranian officials said Wednesday.

US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Wednesday said he expects to wrap up Senate floor debate sometime next week on a broad energy bill with or without a tax package.

Solar activity is expected to be very low. There is a slight chance of a C-class flare from Region 960. The geomagnetic field was quiet to unsettled. An apparent solar sector boundary crossing occurred at 13/1800Z. Solar wind speed increased from approximately 310 km/s to 420 km/s at forecast issue time.

U.S. financial markets were battered at the end of last week because of a dramatic sell-off of Treasury bonds. The yield on 10-year bonds, which has been rising since May, neared the critical barrier of 5.25 percent on June 8 -- the highest level in five years. Media reports suggest that turmoil in the bond market could continue this week, making investors anxious about whether interest rates might go up and bring to an end the period of cheap money that has buoyed up asset markets and also funded a world-wide boom in mergers. Why are bond yields so high?

In 2005, Scottsdale became one of the first cities in the nation to set a goal for all new municipal buildings to meet the "gold" level of leadership in energy and environmental design, the LEED certification issued by the United States Green Building Council.

New ways to develop fuels that would substitute for oil -- such as coal-to-liquid fuel, oil shale and tar sands -- could "dramatically increase" emissions associated with global warming and threaten habitats in the US and Western Canada, the Natural Resources Defense Council said Monday.

A measure that would have established a Fischer-Tropsch demonstration project and offered incentives to build coal-to-liquid refineries failed to garner enough support to be added to the energy bill being debated on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

But in a reversal of fortunes, several coal amendments were successfully added to energy legislation in a House energy committee.

The Renewable Portfolio Standard would "raise taxes and electric rates in Tennessee," but the money needed to meet the standard could be used to implement advanced coal measures, according to Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

While lower ethanol blends can be used in most cars and dispensed with existing equipment, E85 with its higher volume of ethanol, which is corrosive, requires the installation of specialized equipment at service stations and the production of vehicles capable of operating on the higher blends.

A TXU Corp. subsidiary plans to install mercury control technology at all of the company´s coal-fired power plants, including three new proposed units.

A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit Guatemala on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, and some buildings were evacuated in the capital. Here are some key facts about the "Pacific Ring of Fire":

In the news June 11th - 15th: Rainforest products, coral protections, the global deforestation crisis, a carbon-neutral Capitol, and much more.

Protectors of the Keys coral reef received welcome news on two environmental fronts this month. A new coal-powered generator planned near Moore Haven in Central Florida was blocked...In Washington, D.C., a move to bring oil drilling closer to Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast may have been stalled by a congressional committee.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy are making a combined $18 million in grants available for research and development of biomass-based fuels.

A US House committee on Tuesday approved by a voice vote legislation that would require all federal government agencies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.

The US Senate Thursday turned its attention briefly to whether or not individual states should have the right to drill off their coasts, even if the federal government has a moratorium banning such development.

The $13.7 billion figure may irk energy companies because "the latest draft is much leaner than was initially discussed" for this year's comprehensive bill, said an analysis by the firm of Friedman, Billings, Ramsey
& Co.

The US Senate late Thursday voted down a Republican-backed amendment to a major energy bill that would have allowed Virginia to drill for natural gas off of its coast.

Utilities that violate any of the 83 reliability standards set by an industry oversight group will face penalties. The aim is not to punish; rather, it is to ensure that the nation's grid is as foolproof as possible.

Against the background of climbing polysilicon demand for photovoltaic applications, Wacker Chemie announced to significantly increase its production. A certain percentage of the additional output, however, may also be sold into the semiconductor industry.

•Global crude futures were stable on Thursday, maintaining strong gains on Wednesday following the bullish US product stock data, brokers said. At 10:38 London time, July ICE Brent, which expires later today, was back above $70/barrel, gaining 17 cents to $70.12/b. July NYMEX WTI was up 15 cents to $66.41/b.

•Product stockbuilding stalled in the US last week, according to the EIA data. Heating oil stocks saw a 2.8 million barrel draw, with overall distillate stocks rising 300,000 barrels, lower than the 1.5 million forecast by analysts. Gasoline stocks remained unchanged versus an expected 1.7 million barrels rise.

Over the last decade, as fears over the reliability and cost of wind power have proven overblown or unfounded, utilities have begun to generate more electricity from wind in their service areas. In the last few years, some utilities have fully embraced the renewable resource because of customer demand for cleaner energy. Utility support for wind was clear at the WindPower 2007 conference

The number of utilities expecting renewable and nuclear power to be a bigger part of the future energy mix has more than doubled since last year, according to a survey published by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Research by the McKinsey Global Institute [MGI] and McKinsey's global energy and materials practice finds that a concerted global effort to boost energy productivity--the output we achieve from the energy we consume--would have spectacular results.

Acciona Solar Power, a world leader in the design, development and ownership of solar thermal technologies, has announced that its Nevada Solar One project, the largest-capacity solar power plant built in the world in 16 years and the third-largest of its kind, has begun supplying power to the Nevada Power grid. The plant represents an investment of more than $250 million.

In light of a US Supreme Court decision that went against Duke Energy in a federal Clean Air Act lawsuit, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said it is prepared to send a similar case against Alabama Power back to the district court level for reconsideration.

Householders, schools and community organizations planning to take advantage of the Australian Government’s new $150 million solar power rebate can apply immediately for the increased rebate.

As goes the global climate so goes the business climate, at least for power producers who find themselves scrambling to invest in clean, green energies and energyefficient technologies. "In the future," said Terry Oliver, we will live in a carbonconstrained world. The question is, what does that mean for our industry?"

Buildings in Rizhao, a coastal city of nearly three million on the Shandong Peninsula in northern China, have a common yet unique appearance: most rooftops and walls are covered with small panels. They are solar heat collectors.

A coal industry group advising the federal government said that efficiency measures can help address carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector in the near term, but the group warned that plant owners could be discouraged from investing in improving energy efficiency of existing plants for fear that it would trigger New Source Review regulations.

There are 20 coal-fired plants in Michigan. The nation's energy companies plan to build more than 150 coal-fired plants around the country during the next decade. In Michigan, coal-fired generation accounts for 58% of the electric mix ...

12Jun2007-Global crude futures were rangebound Tuesday, ignoring the latest International Energy Agency report which raised its estimates of world oil demand in 2006 and 2007 as well as increasing its forecast for the expected 'call' on OPEC crude this year.

Almost a third of the US corn crop will be used in five years to produce fuel ethanol, possibly raising animal feed costs for farmers and meat prices for consumers, a new government report warned Monday.

While world leaders made pledges to cut greenhouse gases at this week's G8 Summit in Germany, Sue Hovorka was in the backwoods of East Texas working to help them keep those promises.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and seven other governors are protesting language in a House energy bill that would nullify a strict state tailpipe emissions standard for cars and light trucks.

A proposal designed to lure an alternative fuels plant to Kentucky will be pitched to members of a legislative energy subcommittee during its meeting next week at the TVA Paradise power plant in Muhlenberg County.

Nigeria oil workers have been put on notice to join a nationwide strike called by labor groups to protest a recent hike in fuel prices, a spokesman for the oil unions said Monday.

There's an empty pit about a hundred miles southwest of Washington where two nuclear power plants were planned but never built. The pit became a symbol of the success of the antinuclear movement, the activists who a quarter-century ago forced utilities to scrap plans for dozens of reactors across the country.

Competition in the retail electricity sector can only occur if government gradually lifts price controls. Such default prices offered to those who do not shop around are set too low and therefore keep alternative providers from entering markets.

Leaders of China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa said after the meeting at a G8 summit in Germany that they backed a G8 goal of launching talks on a long-term UN deal to combat global warming a meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

"I think a lot of people are contemplating what happened on Friday and how this current week may go. The small moves this morning seem pretty logical especially with no news to affect prices,"
a London-based broker said about crude futures market Monday.

Solar activity was very low. Region 960 produced several B-class flares during the past 24 hours. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on 12-13 June. Expect unsettled to active conditions, with isolated minor storm periods at high latitudes, on 14 June as a coronal hole rotates into a geoeffective position.

KMD Architects' design for a new 12-story headquarters for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is expected to be a leader in demonstrating energy efficiency, water recycling and reduced carbon footprint among major office buildings nationally, according to P.U.C. officials.

Senate to begin work on measure seeking efficiency in everything from cars to dishwashers.

"Oak Grove, if built, will be the fourth-dirtiest mercury-polluting power plant in America, and all these East Texas lakes are already contaminated with mercury. So why in the world would any elected official in Texas support building the fourth-dirtiest plant in America for mercury? Why would they do that?" The answer is simple

Hundreds of Tibetans rioted in a remote, sparsely populated area of southwest China recently to stop exploitation of a mountain they consider sacred, several local residents said on Monday.

World oil supply fell to 84.94 million b/d in May, down from an estimated 85.5 million b/d in April on the back of lower OPEC crude output, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

At the Western Governors' Association's annual meeting in South Dakota, the state leaders said they will work with Congress and the Bush administration to put carbon sequestration technology on a fast track and called for tax credits and funding necessary to "expedite large-scale projects, identify and develop the pipeline infrastructure needed and resolve issues related to risk and liability."

The nuclear power industry would be unable to qualify for US Department of Energy loan guarantees for new reactors in fiscal 2008 under a funding bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee this week.

A controversial plan to allow oil and gas drilling atop an environmentally sensitive plateau in western Colorado was approved by federal land managers on Friday, over the objections of Colorado's governor and at least two members of the state's congressional delegation

Reid, Democrat-Nevada, noted that raising fuel efficiency standards may turn into the single biggest battle.

The full Senate is slated to begin debate later Monday on the energy bill, which would attempt to reduce US consumption of crude oil by increasing fuel economy standards and promoting renewable fuels.

"We need to move these projects forward," Maisano said. "We're trying to provide some clean energy and some local economic help."

The plaintiffs, however, see the Mount Storm project as a nuisance that will be noisy, make the sun appear to flicker and pose hazards such as broken blades and tossed ice.

Imagine a camera so small it can be manufactured on a wafer scale. You can stop imagining, and take out your magnifying glass.

The WGA said it will "advise Congress that, if it adopts a federal renewable portfolio standard, it should not limit any state's ability to develop the most advantageous mix of clean energy resources."

•On Friday, global crude futures lost over $2/b in value as fears receded over cyclone Gonu affecting oil infrastructure, production and shipping in the oil rich region of the Middle East.

•Looking ahead, geopolitics and other fundamental factors will play their part market analysts have said. "While the risk of attacks on oil installations in Nigeria has subsided until the end of the month with the MEND truce we will still keep an eye on Nigeria

It's an energy evolution unlike anything since nuclear power revved up in the 1970s and hydroelectric power projects surfaced more than a century ago, said Joe Harkins, director of the Kansas Energy Office. "We're seeing a significant transformation...

University of Utah physicists developed small devices that turn heat into sound and then into electricity via piezoelectric conversion. The technology holds promise for changing waste heat into electricity, harnessing solar energy and cooling computers and radars.

Bullfrog Power, a leading Canadian provider of 100 per cent green electricity, today announced the launch of its service to Alberta homes and businesses. Bullfrog Power provides businesses, non-profits, and consumers with a new, convenient way to support renewable power.

The Arizona Corporation Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on a controversial plan to transmit energy generated in Arizona to power California homes and businesses.

Global Resource will supply Gershow with its proprietary technology to reduce landfill waste by approximately 65%, recover extra metal for profit, and the process will generate virtually no emissions linked to global warming.

With the new law, the Amazonas government is making its contribution to the world efforts to stem the emission of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming at the same time it is equipping itself with an instrument to foster sustainable economic development in the region.

New tools will help 'Good Samaritans' remove mine waste, restore watersheds, improve fisheries

Several industry chief executives at Standard & Poor's Annual Utility Conference, held in New York City on May 31, expressed the fear that one of the hottest topics in the power sector, global warming, was likely to become ever more contentious and difficult as consumers become aware of the costs of remediation. Those costs would almost surely result in rate hikes that could generate a regulatory and political backlash and have major implications for ratepayers, investors, and the utilities themselves.

Although many agree that the nation is poised to become an international financial leader inside of the next quarter century, one minor setback in China’s globalization efforts has reportedly been an energy crisis they’ve been battling for quite some time now.

Coal is the major fuel used to generate electricity worldwide, but burning it adds more carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere per unit of heat than does burning other fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.

The United States is increasing its dependence on foreign oil at a time when its own production is down by 40 percent from the previous two decades. That's why Congress is considering giving incentives to developers to come with up with alternative fuel forms that have the potential to pollute less.

With a permit pending on a massive coal-burning power plant in western Kansas, a Lawrence couple have filed a lawsuit demanding that the state limit carbon dioxide emissions.

"In the end, there has been so far no report of Gonu linked damages to oil installations, Turkey did not invade Iraq and the OPEC statement is a repeat of what they have been saying for more than a year", said oil analysts Petromatrix in a report. "But the market is in a phase of reacting to bullish items and discounting their non-confirmation."

State regulators on Tuesday signed off on plans to build one of the nation's first plants that would turn dirty coal into cleaner fuel, generating electricity while dramatically reducing smog and mercury pollution.

EarthFirst Technologies, Incorporated recently announced details of its plans to establish the United States’ believed to be the first Bio-refinery. This facility will be capable of producing ASTM 6751 biodiesel, as well as other high value products from palm-based methyl esters produced during the biodiesel production process.

Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomes the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding for the coupling of the French, German, Belgian, Dutch and Luxembourg electricity markets into a single regional area, the EC chief said in a statement Friday.

"The country is beginning to realize that carbon dioxide has an effect on people's health and welfare," Ray Dean said.

But power plant officials worry -- and environmentalists celebrate -- the possibility that could change after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April that said greenhouse gases are an air pollutant for the purposes of the Clean Air Act.

The country's cane alcohol export revenue leapt to $490 million in the first four months of 2007, a "surprising" 108.1 percent rise over the same 2006 period..

"European industries need predictability in the flow of raw materials and stable prices to remain competitive," Gunter Verheugen, EC vice president, said in the statement. "We are committed to improve the conditions of access to raw materials, be it within Europe or by creating a level playing field in accessing such materials from abroad."

Last week the government of Kuwait announced that it plans to de-peg its national currency, the Kuwaiti dinar, from the U.S. dollar in order to control inflation...Syria has also announced that it will de-peg its currency from the dollar, which I am certain has the Fed extremely worried given the giant economy that Syria is. For example, if all of the major oil exporting nations de-peg from the dollar, though the largest, Saudi Arabia, has said that it will not, the aggregate effect could be quite significant.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday said the leaders of the G8 nations meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany, had reached what she called a "very successful" deal to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Leaders of the Group of Eight nations kicked off a three-day summit at the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm in Germany on Wednesday to try to narrow their differences over creating a new international framework to fight global warming and to discuss African development, the world economy and energy security issues.

Global warming will melt most Andean glaciers in the next 30 years, scientists say, threatening the livelihood of millions of people who depend on them for drinking water, farming and power generation.

Average annual cumulative growth in the international wind energy industry will be 19.1% from 2006 until 2010, compared with 24.3% during the 2002-2006 period.

Tropical Cyclone Gonu continued to weaken late Wednesday as it maintained its progress northward to the southern Iranian coast near the Strait of Hormuz, the US Department of Defense's Joint Typhoon Warning Center reported.

Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat from southwestern Virginia coal territory, set off a tempest this week by introducing a bill that some environmentalists and politicians say would block California from receiving a federal waiver to curb tailpipe emissions that contribute to global warming. At least 11 states are poised to follow California´s lead.

House appropriators approved $494.5 million for DOE's nuclear waste program in fiscal 2008, matching the department's full request.

Global crude futures Thursday largely held on to gains made during a turbulent trading session the previous day although ICE Brent slipped below $71/barrel.

Gas prices are climbing to amazing heights, and we keep driving to the gas station. Forecasters try to gauge at what price we´ll start to seriously curtail our vehicle use. One report said prices may need to reach $5 a gallon, and stay there for a few months until people get the idea that it´s not coming back down.

Thanks for your good coverage of the need to address climate change and the controversy surrounding various strategies. It all reminds me a bit, though, of a detailed discussion of the best strategy for typewriter improvement in 1980 -- rather irrelevant since typewriters were about to be replaced by computers.

The 10 northern states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative agree to freeze power plant emissions from 2009 to 2015 and cut them 10 percent by 2019.

Freddie Mac yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.53 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending June 7, 2007, up from last week when it averaged 6.42 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.62 percent.

A U.S. national laboratory has invented a design that will increase the efficiency of parabolic trough solar collector systems.

New investment in nuclear power and renewable energy in the UK may not materialise because London has failed to understand the needs of investors, a group of energy experts is warning.

Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski Wednesday signed into law a requirement that 25 percent of power delivered by the state's biggest utilities be made from renewable sources by 2025.

An independent power producer is meeting opposition from the National Park Service about potential air pollution from a planned coal-fired power plant, but a spokesman for Nevada's electric utilities expects no problem with their similar project

Completing the internal EU gas and power market, promoting renewables and work on a European strategic energy technology plan are to be the three energy priorities of the incoming Portuguese EU presidency, Portugal told ministers at the EU energy council Wednesday in Luxembourg.

Quebec will become the first Canadian province to introduce a carbon tax, forcing the hydrocarbon industry to pay about C$200 million ($188 million) a year into a fund to help it meet the 2012 greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Kyoto Protocol, natural resources minister Claude Bechard said Wednesday.

"We've not sat down with China, India, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa. We have not sat down with Australia, South Korea and a number of the other major emitting countries on this issue and so until we've got everyone in the room and until we have consensus among all of them you won't see a collectively stated goal on that yet but it's coming."
The Group of Eight summit final communique will not set long-term targets for cutting the emissions that cause global warming, a top US official said Wednesday.

"The US will be actively involved, if not taking the lead, in a post-Kyoto framework, a post-Kyoto deal."
President George W. Bush said Thursday after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, referring to the UN-backed treaty on cutting emissions that expires in 2012.

"It's fantastic that we are leading the rest of Europe in developing this fuel."
Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson said. Europe's first train powered by biodiesel went into service with Britain's next prime minister Gordon Brown on board for its maiden journey.

The world can avoid the worst impacts from climate change if it invests in clean energy within five years, according to the environmental group WWF.

“The world needs urgently to develop a coherent and practical approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” it will explain. The evidence for global warming is unequivocal and early action to combat climate change makes economic sense, but “existing efforts are clearly insufficient” and most countries with targets under the Kyoto Protocol are not on track to meeting them and many countries do not have Kyoto targets.

Solar activity was low. Region 960 (S07W03) produced a few small C-class events as it continued to slowly decay and simplify. The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet throughout the forecast period.

When it comes to air pollution, the smallest size can do the most harm...satellite data may also provide information on the global health burden from air pollution." Satellite observations can also provide great insights into the transport of dust and pollutants from one state, region or country to another.

The program, administered by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), has been touted as the best in the country. But issues with Time of Use (TOU) rates have slowed applications for residential solar systems significantly.

The three separate measures, designed to reduce the manmade greenhouse gases contributing to global warming, now head to the full Senate.

For eight communities in the Whitney Ranch residential development in Rocklin, Calif., outside Sacramento, an average of 1.9 homes have sold each month since 2006. A ninth community, Grupe Homes' Carsten Crossings, stands out with more than twice as many sales, or an average of 4.6 homes sold per month over the same time period

While the hydroelectric industry may be mature, activity there abounds. The sector's next phase, however, will focus on smaller hydro units that are less disruptive environmentally but still useful in supplying electricity to remote areas. Government researchers say that almost 60 percent of the nation's water energy resources are potentially available for development using technologies that are environmentally adept.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), on Friday, May 18, 2007, sent a letter to Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) urging him to include waste-to-energy as a renewable energy resource in his renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to be considered by the Senate

Thanks to the abundance of local droppings, Benson is home to a new $200 million power plant that burns turkey waste to produce electricity. For the last few weeks, fuel has poured in from nearby farms by the truckload, filling a hall several stories high.

The critics say turkey litter, of all farm animals' manure, is the most valuable as a rich, organic fertilizer at a time when demand is growing for all things organic.

TXU CORP. -- already under scrutiny for alleged price gouging -- is in hot water again.

The Dallas-based energy giant has agreed to pay the Texas Public Utility Commission a $5 million fine to resolve allegations that it broke state law by signing up thousands of businesses to new one-year electric contracts without obtaining their explicit consent..

TXU stock moved to its best close since late February as the utility's pending $45 billion buyout appeared more likely after the Texas Legislature adjourned without taking significant action that could have threatened the deal.

While nine out of ten people said the U.S. needs to find ways to produce more of its own oil rather than rely so heavily on foreign sources and eight of ten said they were concerned about the country's energy self-sufficiency, the vast majority of Americans oppose the construction of oil refineries or other traditional energy plants in their city or town...

The state of Texas could account for two-thirds of new wind capacity in the United States, which demonstrates that Renewables Portfolio Standards can play a key role in accelerating development.

The future supply of electricity around the world cannot be assured unless substantial investment takes place, and one “critical uncertainty” is the future form and stringency of climate policy which could affect investment behaviour in the power sector.

Kim, speaking at the World Nuclear Fuel Market conference in Athens Tuesday, said it is a "myth" that there is nothing utilities can do to reduce uranium demand.

US House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall intends to replace a draft energy bill -- panned by both Republicans and Democrats -- with another version when his committee meets to vote on the measure Wednesday, his spokeswoman said Tuesday.

US religious leaders -- Episcopal, Catholic, Jewish and evangelical Christian -- agreed on Thursday on the need to confront global warming, while other faith representatives questioned the climate change threat.

The US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill providing grants for carbon capture and storage demonstration projects including one at the coal-fired power plant that serves Congress.

Governors from eight US states Thursday protested to Congress about possible legislation that they claim will limit their efforts to cut automobile and small-truck emissions.

Hit the switch and the lights go on. That simple act is such a habit that few think about where their power comes from.

Until someone suggests plunking down a coal-burning plant in their neighborhood, near their cabin or their favorite fishing hole. Then it's the talk of the town.

•Recent diplomatic tensions between Russia and the US and UK ahead of the G8 leaders' annual summit in Germany have overshadowed the initial plan by G8 host Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany to make climate change the number one issue.

•Meanwhile, the US oil stock data to be released by the US EIA and API are expected to show a 550,000 barrel build in commercial crude stocks and a 1.5 million barrel build in gasoline stocks, analysts surveyed by Platts said Tuesday.

Wind power generators are typically companies separate from the utilities that sell to residents and businesses. That may have to change to enhance the possibility of achieving a national goal of 20 percent to 30 percent wind power in the next 20 years.

A cold snap in Argentina led to electricity and natural gas shortages this week, idling factories and taxis and causing sporadic blackouts in the capital.

Beset by the coldest May since 1962, millions of residents fired up space heaters, straining Buenos Aires' electrical grid...

Following a stunning increase of nearly 11 percent in the year ending in April 2006, the average price of electricity for industrial or large commercial entities in the United States jumped another 4.7 percent over the past year.

Tony Blair last night upped the pressure on his fellow G8 leaders, insisting "this is the time to act" on climate change and reminding them they had a "duty" to make progress on the agenda- topping issue at this week's German summit.

In 2000 they acquired a novel fuel cell technology. Since then, they have increased the output of a single fuel cell tube from 1 watt to 60 watts. Today they have over 30 units working in the field, including ones that power visitor’s centers at Exit Glacier National Park in Alaska, and Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio.

The thought of a massive natural gas pipeline only a few feet underground and running through a masterplanned community in Buckeye has town officials cringing.

He wants major polluting nations to set long-range goals for how each will cut emissions.

Angry citizens have been giving the U.S. Department of Energy an earful, saying that they don't want high voltage power lines built near their properties. While those consumers are worried about obtrusive construction and environmental damages, federal regulators have to consider what is in the national interest.

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, when I lived and worked in Japan, I spent time studying and practicing Zen meditation at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Nara. One thing I learned in my meditation practice, and in my work with such large Japanese corporations as Sharp and Osaka Gas & Electric, was the art of long-term thinking.

Matanuska Electric Association is asking its members to help select the sites for two new power plants, one coal-fired, the other gas-fired, but anti-coal groups say MEA should be asking whether, not where, that plant should be built.

The company is nearing completion of drilling on its $440 million Drillsite 1-J West Sak heavy oil production pad and is planning a new phase of West Sak development which could require an investment up to $1 billion, Blaine Campbell, ConocoPhillips' supervisor for the its heavy oil program,
told Platts in an interview.

Leaders from the world's major industrialised nations will try to paper over deep divisions on global warming and a range of foreign policy issues when they meet on the Baltic coast this week for a G8 summit.

Global crude futures stabilized early Tuesday, falling back slightly from strong gains seen on Monday but nonetheless remaining high, with July ICE Brent hovering around $70/barrel, brokers said.

Hannah, 46, star of the 1984 movie "Splash," rolled up a sleeve of her shirt and dipped it into an oil pit, holding it above her head as the thick liquid dripped down her arm.

The lack of rain is drying up cash reserves for the Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA President Tom Kilgore said Thursday.

A winter of unusually little snow has brought five times the normal level of forest fires to parts of Central Canada, prompting other provinces to fly in extra help, and bringing small scale evacuations of rural settlements.

The authors of a new privately funded report say Congress should mandate a power emissions performance standard that requires all new coal plants to manage carbon emissions with control-and-capture systems, in conjunction with an emissions cap-and-trade system for existing power plants.

From Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to E.ON, the world's largest companies are investing in wind power, the best-performing energy in the past year.

Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol in December 2002, legally requiring a reduction of overall greenhouse gas emissions of 6 percent below 1990 levels during the period 2008 to 2012. However, Canada´s greenhouse gas emissions have increased more than 25 percent since 1990...

Fears of world food shortages caused by booming use of sugar cane and corn to produce ethanol fuel for motor vehicles are overblown and politically motivated, analysts and politicians said on Monday.

Europe is poised to begin a new nuclear age, reversing two decades of policies aimed at abandoning nuclear power as an energy source following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

Driving the turnaround: high oil and gas prices; climate change worries; and concerns about the reliability of supplies from Russia...

President Bush's plan to combat climate change got a cool reception Friday in Europe, where the European Union's environment chief dismissed it as unambitious and the "classic" US line.

Radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain is third on Frank von Hippel's list of nuclear fears, behind threats posed by nuclear weapons and safety of power reactors.

"The danger with radioactive waste doesn't register that much unless you do something totally irresponsible," said von Hippel...

Ben Sloter wasn't looking to save money, be green or show off to his neighbors. He wasn't looking to be first either. Sloter, 86, just likes to stay active.

The upcoming Group of Eight summit in Germany, where leaders will negotiate ways to tackle climate change, will produce 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, a study published on Sunday showed.

Aquila is looking for a few good solar panels, and will pay you a little if you have one. The electrical utility company has started a rebate program for people in the Aquila service area who can supply solar power or the energy credit created by having a renewable energy source.

Nine out of Ten Americans Would Like Solar Electric Systems Available on New Home Construction, up Significantly from Last Year

Birds and bats have a powerful advocate in the new Congress, and he is making the wind energy industry nervous.

The US House Energy and Commerce Committee is considering crafting legislation that would set a "portfolio standard" for the retail power industry, requiring retailers to obtain certain amount of their electricity from certain generation sources, documents show.

He Talks to Environmentalists and Backs Coal-Fired Power Plants. For Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, Balance is the Key

The International Energy Agency Monday praised Germany's energy policies but also urged the German government to reconsider the phase-out of nuclear power, the agency said in a statement.

Getting Hot Up North: An environmental group is putting legal heat on Canada in an attempt to compel the nation to live up to the pollution reduction promises it made when it signed on to the international Kyoto treaty on global warming in 2002.

Earlier this year the European Commission unveiled a target of increasing the share of biofuels used in transport to 10 percent by 2020. To support this target the Commission also recently launched a public consultation on “biofuel issues in the new legislation on the promotion of renewable energy.”

Abe has proposed halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but Japan is struggling to meet its own target of cutting emissions by 6 percent by 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol's first phase ends.

You make a big investment in wind power, solar power, or some other form of renewable energy that can put a dent in your electric bill. During peak months, you actually generate more power than what you use. So, you sit back and wait with glee for your next bill to arrive in the mail, knowing you're supposed to get reimbursed...

Three-fourths of the electricity Kansans use comes from coal-fired generating plants, and that heavier-than-average reliance on coal helps explain why the state is among the top 10 in carbon dioxide emissions per person.

Two Israeli architects have devised a low-tech way to turn dew into fresh, usable water. Inspired by the dew-collecting properties of leaves, the invention can extract a minimum of 48 liters of fresh water from the air each day. Depending on the number of collectors used, an unlimited daily supply of water could be produced even in remote and polluted places.

Driven by the need to protect the cultures and economies of countries and regions most affected by climate change, representatives of Arctic communities and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from the Caribbean, and Pacific have formed an alliance called Many Strong Voices to press for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Nations around the globe held events to mark World Environment Day on Tuesday focusing on the theme "Melting Ice -- a Hot Topic?" to complement International Polar Year 2007.

Global warming that is melting ice and snow will affect hundreds of millions of people around the globe by disrupting rivers in Asia, thawing Arctic ice and raising ocean levels, a UN report said on Monday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday she believed the United States could be brought into a UN process to combat climate change at this week's summit of leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised nations.

Moller International has successfully tested its Rotapower® rotary engine using a fuel composed of 70% ethanol and 30% water. The Rotapower engine is a key component in the future deployment of the Company’s volantor aircraft including the M200E and M200G models anticipated to enter the market in 2008.

The Nevada Solar One parabolic trough power plant located in Boulder City, near Las Vegas, will begin supplying power to the grid. The 64 megawatt power plant is the first large solar thermal power plant to be built in 15 years and will generate approximately 129 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity annually...

As of June 18, 2007, U.S. utilities and other bulk power industry participants that violate any requirements of 83 reliability standards will face enforcement actions by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) under federal law...

Nigeria's new government will not reverse a 15% fuel price increase that has triggered fears of a nationwide strike that could halt exports in Africa's leading oil producer.

Policy-makers have called North Dakota a renewable energy giant, or the Saudi Arabia of the Midwest.

July crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 36 cents lower at $65.85/barrel Tuesday, led by a downturn in the gasoline market.

The cylcone has been equated to a Category 5 hurricane based on the US system of measuring storm strength. Although Super Cyclone Gonu has been slightly downgraded Tuesday, the storm is still a major threat to the oil and shipping industry...

Drowned 50 years ago for progress and the promise of near limitless water, the town of Old Adaminaby has re-emerged from its sunken grave as drought ravages one of Australia's biggest lakes.

SSE yesterday announced a new programme to reward its 7.5 million customers by up to GBP 100 a year for reducing their energy costs.

The average price of power for large customers of investor-owned utilities increased 4.7% over the past year, reaching 9.28 cents/kWh javascript:handoff()from 8.86 cents/kWh in 2006, NUS Consulting Group said Monday.

"We will suspend attacks on oil installations for one month--a period which we hope the government will take advantage of to ruminate on positive and realistic measures towards a just peace in the Delta."
The latest attacks in Nigeria came on the heels of a pledge Saturday by the country's main rebel group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, that it would cease hostilities to allow for dialog.

"If these demands are not met within 14 days from Monday, June 4, 2007, Congress will have no other option than to embark on strike to press these demands."
a Nigeria Labour Congress statement said.

The geomagnetic field was quiet to active. Solar wind speed at ACE increased from approximately 370 km/s to 500 km/s

Solar Activity Forecast: Solar activity is expected to remain at moderate to high levels with a chance for an X-flare from Region 960. Solar wind speed at ACE is currently elevated around 500 km/s. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels again today.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped in Saudi Arabia this year, he had a sales pitch.

Spot gold prices rebounded above $670/oz, opening at $671.50-672/oz in Hong Kong Tuesday morning, up from Monday's close of $669.20-669.70/oz.

In a private room at the back of a sumo wrestling-themed restaurant next to a busy Tokyo train station, a group of American and Japanese men in snappy business suits discuss the future of nuclear power in Texas.

Thousands of protesters wearing gas masks and holding banners marched through a city in southeast China on Friday, demanding the government scrap, not just put off, plans to build a chemical plant, witnesses said.

The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to build more nuclear plants while promoting more energy conservation in the next decade.

Most notably, the Report concludes that U.S. wind power capacity increased by 27 percent in 2006; and that the U.S. had the fastest growing wind power capacity in the world in 2005 and 2006. More than 61 percent of the U.S.'s total wind capacity -over 7,300 Megawatts (MW) - has been installed since President Bush took office in 2001.

The spot price of uranium jumped at least $5 a pound late Friday to $138/lb U3O8, according to price reporting company TradeTech

Scientists are seeking new ways to reverse the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which many believe is the cause of global warming. VOA's Brian Wagner reports one U.S. project aimed at stimulating plankton growth in the oceans is raising some debate about its possible effectiveness.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, said on Friday she wanted Congress to pass mandatory caps on heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions this year.

US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne has created a climate-change task force at the department to study how best to monitor and mitigate the effects of global warming on the agency's extensive land holdings.

It found that the US' "take" of oil and gas resources produced on its land and in the Gulf of Mexico was generally lower than those of states and foreign countries.

US Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat-Oregon, Monday blasted the Bush administration for moving forward with its plan to take royalty-in-kind crude oil off the market to fill the SPR, saying the move could further raise record-high gasoline prices.

Himalayan glaciers could disappear within 50 years because of climate change, having far-reaching implications for more than a billion people living in the region, experts said on Monday.

•Global crude futures stabilized early Tuesday, falling back slightly from strong gains seen on Monday but nonetheless remaining high, with July ICE Brent hovering around $70/barrel.

•Crude prices rallied on Tuesday on the back of technical-driven buying and supply concerns surrounding cyclone Gonu, which is approaching Oman. A surge in natural gas and heating oil due to expectations of hot weather also pushed crude prices higher.

•At 0914GMT, July ICE Brent was unchanged from Monday at $70.40/b, while July NYMEX WTI inched down 32 cents to $65.89/b.

•With commercial crude stocks dropping by an unexpected 2 million barrels, global crude futures shot up as a reaction, followed by an even quicker decline. At the end of Thursday trading, however, ICE Brent as well as NYMEX WTI managed to regain some territory.

•Shell has shut another 77,000 b/d of crude production after it discovered a leak in a major pipeline

July crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange opened 19 cents higher at $64.20/barrel Friday, led by a reversal to the upside in the gasoline market. Gyrations caused by Thursday's June contract expiration overshadowed some of the more bullish details of Thursday's weekly US oil report from the Energy Information Administration.

Global crude futures stabilized on Friday, following a volatile trading session on Thursday, triggered by the latest US inventory data published by the US Energy Information Administration.

US President Bush on Thursday called on major developed and developing nations to commit to a "long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases" and "mid-term" national GHG targets.

An increase in the amount of US natural gas storage capacity since 2006 is one of the factors supporting relatively strong gas prices despite bearish near-term fundamentals as utilities and local distribution companies come under increasing pressure to fill inventories this summer, analysts said.

USEC President/CEO John Welch called the work on the American Centrifuge Plant an "important step toward deploying US developed centrifuge technology to provide enriched uranium fuel for nuclear power plants."

While generating megawatts of electricity, windmills on the Tug Hill Plateau in northern New York are also killing hundreds of bats and birds, according to a recent study.

Global manufacturer/services provider sees ecomagination program revenues surge to $12 billion, orders top $50 billion

From all-terrain vehicles to snowblowers, makers of powered outdoor equipment are joining the auto industry in looking at alternative energy to deal with increasingly tough environmental rules.

Although Georgia Power is preparing to invest billions of dollars in new technology to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, critics complain the risk of air pollution is greater than the need for cheaper electricity.

The Gem State has long been known for its abundance of mine-worthy minerals: silver, lead, cobalt.

British power giants are preparing to embark on a new 'dash for gas' that could lead to painful hikes in energy prices.

The UK faces a looming gap in electricity generation capacity that will largely be filled with new gas-fired plants, analysts at investment bank UBS say.

President Bush today pledged the United States would spearhead an international effort to address global climate change, but environmental advocacy groups immediately voiced skepticism.

June was always supposed to be warm, but this back-peddling "outlook roller-coaster" is something you'll have to get accustomed to this Summer as the climate forces at work this year (2007) are too complex for most information sources to get their hands around consistently.

Freddie Mac yesterday released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.42 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending May 31, 2007, up from last week when it averaged 6.37 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.67 percent.

President George W. Bush's plan to tackle climate change merely restates U.S. policy which has been ineffective in the past in cutting emissions blamed for global warming, the EU's environment chief said on Friday.

Schwarzenegger praised Bush's call for a meeting this autumn of the nations that emit the most climate-warming greenhouse gases, and said Washington still has a chance to show international leadership on the issue.

Residents of a city in eastern China rushed to buy bottled water after tap supplies became putrid from algae blanketing a nearby lake, state media said on Thursday, and scientists said the outbreak could last for months.

Following are details of US President George W. Bush's proposal for addressing greenhouse gas emissions, an issue that will confront the leaders of the Group of Eight nations meeting in Germany next week.

Sir, Your prominent report (April 19), which began "Iraq could hold almost twice as much oil in its reserves as had been thought", should have been given some sort of a health warning.
Most readers don't know that IHS, the consultancy that conducted the study into Iraq's resources, owns CERA, the consultancy that has been giving optimistic forecasts of the world's oil reserves

In the midst of this energy-driven boom, it's hard to imagine that the gravy train is already slowing down. But the truth is the provincial government faces a 33 % drop in oil and gas royalties over the next three years, and Albertans should take a close look at the reasons behind it.

America's beach scorecard topped 95 percent during 2006, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's just-released Annual Beach Report. Of more than 676,000 beach days, fewer than five percent were restricted due to contamination-related closings. More than half of the actions lasted for two days or less.

Bosch announced that it is extending its "green" marketing efforts with a new television campaign spotlighting the energy efficiency and quietness of its products.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding committing the state and province to work together to combat climate change.

China and India are courting Myanmar’s energy supplies. While Beijing aims to transport Middle Eastern and African oil through the region, New Delhi is planning a gas pipeline from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh.
But experts are concerned that the country’s natural wealth favours the military junta to the detriment of the population.

China has officially launched operation of the first phase of the country's second strategic petroleum reserve terminal on the Aoshan island in eastern Zhejiang province on May 23, local China Petrochemical News newspaper reported Wednesday.

China warned on Wednesday of possible floods, landslides and other weather disasters over the next three days with heavy rain, strong winds and hail expected.

"We congratulate the pioneering initiative of the great State of California, the legislature and the people of California and know that implementing any emissions trading that may ensue will require price transparency and efficient, exchange-based systems for maximum success," said Dr. Richard L. Sandor, Chairman and CEO of Chicago Climate Exchange.

About 200 trade associations, businesses, utilities and environmental groups are urging the Senate to pass this year a national renewable portfolio standard that would require electric utilities to obtain a minimum percentage of their power from low-emission domestic resources.

The press release announcing Manuel's appointment said the new position is "at the critical nexus of energy, diplomacy and national security."

US natural gas producers' costs have nearly tripled since 2003 because of growing finding and production costs, reported Natural Gas Supply Association Chairman Chris Conway Apr. 26.

Global crude futures were a touch softer Thursday as downward momentum continued from Wednesday's complex-wide selloff, led by NYMEX gasoline futures, sources said.

Taking advantage of a rare opportunity in the midst of a record drought, South Florida water managers are removing tons of phosphorus-laden muck from Lake Okeechobee to restore critical aquatic habitats. Extremely low water levels have exposed hundreds of shoreline acres of nutrient-rich muck soil, which workers are scraping and hauling away to vastly improve the health of the 730-square mile lake.

Eating less meat and dairy could help tackle climate change by reducing the amount of methane gas emitted by cows and sheep, a government agency says.

Major recent gas discoveries and a large domestic market will position natural gas as the primary growth engine of Egypt's energy sector for the foreseeable future.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American right-wing think-tank based in Washington is the lead host to two closed-door meetings in Calgary. They are discussing ways to enhance American energy security by getting more Canadian oil and gas.

Harmful emissions from locomotives, most marine vessels, and land-based nonroad engines will be cut starting June 1 because of new standards for sulfur content in diesel fuel.

Discussions turned contentious among the more than 60 Iraqi oil officials reviewing Iraq's draft hydrocarbons bill earlier in the United Arab Emirates.
But the dispute highlighted the need for further negotiations on the proposed law that was stalled in talks for nearly eight months, then pushed through Iraq's Cabinet without most key provisions.

A pair of golden eagles have produced the first chick to be hatched in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a century after the species was hunted to extinction in the country.

A former Ontario premier is predicting aboriginal anger over federal foot-dragging on native land claims is going to erupt across Canada.
David Peterson is warning of a new militancy among First Nations who've felt ignored for far too long.

Greenhouse gas emissions by leading industrialised nations have accelerated since 2000 and several countries are performing worse than the United States which opposes a U.N. pact for curbing global warming, U.N. data shows.

GE announced the debut of its hybrid road locomotive. GE’s Evolution® Hybrid locomotive will be unveiled to demonstrate the progress that GE’s Transportation business is making in developing a freight hybrid locomotive that is capable of recycling thermal energy as stored power in on-board batteries.

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has unveiled an eight-point climate-change action plan, promising to cut the country's greenhouse-gas emissions by 40% before 2020, or double the amount pledged by the EU as a whole.

Getting a government stockpile of at least $750 million worth of depleted uranium could help keep plans for a uranium-enrichment plant in southern Ohio on track, the company building the facility says.

Renewable energies are not free of risk, but are “well placed” to reduce the risk of energy supply disruptions and reliance on imported fossil fuels, says an analysis from the International Energy Agency.

The share of renewable energies in total world energy consumption will rise from 7% in 2004 to 8% in 2030, much of it from large hydro facilities, predicts a major forecast.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation this week to Greenland, Germany, Great Britain and Belgium to meet with global warming scientists and political leaders.

“For a sustainable energy future, we need to accelerate the development and deployment of new technologies,” explains the final communique. “We will work urgently to bring this about.”

Very Hazardous Waste Duty: Even up at the top of the world, where few bipeds dare to tread, some people can´t resist leaving their piggish mark. Scientific American reports that a group of climbers from Japan and Nepal recently scaled Mount Everest and cleared about 1,000 pounds´ worth of old tents, food tins, medicine containers and such that climbers have left scattered around the peak over the decades.

Despite the political risks, Iran’s huge oil and gas reserves are attracting Western energy companies.
Mohammad-Ali Ma’sumi, a consultant with the International Management Development Institute in Tehran, told that the future of Iran belongs to gas. Iran owns the world’s second largest natural gas reserves.

A joint oil and gas company set up by Iran and Venezuela is nearly complete, an official with Iranian company Petropars said. Ali Talebi, who runs Petropars office in Caracas, said that the joint venture will include crude oil and natural gas production.

Iraq must lure between $ 2 bn and $ 2.5 bn per year in international aid and investment if it is to rebuild its devastated power sector, the country’s electricity minister said. The minister, Karim Hasan, was in London to enlist the help of energy companies including BP.

The undersea pipeline will be located outside the State of Israel's territorial waters, and it will be the first time that a natural gas system will be sited outside the borders of the State of Israel.

The bill, approved by the Shiite-led government in February after months of wrangling, opens Iraq's oil sector to foreign investors. Under the terms of the draft oil law, Iraq's oil industry will be overseen by a Federal Oil Council and an independent national oil firm.

The Kurdish regional government's oil minister, Ashti Hawrami, said in April that if parliament fails to pass the law by the end-of-May deadline, the Kurds government would award their own contracts.

Mexican farmers are setting ablaze fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit tequila, and resowing the land with corn as soaring US ethanol demand pushes up prices.

While officials have yet to pinpoint the source of the brucellosis infection in the seven cows, and there is no documented case of brucellosis transmission from bison to cows in the wild, Montana's influential cattle industry is calling for a forced thinning of Yellowstone bison.

A safety system at the newly restarted Unit 1 reactor at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has failed an operational test, but the failure did not prompt a shutdown of the reactor.

Hingham officials' quest to make wind energy part of the town's power supply is moving forward.

A new study ordered by the Pentagon warns that the rising cost and dwindling supply of oil -- the lifeblood of fighter jets, warships, and tanks -- will make the US military's ability to respond to hot spots around the world "unsustainable in the long term."

A mirror alignment measurement device, invented by Rich Diver, a researcher at Sandia National Laboratories, may soon make one of the most popular solar collector systems, parabolic troughs, more affordable and energy efficient.

There appear to be several divergent views of Mr Putin, one (primarily outside) paints him as a reincarnation of Stalin, while the average Russian holds him more akin to Peter the Great, the great innovator.

Oil refining's perception problem has taken a new, unflattering turn: Not only are there not enough refineries, they don't run right. After several years of calls for more production capacity in one of the world's most technically sophisticated industries, attention has shifted to what appears to be an unusual number of breakdowns and extended downtime, raising concerns about the adequacy of oil-product supplies.

Renewable energy could have the capacity to supply up to half the US nation’s current electricity demand and 40 % of its transportation fuel demand by 2025, proponents said. In generating electricity, wind energy could play the biggest part, having the capacity to supply nearly 40 % of the renewable power, according to a report from the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE).
Wind is followed by solar at 26 %, geothermal at 16 %, biomass at 16 %, and water -- including hydro dams, tidal and wave power -- at 3.6 %.

Solar activity remained at low levels. Region 958 (S13E35) continues to decay. A C1 x-ray flare occurred...The geomagnetic field was at quiet levels. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels again today.

The Naples "garbage crisis" has dominated news in Italy for weeks as local and national authorities have tried to end a stalemate over mountains of trash rotting on the streets because of a lack of adequate landfill sites.
Italian authorities are looking into temporary solutions, such as re-opening closed landfills and sending garbage to other areas.

Russia is laying the infrastructure to become a major oil supplier to Asian countries, including an ambitious pipeline being built from Siberia to the Pacific coast, a Russian diplomat said.

Russia this week gave a surprise green light to carbon trading under the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but needs to start approving actual projects to unlock a multi-billion dollar market.

Russia is the single largest supplier of oil and gas to the European Union and also the world's third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases behind the United States and China.

The subtext is that, as in the days of Near East great power diplomacy in the 19th century, Russia could be signalling support for Greece in its 30-year rivalry with Turkey over oil deposits under the Aegean. It is a rivalry that can only intensify as the world demand for crude keeps oil prices high.

While the spot price of uranium is likely to rise sharply after two auction-like sales are completed Wednesday and Friday, the two leading price-reporting firms late Tuesday were keeping their prices at last week's levels.

Swedish authorities on Wednesday halted storage of radioactive waste at the Nordic country's troubled Forsmark nuclear plant.

Reading the government's weekly report on oil inventories used to be pretty simple. If inventories rose, prices fell. If stockpiles fell, prices rose. Econ 101. Supply and demand. That's no longer the case.

The focus on gold and the US dollar alone lacks a crucial factor in maintaining the world currency reserve on its fragile pedestal. The petro-dollar is a term used to describe the close relationship between the US dollar and the crude oil export business dominated by Saudi Arabia, manifested in the superstructure of the global banking system. So one could say the oil world provides the pool from which the dollar exchange rate valuation is applied and enforced.

High US gasoline prices, it seems, haven't been high enough. Springtime inventories are at their lowest in six years, and US refineries are struggling to raise fuel output to meet strong demand. These factors have helped push retail gasoline prices to $ 3 a gallon in many parts of the country, but that hasn't been enough to attract the imports that could, as in the past, head off further price spikes.

The profound promise of renewable energy can be realised if the United States aggressively seeks a global sustainable energy economy, according to the director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Energy solutions are enormously challenging and must address a number of imperatives, Dan Arvizu told a meeting of engineers.

The United States is the most attractive country in the world for biofuels, ranked slightly ahead of Brazil and Germany.

The inaugural ‘Biofuels Country Attractiveness Indices’ were produced by Ernst & Young to score national markets for ethanol as a gasoline substitute and biodiesel as a substitute for diesel fuel.

Britain will triple the amount of electricity it generates from renewable energy facilities by 2015, promises the country’s new white paper on energy.

“We face two big challenges: climate change and maintaining stable and affordable energy supply in an increasingly unstable world,” says industry secretary Alistair Darling.

"MMS has significantly improved the protection of oil and gas production in the Gulf [of Mexico] from destruction during this [upcoming] hurricane season," said US Minerals Management Service Deputy Director Walter Cruickshank.

The average US price for retail regular gasoline for the reporting week ending May 28 was $3.209, a 0.9-cent dip from the prior week, according to Energy Information Administration data released Tuesday.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted in favour of the so-called "NOPEC" legislation, which would allow for criminal prosecution of countries that organize energy cartels and manipulate the prices of natural resources.

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