Today's Climate

Keystone XL Pipeline Shuns High-Tech Oil Spill Detectors

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(Bloomberg)

TransCanada Corp. (TRP), which says Keystone XL will be the safest pipeline ever built, isn't planning to use infrared sensors or fiber-optic cables to detect spills along the system's 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) path to Texas refineries from fields in Alberta.

South Portland Voters Likely to See Ordinance to Block Tar Sands on November Ballot

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(Bangor Daily News)

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A group hoping to block transportation of so-called tar sands oil through South Portland — one end of the Portland-Montreal Pipeline — have gathered four times the number of signatures needed to put a prohibitive new ordinance on the November ballot.

If the City Clerk's office certifies at least 950 signatures of the 3,779 names collected by the group Concerned Citizens of South Portland, city voters will decide this fall whether to allow the controversial bituminous oil to be moved through their port and onto the international market.

Ill. Gov. Quinn Signs Bill to Regulate Fracking

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(Chicago Tribune)

Gov. Pat Quinn today signed sweeping legislation to regulate horizontal hydraulic fracturing, better known as "fracking." The move, which was expected, adds a bevy of restrictions and protections to an industry that while legal, was largely unregulated.

Legislators, who overwhelmingly supported the bill, say they hope the new regulations will encourage the oil and gas industry to invest in Illinois, bringing jobs. Many oil and gas companies have held off on investing in drilling operations pending the outcome of proposed regulations.

GOP Bill Would Cut Renewable Energy Spending in Half

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(The Hill)

House appropriators on Monday revealed that they plan to cut Energy Department spending on renewable energy in half next year as part of their plan to cope with automatic sequestration cuts in fiscal 2014.

Renewable energy, a key priority for President Obama, would be cut to $1 billion, a reduction of $911 million compared to 2013.

Outgoing US Diplomat Says Pipeline Decision Looms

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(AP)

Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Canada David Jacobson said Monday he is leaving the relationship between Canada and the United States in a very good state, but acknowledged a "very important decision" on the contentious Keystone XL pipeline looms.

Jacobson, who leaves July 4 after a four-year stint, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the Obama administration knows how important the pipeline is to Canada but he won't speculate about how much it would damage the relationship should it not be approved.

Alberta’s Oil Sands Raise Flaring Emissions as Rules Lag

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(Bloomberg)

In the farming country of northwest Alberta, heavy oil wells are becoming more common than cattle and combines. Along with money and jobs, the boom has brought smells and fumes that are adding to the greenhouse gas emissions from Canada's oil sands.

Emissions from flaring, or burning of natural gas, methane and hydrogen sulphide associated with oil production, have risen in each of the last three years as drillers increased activity and the government failed to implement new industry targets.

Shell Celebrates Oil Sands Anniversary

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(CTV News)

The operator of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project is celebrating a decade of oil sands production and says it has pumped out about 500 million barrels of oil since production began in 2003.

Shell started operations in the oil sands 10 years ago with just a handful of employees.

The company has built up the business over the years and says it is capable of delivering over a quarter of a million barrels per day which provides about 17% of Canada's total oil production.

Could the World's Biggest Marine Sanctuary be Declared in the Antarctic?

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(The Guardian)

An extraordinarily big thing might happen in the world of marine conservation next month at a meeting in Germany of a little known international commission.

And while you probably haven't read much about it, the outcome could see the creation of the two largest areas of protected ocean on the planet that would lock out fishing from more than 1.5 million square kilometers of ocean around the Antarctic.

Energy Department Warns House of Limits on Natural Gas Testimony

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(The Hill)

A senior Energy Department (DOE) official is warning House lawmakers of constraints on what he can discuss at Tuesday's Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on natural gas export proposals.

Christopher Smith, the acting head of the DOE’s fossil energy office, said topics, including the merits of a key study informing decisions on industry export applications are off-limits. He's among the witnesses at a Tuesday hearing on controversial liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plans, among other topics.

US Mayors Commit to Climate Resilience Plans

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(BusinessGreen)

Almost 50 US mayors have committed to make their communities more resilient to droughts, floods, extreme storms and wildfires, arguing that spending on defences against climate change-related events is more cost-efficient than cleaning up the aftermath.

Elected officials from across the country yesterday released a one-page plan under the Resilient Communities for America (RC4A) banner, including actions such as increasing the use of renewable energy, implementing energy efficiency programmes, preparing risk strategies and reducing their own carbon footprints.

All of a Sudden, There Aren't Enough Electric Cars to Keep Up with Demand

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 +0000

(Time)

Electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Honda Fit EV used to languish on dealership lots for months. A pricing war with aggressive incentives and cheap lease deals has changed all that.

Last year, Nissan sold about half the number of Leafs it had anticipated, marking two years in a row of disappointing sales for the electric car pioneer. One of the factors holding the Leaf back from appealing to the masses has been the upfront price premium drivers have had to pay for the cars, when compared with similar vehicles that run on plain old gas.