All articles from David J. Unger
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Energy Voices Memorial Day travel: myth-busting tips to save gas
Memorial Day weekend means taking to the road for many Americans and an estimated $1.4 billion spent to fuel up. Here are tips on how to save gas on your Memorial Day travel.
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Energy Voices Google kite? Tech giant buys 'flying windmill' firm Makani.
Google X, the company's secretive research and development arm, has acquired Makani Power, a California-based developer of airborne wind power. Google's purchase of Makani Power reflects the company's interest in renewables and energy innovation.
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Energy Voices Tesla repays $465 million loan. Will Energy Department lend to more firms? (+video)
Tesla $465 million loan is no more. As the Department of Energy gets back its Tesla $465 million loan, the new Energy secretary will have to decide whether to make more such controversial clean-energy loans.
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Energy Voices Keystone XL: Hot topic in D.C. Ho-hum in rest of US.
The House of Representatives issued another symbolic vote Wednesday in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline. But after years of debate, a new poll shows half of Americans have never heard of it. Is anyone listening to the Keystone XL pipeline debate?
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Energy Voices Oklahoma tornado: Energy dodges a bullet
A devastating Oklahoma tornado left a trail of destruction Monday. How and why did the state's vast oil and gas infrastructure emerge seemingly unscathed from the Oklahoma tornado?
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Energy Voices Boeing 787 Dreamliner back in US skies. Battery questions linger.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's return to US passenger flight is an important step for a company eager to demonstrate the potential for lithium-ion technology in aviation. Despite a preventative fix, the root of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's battery problems remains unclear.
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Energy Voices US eases natural gas glut with second export terminal (+video)
The Energy Department authorizes a second US terminal to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), ending months of speculation. LNG exports boost the prospects for domestic natural gas drillers and should help key allies, but they're also likely to boost prices for US consumers and manufacturers and they raise environmental concerns.
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Energy Voices New fracking regulations upset just about everybody
Environmentalists and industry representatives are criticizing new draft regulations on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial drilling method that has helped spark an oil and gas boom. The shared discontent reflects the complexity of the debate surrounding hydraulic fracturing and natural gas use.
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Energy Voices Ernest Moniz confirmed unanimously as Energy secretary
Ernest Moniz earned bipartisan approval Thursday as the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm the nuclear physicist as the next secretary of the Department of Energy. The support for Ernest Moniz is in contrast to divided opinions over Gina McCarthy, President Obama's pick to head the EPA.
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Energy Voices Tesla Motors: Could electric cars 'refuel' faster than gas cars?
Tesla Motors has set its sights on 'battery-swapping' technology. In theory, that would mean drivers of Tesla Motors cars could recharge faster than the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas. It's a bit of a holy grail for an electric car industry eager to overcome 'range anxiety.'
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Energy Voices Arctic Council: China looks north for oil, gas, and fish
Arctic Council grants China observer status. The eight-member Arctic Council will be key to regulating the anticipated resource rush as warming temperatures further open the Arctic to oil and gas drilling and fishing.
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Energy Voices Oil boom boosts US, but Europe could see decline
The benefits of the North American oil boom on this side of the Atlantic are well-documented – and the same technologies might help developing nations. But Europe's energy industry, which separately became a target of a price-fixing investigation, could emerge as a loser.
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Energy Voices White House Arctic strategy: What's next for oil, gas drilling?
The tension between conservation and oil and gas drilling is evident in the White House's new Arctic strategy paper. Shifting economic, climatic, and regulatory realities have contributed to what is at least a temporary pause in Arctic oil and gas drilling.
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Energy Voices Tesla Motors: Lots of buzz. Is it warranted?
Tesla Motors is a bright spot amid high-profile, federally-funded electric car flops. Tesla Founder Musk has found a way to bring high-tech pizzazz to a 'green' car drawing comparisons to Steve Jobs and Apple.
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Energy Voices 'Unconventional' energy: rise of women in oil and gas industry
Nearly half of new oil and gas jobs in the US went to women in the first three months of this year, according to an analysis. Men still dominate the field, but new technologies are diversifying the workforce of the oil and gas industry.
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Energy Voices Natural gas glut crimps nuclear power
Natural gas has already been blamed for shuttering of coal plants and slowing wind and solar financing. Evidence suggests nuclear is also falling victim to the glut of cheap natural gas. The closure of a nuclear plant in Wisconsin Tuesday is exhibit A.
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How Saul Bass changed design
In his deceptively simple designs, Saul Bass created art forms from seemingly artless banalities. Tech culture owes at least some of its penchant for clean icons and minimalist designs to Saul Bass and his iconic works.
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Energy Voices California urges record $2.5 billion fine for natural gas blast
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. could face a record fine for a deadly 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion in a San Francisco suburb. Officials hope it will help prevent future accidents while some warn that rising natural gas demand is outpacing investment in energy infrastructure.
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Energy Voices JPMorgan Chase accused of rigging energy markets
JPMorgan Chase developed schemes to sell electricity at falsely attractive prices in Michigan and California, according to The New York Times. The market manipulation could result in JPMorgan Chase receiving penalties from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
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Energy Voices Solar Impulse departs for first sun-powered flight across US
Solar Impulse embarked on the first transcontinental flight of its kind Friday. The Solar Impulse is a dramatic endorsement of clean-energy technology, but probably doesn't represent the future of aviation.
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