Energy/Environment

All Energy/Environment

Just how much shale gas does the UK have?

It’s obvious that any attempt to ridicule UK estimates of shale gas resources as inconsequential is absurd, Grealy writes.
House eyes major budget cuts to energy innovation

No matter how you look at it, cutting energy innovation doesn’t make sense, Stepp writes. If the House Energy and Water appropriators are interested in ensuring national security and economic growth, then their proposed energy budget would look the opposite it does today
How hot is the heat wave? Very, very hot

The heat wave scorching the West is one of the worst in years with temperatures approaching record levels in some areas. So, just how hot is the heat wave? A look at five ways the heat is punishing the West.
British shale gas reserves double. Will the UK frack?

Estimates of shale gas resources in the North of England are double that of previous estimate, according to a new report. Britain’s shale industry is still very young, Burgess writes, and as it has not been determined whether any gas can be economically extracted, it may never actually grow to maturity.
Heat wave scorches California

A heat wave moved its way through California Friday morning where temperatures were already topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit across many areas of the Los Angeles basin. The heat wave is expected to worsen over the weekend as temperatures could hit 120 degrees in the desert.
Arizona jaguar? Photos show rare big cat near Tucson.

Arizona jaguar is seen in photos roaming the mountains southeast of Tucson. Federal wildlife officials provided the photos of the rare Arizona jaguar to the Arizona Daily Star in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Clean energy will be world's No. 2 source of power by 2016, IEA says

Clean energy will be the second largest global source of electricity by 2016, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. Only coal will generate more electricity than clean energy within three years, the IEA projects.
The 10 most expensive US natural disasters

Here are the top 10 priciest US natural disasters in billions of 2013 dollars adjusted for inflation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Israel mulls natural gas exports. Is that a good idea?

In an era of high volatility in energy prices and supplies and in a country surrounded by unfriendly neighbors, one would think that Israel would want to keep this valuable energy prize all to itself, Cobb writes. Still, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is seeking approval for Israel to jump on the natural gas exports bandwagon.
Renewable energy is growing, but ...

Electricity from renewable energy sources is growing at an explosive rate, but clean energy comes with a caveat. So does every other form of energy, Rapier writes.
Are electric cars really cheaper than gas cars?

A new website from the US Department of Energy compares the energy costs of driving an electric car relative to gasoline prices. The tool might prove useful, Styles writes, but only as long as it is grounded in the best information we have about the vehicle choices that potential electric car buyers are actually considering.
Pacifica shark attacks kayak. Man inside escapes unharmed.

Pacifica shark attacks a man's kayak in waters just south of San Francisco Tuesday. The kayaker was able to escape and returned to shore without injury, according to Pacifica police. Most shark attacks off California shores occur between July and November, when the predators are drawn by seals and sea lions.
Global warming and the politics of fossil fuel

We’re not going to be able to transition to a non-fossil-fuel economy overnight, Fen Montaigne, senior editor of Yale Environment 360, said in an interview with OilPrice.com. But if you keep approving tar sands projects, or massive pipelines, or drilling in the Arctic, when does it stop?
As US delays Keystone XL, Albertans ask 'What's the holdup, eh?'

The pipeline project's legal limbo is causing frustration in the Canadian province of Alberta.
BP oil spill: Oil giant challenges Gulf payments

BP oil spill settlement payments are being aggressively contested by London-based BP. The company may seek to recover what BP calls 'overpayments' that businesses received from the court-supervised settlement program for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
How Obama's climate change plan promotes natural gas

President Obama's broad climate change plan highlighted renewable energy, but the biggest near-term potential for reducing emissions is in the switch from coal to natural gas, Holland writes. Obama's plan for new EPA regulations will firmly entrench natural gas over coal as the fuel of choice for electricity generation.
Google Tesla: Could a tech giant buy the electric car company?

Having paid off its federal loan, Tesla Motors could technically put it up for sale, according to a report in Bloomberg. The electric car company might seem a good fit for a deep-pocketed tech giant like Google, but Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has suggested he has no intention of selling the company.
Yarmouth Maine explosion linked to propane gas

An explosion in Yarmouth, Maine Tuesday apparently involved propane, the only source of fuel to the building. The Yarmouth, Maine explosion resembled an earlier explosion in Bath, Maine from a leak in a propane line.
Tsunami hit East Coast in June? Scientists say maybe.

A tsunami may have made landfall on the US East Coast earlier in June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. A strong storm moved through the region and offshore that day, and scientists were trying to determine if it played a role in a possible tsunami.
What Obama's climate plan means for his pick to head EPA (+video)

President Obama's plan to combat climate change may help the environment, but it will likely put one potential member of his cabinet in political jeopardy. Gina McCarthy, his pick to head the EPA, is already facing heated opposition from some lawmakers. The climate change plan Obama outlined Tuesday could make McCarthy's confirmation process even more complicated.