Topic: U.S. Department of Energy

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Six ways fleet operators save on gas (and you can, too)

While you may long for $2 gas, the truth is that higher prices – in the $3 to $4 a gallon range – are the new normal. Here are six money-saving tips, used by fleet operators, to save money on fuel:

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Energy Voices Climate change threatens nation's energy, DOE report warns

Climate change and extreme weather are disrupting the ways we generate, distribute, and consume energy, according to a report released Thursday by the US Department of Energy. It's part of a growing acknowledgement among officials for a need to adapt to the planet's changing climate.
Why oil prices are at their highest level in 14 months

The price of oil neared $102 a barrel for the first time since May last year, as Egypt's political crisis intensified, raising the risk of disruptions to Mideast supplies.
Energy Voices The future of natural gas is the car?

Rising use of natural gas in the transportation sector will offset a slowdown in other areas, says the International Energy Agency in a new report. But don't expect natural gas vehicles to dominate roadways anytime soon.
Saving Money Seven ways to cut your air conditioning bills

Americans rack up more than $22 billion a year on their air conditioning bills. As summer progresses, Carlozo offers seven ways to cut your bill — including advice on how to buy a new air conditioner and how to use a ceiling fan to help beat the heat.
How to move giant magnet from New York to Chicago (+video)

This 50-foot-wide magnet is going nowhere fast: It will take more than a month for scientists to roll the magnet across land and sea to its new home.
Energy Voices Does the US need federal fracking regulations?

Federal regulations on fracking barely apply because the states involved already have a say in the way drilling proceeds, Graeber writes. Perhaps, he adds, it's the energy industry that has a right to question why the government 'is moving forward with these requirements in the first place.'
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.
In Gear Tesla Motors to issue more stock, pay off Energy department

Tesla Motors announced Wednesday it would issue up to 2.7 million to 3.1 million more shares of its common stock, Voelcker writes. Tesla Motors plans to use the proceeds of the offering to prepay the remainder of its $465 million low-interest loan from the US Department of Energy.
Energy Voices Sally Jewell: How 'green' is the new Interior secretary?

Sally Jewell's first moves as secretary of the US Interior Department show so far that she's embracing her dual legacy as an environmental steward with rare ties to the oil industry, Graeber writes.
Energy Voices What does Fisker Automotive tell us about clean energy?

Fisker Automotive's failure to repay a Department of Energy loan Monday is a blemish on the department's push to promote clean energy through public-private partnerships. Is it a sign of a broader policy failure, or do individual shortcomings distract from broader success?
In Gear Fisker Automotive cuts more staff. Is this the end?

Fisker Automotive will lay off most of its staff, according to various media reports. Fisker faces an April 22 deadline for its next payment to the U.S. Department of Energy, but the company has virtually no income from ongoing operations because it hasn't built a single Karma electric car since last summer.
Change Agent How Ontario is putting an end to coal-burning power plants

Ontario is on the verge of becoming the first industrial region in North America to eliminate all coal-fired electrical generation. Here’s how Canada’s most populous province did it – and what the US can learn from it.
Energy Voices Clean-coal power plant to break ground in Texas (Sponsor content)

The Texas Clean Energy Project, a $2.5 billion coal gasification power plant, will be the first US power plant that combines both integrated coal gasification combined cycle and carbon-capture-and-storage technologies, Tracey writes.
Life after Higgs boson: What's next for the world's largest atom smasher?

It's a Higgs boson!! Now what? After confirming that the particle discovered last July really is a Higgs boson, the Large Hadron Collider is ready to look for other universes, figure out dark matter, recreate the Big Bang, or find something totally unexpected.
Do Obama cabinet picks match his greener second-term talk?

President Obama nominated new leaders for the Department of Energy and the EPA Monday. Environmentalists like one of them, energy-industry advocates like the other.
Energy Voices Physicist nominated as Energy secretary. Are there enough scientists in Washington?

President Obama's selection of nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz as Energy secretary highlights a void in Washington. The nation's capital lacks scientists in key decisionmaking positions and in Congress.
Energy Voices Will trains derail the Keystone XL pipeline?

The Keystone XL pipeline could fall by the wayside given the increased interest in the transportation of crude oil via rail, Graeber writes. With more crude travelling on trains, will rail overtake Keystone XL and other pipelines as the preferred method of oil transport?
Energy Voices Spending cuts: What does the sequester mean for energy? (+video)

Spending cuts will hit a wide range of energy programs starting Friday, unless a deal is reached to avert the sequester. What do the spending cuts mean for fossil fuels and renewables?
6 leaky tanks ooze radioactive waste at Hanford nuclear site in Washington

Hanford Nuclear Reservation, in south-central Washington, is America's most contaminated nuclear site. Six underground tanks holding highly radioactive waste are leaking and must be emptied.
In Gear Tesla Motors says it will make profit on electric cars by April (+video)

Tesla Motors will operate at a profit in the first quarter of 2013, the company said in a letter to shareholders this week. The prediction advances by almost a whole year the company's timeline for profitability, which had previously been set for the fourth quarter of 2013, Voelcker writes.
Hanford nuclear tank in Washington State is leaking liquids

The long-delayed cleanup of the nation's most contaminated nuclear site became the subject of more bad news Friday, when it was announced that a radioactive waste tank is leaking.
Cosmic rays' mysterious origin? Supernovae to blame, study confirms.

A team of researchers found the 'unique, smoking-gun signature' of the creation of cosmic rays in the expanding shells cast off by supernovae.
In Gear Gas prices to rise in 2013, says Energy department

Gas prices will increase faster than expected in 2013, according to the US Department of Energy. The slight rise in gas prices is due partly to an increase in the price of crude oil, Ingram writes, and refinery outages in January both in the US and Europe.
Energy Voices State of the Union address: Will Obama back coal? (Sponsor content)

While commitment to fully implementing 21st Century coal-based electricity seems to have wavered from the Obama administration, Tracey writes, American ingenuity and know-how will continue to produce major developments in clean coal technologies for years to come.
Energy Voices Will Ernest Moniz be the next Energy secretary?

A short list of candidates for the next Energy secretary is emerging with nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz at the top. His mix of energy and political experience could be plus as Energy secretary, but some environmentalists worry he's too pro industry.