Energy

Rising Gas Prices: A Reminder That Supply Alone Won't Bring Energy Security
Memorial Day gas prices are the highest since 2014, The rising price of gas has already negated the tax savings from last year's tax cuts bill for low-income Americans. Retaining fuel economy standards would increase energy security.

Offshore Wind Energy Blowing Up in the United States
The U.S. offshore wind industry has gained momentum in the past year and a half.

Details of the Golden State's Residential Solar Requirement
San Francisco Chronicle energy reporter David R. Baker sheds some light on the nation's first state building code requiring that solar panels be included in new home construction, adopted by the California Energy Commission on May 9.

Federal Judge Strikes Down Oakland's Ban on Coal Exports
Shipping coal from Utah to export to Asia through a new cargo facility in Oakland, California took a significant step forward on May 15 with a strongly worded ruling condemning the adequacy of the city of Oakland's environmental analysis.
Coal Power Plants to Retire Faster Under Trump
Coal plants will retire faster than analysts had figured under the Clean Power Plan, which the Trump administration is repealing, yet the Department of Energy proposes to make building new coal plants a centerpiece of its energy policy.

Campaign Launched to Electrify School Buses
U.S. PIRG wants states to use funding from multi-billion dollar Volkswagen settlements to convert the nation's school bus fleet, 95% of which is diesel-powered, to zero-emission buses to reduce children's exposure to toxic air pollution.
New Guidelines to Streamline New Energy Storage Projects Adopted in New York City
The city of New York wants more capacity to store energy, so it's making the process of permitting energy storage projects easier to understand and follows.

Border Town Removes Licensing Barrier to Encourage Solar
On the U.S.-Mexico border just west of the Gulf of Mexico, Brownsville looks to take advantage of its sunny territory.

How the Lights in Our Cities Became Too Bright
“Why are lighting designers and experts nearly unified in their belief that outdoor lighting in past years has been excessive?”

California to Require Solar on New Residential Buildings
The California Energy Commission will decide on new energy standards for residential construction this week.

Op-Ed: 'Public Mood' Has Turned Against Cars in Cities
A survey of recent planning decisions demonstrates that cities are no longer necessarily looking to more and bigger highways to solve their traffic problems.

Waiting for a Greener Elevator
Moving an 80,000-pound metal box means using energy, and elevators can account for 2-10% of a buildings energy use.

California Has 8 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.
Despite ever-stricter air-quality regulations and dropping emissions, the American Lung Association once again finds the state to have some of the worst air in the nation.

'Unprecedented' Sale of Public Land Concerns 'Even Some Republicans'
As the Department of the Interior auctions off 'vast swaths' of American wilderness to oil and gas companies, fiscal conservatives and conservationists alike wonder if it’s the right thing at the right time.

Under Zinke, Land in Montana Is Still Somehow Protected
Though he’s opened land all over the U.S. to industry, the Interior Secretary is actually pushing to conserve even more of his home state.

How SB 827 'Cleaved the California Environmental Movement'
Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.

Controversial Hydropower Proposal Scuttled in Washington
A victory for environmental conservationists.

New Evidence of Coal's Evolving Place in the Economy
Contura Energy paid Blackjewel Inc. $21 million to take ownership of the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr coal mines in Wyoming.

How Surveillance in Cities is Evolving
Across the globe, smart cities are increasingly procuring and implementing information technology in order to improve the efficiency and sustainability of urban spaces. The former CTO of L.A. and the mayor of Beverly Hills weigh in on the subject.

New Research Directly Measures Methane's Increasing Greenhouse Effect
According to to a recent study, methane gas produces a much larger greenhouse effect than previously thought. Planners can act to limit the environmental impact of methane.
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