AgClips
Recent AgClips
Renewables can challenge existing coal plants on price
Utility Dive | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Energy NewsAverage costs for wind and solar energy can undercut existing coal generation even without subsidies, according to analysis from the research firm Lazard.The latest version of Lazard's levelized cost of energy (LCOE) analysis finds that U.S. onshore wind energy costs average between $26/MWh and $56/MWh without subsidies, while utility-scale solar averages between $36/MWh and $44/MWh. That challenges the average cost for existing U.S. coal plants, which Lazard pegs between $27/MWh and $45/MWh.
California PUC chair says state won't let PG&E go bankrupt
Utility Dive | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Energy NewsCalifornia's head utility regulator said Thursday he does not want utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to go bankrupt over escalating costs related to California's record wildfire season, sending shares soaring in after-hours trading.
Probe launched against PF & E after fires
Utility Dive | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Energy NewsThe California Public Utilities Commissions (CPUC) said Monday it has launched investigations into the regulatory compliance of electric facilities owned by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) related to three deadly fires.
Clean energy platforms win at the state level as 7 governor seats shift blue
Utility Drive | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Energy NewsSeveral Democratic candidates ran their campaigns on clean energy in stark contrast to their opponents, which observers say may have helped win them the election.Seven governor's races flipped blue: Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico and Nevada.
Petco drops pet foods, treats with artificial ingredients
Pet Food Industry | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Food NewsPetco announced it will not sell dog or cat food and treats containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives by May 2019.
Australian Senate calls for stronger pet food regulation
Pet Food Industry | Posted onNovember 18, 2018 in Rural NewsThe Senate action follows more than 100 cases of megaesophagus in dogs correlated with a specific pet food.
Medical marijuana backers threaten to sue over LDS Church involvement in compromise bill to replace Prop 2
Salt Lake Tribune | Posted onNovember 17, 2018 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsMedical marijuana advocates say they are exploring legal action challenging the Legislature’s move to replace Proposition 2 “at the behest” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Although Utah voters this month approved the medical cannabis initiative by about 52 percent-48 percent, lawmakers are expected to meet in a December special session to overwrite the measure with a marijuana proposal acceptable to Prop 2 opponents, including the church.
Nevada marijuana tax collections top $8M in August, set record
Las Vegas Sun | Posted onNovember 17, 2018 in Agriculture, SARL Members and Alumni NewsNew Nevada tax data shows marijuana revenues are continuing to grow and top records in the state. The Nevada Department of Taxation said Wednesday that marijuana tax revenues at the retail and wholesale levels generated $8.1 million in August.That's a record and $3.2 million higher than the same month in 2017.The previous record was $7.9 million in July.
California’s apocalyptic fires are a side effect of modern life
High Country News | Posted onNovember 17, 2018 in Rural NewsThe ‘new normal’ of a year-round wildfire season is a problem of our own making.Violent wildfires like the ones we’re witnessing today are of our own making. They’re the accidental yet catastrophic side effects of the way we live our lives; witness Redding, California, where the rim of a flat tire scraped the asphalt on a highway, causing the sparks that started the Carr Fire. They’re the result of people moving into fire-prone areas, along with forestry practices that suppress natural fires and human-caused global warming. Speaking to the media, Gov.
Reckoning with History: How the once-radical Endangered Species Act was weakened
High Country News | Posted onNovember 17, 2018 in Rural NewsIn his classic book, A Sand County Almanac, conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote of ecological communities, “A land ethic of course cannot prevent the alteration, management, and use of these ‘resources,’ but it does affirm their right to continued existence, and, at least in spots, their continued existence in a natural state.” Congress essentially agreed with Leopold when it passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, with only 12 dissenting votes in the House and none in the Senate.Today, private landowners and industry in the West are calling for Congress and the president’s