The state has filed suit in federal court against nearly three dozen oil companies for contaminating groundwater with the gasoline additive MTBE that was used to boost engine performance until it was banned in Rhode Island in 2007. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court by Attorney General Peter F. [node:read-more:link]
Hard times are turning more worrisome for cities and small towns in the heart of New Mexico oil and natural gas territory as state officials contemplate reclaiming dollars pledged to local construction projects to help fill a budget gap. New Mexico is confronting a $458 million budget shortfall this fiscal year because of weak prices in the oil and natural gas sectors and slow growth in other areas of the economy. State finance and legislative officials have begun compiling a list of incomplete public works projects that might be deauthorized. [node:read-more:link]
The solar industry alone has created one out of every 80 jobs in the United States since the Great Recession. When including wind, LED lighting, and other clean energy categories, that number could be close to one in 33. [node:read-more:link]
An American Indian tribe succeeded in getting a federal judge to temporarily stop construction on some, but not all, of a portion of a $3.8 billion four-state oil pipeline, but their broader request still hangs in the balance. U .S. District Judge James Boasberg said today that work will temporarily stop between North Dakota’s State Highway 1806 and 20 miles east of Lake Oahe, but will continue west of the highway because he believes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lacks jurisdiction on private land. It wasn’t immediately clear how long of a stretch on which work will stop. [node:read-more:link]
Thirteen states could lose fewer coal-fired power plants and reduce costs if they work together to comply with a major federal clean-power rule, according to a new report. PJM Interconnection, the power grid operator that handles electric flow in Ohio, Pennsylvania and parts of 11 other states, analyzed the impact of the Clean Power Plan in a lengthy report released last week. [node:read-more:link]
A recent study highlighting the renewable energy capacity of the eastern power grid found adding new transmission capacity can help further cut costs and emissions. In a recent report, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found the grid serving the eastern half of the U.S. is technically capable of integrating enough wind and solar power into the system to meet 30 percent of the region's yearly energy needs. But one major obstacle to the large-scale use of renewables remains: getting the best wind resource from the Midwest to the East, where the power is needed. [node:read-more:link]
In its continuing effort to settle the shaky ground, a divided Kansas Corporation Commission on Tuesday expanded restrictions on underground injection of oilfield wastewater linked to the spate of earthquakes over the past four years. The new rules put stricter limits on the volume of wastewater that can be dumped down disposal wells around the most seismically sensitive areas of Harper and Sumner counties. Tuesday’s order also expands the area where underground disposal is restricted. [node:read-more:link]
In the highly public race among states trying to get the most electricity from clean and renewable sources, it’s not surprising who’s making the most noise. Hawaii—environmentally sensitive islands without access to fossil fuels—has been the most aggressive,passing a law last year that will require its utilities to get 100 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2045. Liberal coastal bastions led by charismatic governors aren’t far behind. In 2015 California passed a law requiring 50 percent renewables by 2030. And New York, where Gov. [node:read-more:link]
Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Inc.’s Enbridge Energy Partners LP is calling off for now plans for a 616-mile pipeline that was intended to carry crude oil from North Dakota to Wisconsin, citing the recent drop in oil prices. [node:read-more:link]
In Finland, St1 is preparing to deliver the first Cellunolix® ethanol plant using forest industry residues as feedstock to North European Bio Tech. The project is under construction in Kajaani and is expected to come online before the end of 2016. Recently a letter of intent was signed for a similar facility in in Follum, Norway. In its H1 2016 financial reporting, the company said net sales were up by a half million euros over the same period in 2015. [node:read-more:link]
