Week of 3/30/2012

The Buzz’s EDITOR’S PICKS OF THE WEEK…

Tornado damage at Zimmer power plant includes transmission structures, buildings

North Sea natural gas leak could be worst incident since 1988 rig fire that killed 167

Related: Company evacuates workers from offshore platform and halts production

The Buzz’s Feature of the Week…

Long awaited draft climate rules for power plants released by EPA

EPA’s Jackson: No plans to set greenhouse gas limits for existing power plants

But, Jackson’s top air pollution official won’t rule out curbing carbon from older units

ACCCE raps EPA on greenhouse gas rules for new coal-fired power plants

One possible effect of new EPA carbon rules is to force more U.S. coal overseas

West Virginia governor and congressional delegation lash out at EPA

The Buzz’s CLIMATE-ENERGY POLITICS & REGULATION Links…

House Natural Resources Committee to issue subpoenas for oil, coal regulations

Documents show bells, sirens and alarms at White House as Solyndra failure neared

Solyndra’s chief restructuring officer punted on question of political influence

House panel wants Obama to explain what happened to his 2015 electric vehicle goal

Groups on opposite ends of political spectrum oppose new Florida energy bill

The Buzz’s CLIMATE SCIENCE & SCANDAL Links…

Scientists from Syracuse University find that ‘Medieval Warm Period’ was global

Can 21 ‘unique coalitions on climate change’ agree on one person to be spokesman?

Warm winter, climate change and the bewildering gauge of fickle public opinion

Physicist: Despite mild winter, statistical warming in past 10 years hasn’t occurred

Michael Mann, center of several climate controversies, decries ‘smear campaign’

Among the many alleged dangers of climate change, now fear the ‘compost bomb’

In Australia, court rules in favor of coal mine despite climate change argument

The Buzz’s OHIO Links…

Coda can’t get DOE funding, won’t build electric car battery plant in central Ohio

General Electric in East Cleveland celebrates anniversary by powering old light bulb

Grant from Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative lights up classroom with learning

Ohio’s first LNG interstate fueling station scheduled to open next week

Ohio University will approach oil-and-gas drilling on its land with caution

Coal leases versus Utica Shale drilling heats up in several eastern Ohio counties

Global energy giant British Petroleum to invest in Ohio’s Utica Shale development

Murray Energy sees potential in Ohio coal, will consolidate key staff at one location

Job growth perks up in eastern Ohio, thanks to oil and gas drilling companies

Hydraulic fracturing in eastern counties raises concerns about availability of water

FirstEnergy’s Eastlake coal plant might have second life with combustion turbines

Dublin neighborhood not happy about AEP’s transmission line tree removal

The Buzz’s NATIONAL Links…

Duke and Progress Energy seek to make proposed merger more palatable

Keystone XL rivals plan to build pipeline for Canadian oil sands crude

According to French government, U.S. considering release from strategic oil reserve

The Buzz’s INTERNATIONAL Links…

Philippines energy minister offers to resign over power outages plaguing Mindanao

Kenya revises energy policy to allow private sector nuclear power plants

Britain’s energy policy blown sky-high by utilities’ decision to nix nuke power projects

PetroChina leads Exxon Mobil as world’s largest publicly traded oil company

The Buzz’s RENEWABLES, ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY, FUELS Links…

Three-dimensional solar cubes or towers can increase power output two to 20 times

Underwater power-generating turbine anchored off Scotland’s Orkney Islands

Seattle-based Hydrovolts tests mini-hydroelectric generators in irrigation canal

Buzz’s ENERGY EFFICIENCY & CONSERVATION Links …

California solar company offers to loan homeowners money for efficiency upgrades

Carrier announces ‘Energy Experts’ efficiency program to reduce home utility bills

Apple’s ‘bleeding edge’ iPad consumes more energy and causes battery heating

The Buzz’s ELECTRIC CARS, HYBRIDS, TRANSPORTATION Links…

Is the ‘Twizy’ a break-through electric car in both utility and price tag?

Electric van manufacturer seeking to reorganize joins list of faltering EV companies

Battery-maker A123 will replace defective modules at estimated cost of $55 million

Related: Battery recalls hits struggling Fisker where it hurts the most, all over again

NY Times: State of electric car is dismal, an emerging technology in ‘valley of death?’

Can Coda, the electric car company with roots in China, jumpstart the EV market?

Restart of Japanese nuclear power plants puts electric car owners in a bind

Carolina start-up believes wireless car recharging is the wave of the future

The Buzz’s ENERGY OPINION AND COMMENTARY Links…

How energy politics of President Obama and Jimmy Carter bear striking similarities

Will the U.S. oil and natural gas boom jerk the props out of clean energy technology?

EPA’s anti-coal wrecking ball swings with the force of an environmental hoax

Environmental activists believe ‘Old King Coal’ is on life support system

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: President Obama’s ‘some-of-the-above’ energy policy

Limiting oil speculation would have the effect of driving up energy prices

The Buzz’s weekly stingerS…

Study shows adding energy sources, such as renewable power, only increases demand

‘Rebound effect’ of energy efficiency could affect advanced drive vehicles, too

NRC rejects claims that Davis-Besse nuke plant output can be replaced by renewables

Judge allows lawsuit over wind turbine noise on Maine’s Vinalhaven Island to proceed

New federal guidelines on commercial wind farms are aimed at protecting birds

Getting high on energy efficiency with house made of hemp-based bricks

The Buzz’s HALL OF SHAME…

Power of the tortoise: Environmental groups sue to stop massive desert solar project

City of Cleveland fires consultant on trash-to-energy project for faulty calculations

Carbon proposals seen as olive branch for warmists without much environmental effect

The Buzz’s WEIRD, SAD, FUNNY, UPLIFTING AND UNBELIEVABLE Links…

Attention, amateur brewmeisters: Law may forbid sharing, transporting homemade beer

Organizers cancel Easter egg hunt for kids because adults misbehaved last year

Shape-shifting octopus mimics at least 15 others creatures, including snakes and fish

Thieves steal 300-lb. bronze statue of Dr. Seuss’ iconic Lorax character

There’s an app for solving crimes: Boy, 8, helps bust multi-state burglary ring

New astronomical photograph shows over one billion stars in Milky Way

Famed bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs dies at age 88 in Nashville hospital

Bugs give Starbucks’ strawberries-and-creme frappuccino its refreshing pink hue