Imposing greenhouse gas regulations on the nation's existing power plants is the main climate priority sought by environmental groups as President Obama begins a second term. But that move has been anticipated in the utility sector, and many of its members are prepared for it, according to industry officials.
Though water is one of the most abundant substances on the planet, much of it is hard to use: too salty to drink, too contaminated for crops or frozen away in ice. People need to expend energy to make this water usable. This is especially troublesome as water goes to work in hydraulic fracturing, in which millions of gallons of water flows underground to break apart rock formations, releasing oil and natural gas. Now researchers say they have a cheap, low-energy method to clean this "produced water."
The Army Corps of Engineers yesterday said it would not conduct an areawide or cumulative review of various coal export terminal proposals in Oregon and Washington state. (Greenwire, )
The Bureau of Land Management's plan to route a transmission line from New Mexico to Arizona and through a pristine valley renowned for its biological diversity has sparked an intense debate. (E&ENews PM, )
The Great Barrier Reef will receive a threatened ecosystem designation next year if the Australian government doesn't take steps to protect it, the U.N. World Heritage Committee ruled. (Greenwire, )
Can ‘Bambi’ save homes in a burning forest? (ClimateWire, )
Senate leaders on climate change said yesterday they don't know what President Obama plans to announce on the issue next month. (E&ENews PM, )
Officials suspect the massive fire that devastated part of Colorado last week was man-made and have been sifting through debris. (Greenwire, )
