Articles By
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Environmental
Obama Nominees—McCarthy for EPA, Moniz for DOE, and Jewell for DOI—Face Tough Confirmation Hearings
President Obama this week nominated Gina McCarthy, the current assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Air and Radiation, to head the EPA. He also nominated Dr. Ernest Moniz, currently a faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for secretary of energy. Both are expected to face a difficult confirmation process.
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Nuclear
Federal Court Reopens Case Disputing Nuclear Waste Fund Fees
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last week reopened and set a relatively expedited briefing schedule for a case in which several states and nuclear utilities have claimed collection of a nuclear waste fee by the Department of Energy (DOE) is unlawful.
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Coal
Gates Calls for Increased Spending on Energy Research, Renewed Focus on Nuclear
Bill Gates didn’t mince words last night when sharing with the IHS CERAWeek crowd his thoughts about public support for basic scientific research in the United States.
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Environmental
EIA: U.S. Power Sector SO2, NOx Emissions Lowest Since 1990
Power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the U.S. declined to their lowest level since 1990, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said last week.
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Nuclear
Global Laser Enrichment Formally Proposes Uranium Facility for Paducah
GE–Hitachi division Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) has reportedly submitted a nonbinding proposal to establish an additional uranium enrichment facility at the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Paducah enrichment site in Kentucky.
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Business
Survey Suggests Regulatory Risk, Weak Power Prices Are Biggest Challenges for European Power Sector
A survey of European power utility and consultancy workers conducted by energy information provider Platts last week suggests that regulatory risk and weak wholesale power prices are thought to be at the top the industry’s most significant challenges.
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Legal & Regulatory
FERC’s Market Transparency Push: A Solution in Search of a Problem
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has recently launched a multi-front effort to combat market manipulation. But its proposal to require expanded reporting of interstate wholesale natural gas transaction threatens to distort the market and ultimately do far more harm than good. -
Why We Need to Be Cautious in the Shift to Gas
There’s a lot to like about gas-fired power: Abundant fuel supplies, lower emissions, higher efficiencies. But in the rush to seize these advantages, the U.S. may risk overcommitting to a single generation resource—one with a long history of price volatility. -
Environmental
Gas Power Fights Uphill Battle in China
Soon to become the world’s largest electricity market, China is also looking to ease its reliance on coal by shifting toward renewables and natural gas. But an array of roadblocks stand in the way of gas becoming a major element of the mix. -
Wind
What Toothpaste and Battery Manufacturing Have in Common (Video)
Among the early-stage energy technology projects on display at last week’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) Energy Innovation Summit were two from the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) that have the potential to enhance a variety of battery and other power-related applications. POWER shot video demonstrations of these technologies, which are approximately three to five years from commercialization. See if you can figure out which one was inspired by striped toothpaste.