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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Gentlemen, start your SUVs
The dirty truth about Canada's famed oil sands. |
Tom Philpott |
11 Oct 2005 |
Gristmill |
| [W]hen Canada announced in 2004 that it has more recoverable oil from tar sands than there is oil in Saudi Arabia, the world yawned. There is estimated to be about as much oil recoverable from the shale rocks in Colorado and other western states as in all the oil fields of OPEC nations. Yes, the cost of getting that oil is still prohibitively expensive, but the combination of today's high fuel prices and improved extraction techniques means that the break-even point for ... |
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| Topics: Canada, energy, oil, oil sands (all these topics) |
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Watts On, Watts Off
Japanese manufacturing leads the world in energy efficiency |
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07 Oct 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Watts On, Watts Off Japanese manufacturing leads the world in energy efficiency When oil supplies contract, oil-dependent economies suffer -- and Japan prospers. Investors are bullish on Japan's manufacturing sector, which has been investing in energy efficiency since the oil crisis of the early 1970s. Faced then with few domestic energy sources and near total dependence on foreign oil, the nation's industrial ... |
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| Topics: energy, Japan, news, oil, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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A Refine and Pleasant Misery
House energy legislation would undermine parts of Clean Air Act |
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07 Oct 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| A Refine and Pleasant Misery House energy legislation would undermine parts of Clean Air Act You just can't keep a bad bill down. Provisions cut from the energy bill that was passed this summer have lurched back to life; they now stumble forward under the banner of the Gasoline for America's Security (GAS) Act, due for a House vote today. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), the legislation's sponsor, says the act will help cu ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, energy, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Over the Chill
On preparing for winter |
Umbra Fisk |
05 Oct 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, With the coming winter, our local news did a story on how to save on heating. The tips included window treatments, lowering the water heater, etc. But those of us in apartments are limited in what we can do. I can feel the cold air seeping through the cracks, and laying towels on the window sills doesn't seem to help. Any advice? Carol Lafayette, Ind. Dearest Carol, Yar. It's going to be doom and gloom this winter acro ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green building, green living (all these topics) |
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Stan in the Place Where You Live
Mexico and Central America reel under latest gulf hurricane |
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05 Oct 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Stan in the Place Where You Live Mexico and Central America reel under latest gulf hurricane The name "Stan" does not typically inspire fear (even if it's better than "Stanley"), but a hurricane with that moniker has been wreaking havoc down south. In what is sure to be another blow to North America's hobbled energy supply, all three of Mexico's crude-oil loading ports on the Gulf of Mexico ... |
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| Topics: Central America, energy, Mexico, news, oil (all these topics) |
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Porcine of the Times
Bush administration launches cartoon conservation campaign |
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04 Oct 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Porcine of the Times Bush administration launches cartoon conservation campaign With gas prices already skyrocketing and home heating costs expected to follow, the Bush administration yesterday unveiled a long-term clean-energy and conservation program. Oh, wait, did we say "long-term clean-energy and conservation program"? What we meant was "cartoon character." Yes, yesterday the Departmen ... |
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| Topics: Department of Energy, energy, news, politics (all these topics) |
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You've Got Gale
Interior Secretary urges more energy extraction on public lands |
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28 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| You've Got Gale Interior Secretary urges more energy extraction on public lands According to Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the current vicious hurricane season has taught the Bush administration a lesson, namely: Keep doing the same stuff. She says that Katrina and Rita show the folly of concentrating the nation's fossil-fuel infrastructure in one geographic area, and that the solution is reducing our depe ... |
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| Topics: Department of Interior, energy, news, politics (all these topics) |
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The Apollo of Their Eye
Apollo Alliance now shooting for the statehouse instead of the moon |
Amanda Griscom Little |
28 Sep 2005 |
Muckraker |
| By now the mission of the two-year-old D.C.-based Apollo Alliance -- to mobilize a grand-scale federal commitment to energy independence, with the triple-whammy promise of creating good jobs with new technology, bolstering national security with energy independence, and saving the planet from carbon emissions -- has become something of a cliché. Apollo: No longer shoot ... |
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| Topics: Apollo Alliance, energy, Muckraker (all these topics) |
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Sacrificial Sham
Bush asks Americans to avoid unnecessary car trips and save energy |
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27 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Sacrificial Sham Bush asks Americans to avoid unnecessary car trips and save energy President Bush yesterday called on Americans to drive less and conserve gas. "We can all pitch in," he said. Of course, "all" is relative: Though the president directed federal agencies to reduce energy use, Republican congressional leaders were meeting even as he spoke to push for more energy-industry subsidies ... |
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| Topics: air pollution, energy, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Swedes aim to phase out fossil fuels by 2020
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Lisa Hymas |
16 Sep 2005 |
Gristmill |
| To counteract today's totally bummer crop of news, a cheery development from my peeps, the Swedes: Prime Minister Goran Persson announced this week that Sweden will try to end its dependency on fossil fuels in 15 years by, among other things, ramping up use of wind power, boosting research into renewable-energy technologies, and providing incentives for renewable power and clean cars. Swede dreams are made of this ... |
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| Topics: energy, fossil fuels, renewable energy, Sweden (all these topics) |
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Drill Bill: Vol. 2
Katrina prompts new energy proposals -- some green, most not |
Amanda Griscom Little |
16 Sep 2005 |
Muckraker |
| Hurricane Katrina has triggered a whirlwind of new energy proposals in Congress -- some gratifying to environmental activists, most galling. The long-awaited energy bill that President Bush gleefully signed into law a mere month ago started looking sadly outdated when viewed against a backdrop of slackened oil production along the Gulf Coast, crippled refineries, gasoline short ... |
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| Topics: Congress, energy, legislation, Muckraker, politics (all these topics) |
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All's Well That Ends Wells
Investors bullish on clean energy technologies |
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14 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| All's Well That Ends Wells Investors bullish on clean energy technologies The clean-energy sector is experiencing a post-Katrina bounce. Petroleum stocks are looking less attractive after the storm damaged Gulf Coast oil rigs and refineries, and many investors seem to think pre-Katrina high fossil-fuel prices are here to stay, making renewable-energy investments more attrac ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, news, oil, renewable energy, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics) |
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Could Katrina kill the SUV?
Despite falling sales figures, it's not bloody likely |
Todd Hymas Samkara |
13 Sep 2005 |
Gristmill |
| ... asked the title of an Agence France-Presse story in TerraDaily on Sunday. Uh, not bloody likely. The story cited falling SUV sales figures for August, combined with the even higher-than-usual gas-price spikes wrought by the hurricane's effect on refining capacity, and concluded, via an economist or two, 'Potentially, Katrina could signal the death knell of the SUV in as much as consumers are going to find themselves once burned, twice shy to buy such vehicle ... |
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| Topics: cars, energy, green living, oil, severe weather (all these topics) |
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Wasted!
Dead radioactive birds piling up at British nuclear plant |
Todd Hymas Samkara |
13 Sep 2005 |
Gristmill |
| One more reason to oppose nuclear: the radioactive birds. Make that the dead, frozen, expanding pile of radioactive birds. At a nuclear plant in Britain, concerned about birds potentially spreading radiation from the site, managers hired snipers -- yes, snipers -- to assassinate birds that land in the area, mostly pigeons and seagulls. Which they've been doing for a while now. Well, problem solved then, right? Not exactly. Now, instead of live radioactive b ... |
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| Topics: energy, nuclear power, wildlife (all these topics) |
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Sill and Grace
On windows |
Umbra Fisk |
12 Sep 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I just bought an old house and need to replace some of the windows. Are there alternatives to vinyl windows that will still cut down on heat loss? Noah Winer Philadelphia, Pa. Dearest Noah, I hope I've caught you before you've placed your window order, because you are at a moment of opportunity. Window replacement will make a huge difference in your house's energy efficiency. You could be losing up to a third of your heat through t ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, energy at home, energy efficiency, green building, green living (all these topics) |
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Photovoltaic Finish
California's Million Solar Roofs bill dies in legislature |
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12 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Photovoltaic Finish California's Million Solar Roofs bill dies in legislature Partisan squabbling effectively killed California's closely watched Million Solar Roofs legislation last week, as the state Assembly session ended on Thursday with no vote on the bill. The measure, which would have dramatically boosted the state's use of so ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, business, California, energy, energy at home, legislation, news, politics, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Romancing the Stove
States sue DOE, press for energy-saving standards for appliances |
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08 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Romancing the Stove States sue DOE, press for energy-saving standards for appliances New York City and 15 states have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Energy, saying the agency has failed to update energy-saving standards for nearly two dozen household appliances -- changes that would save gobs of energy. According to the suit, the DOE has violated mandates set by Congress 18 years ago to progressively ... |
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| Topics: climate, Department of Energy, energy, news (all these topics) |
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School Daze
On why we shouldn't waste energy |
Umbra Fisk |
07 Sep 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I am doing a big geography project at school on saving energy and recycling. My part is to comment on what will happen if we keep wasting energy. I know the basic information, but I am not sure what to write, as it is to be given out to adults (and I'm only 12!). Please send me some useful information because I am really stuck! Laura Heartfordshire, U.K. Dearest Laura, There are a few things that happen as we kee ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, education, energy, renewable energy (all these topics) |
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Coming at It From a New Anglo
U.K. Christian groups ally with eco-advocates to lobby on climate change |
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01 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Coming at It From a New Anglo U.K. Christian groups ally with eco-advocates to lobby on climate change Several Christian organizations in the U.K. have joined forces with environmental groups in a new alliance to "Stop Climate Chaos." The coalition is pressuring the British government to make cutting greenhouse-gas emissions a domestic and international priority and to support in ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, news, religion and spirituality, United Kingdom (all these topics) |
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Rays and Confused
Partisan divide stalls California's solar-roofs bill |
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01 Sep 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Rays and Confused Partisan divide stalls California's solar-roofs bill As its initial bipartisan support devolves into a partisan food fight, California's Million Solar Roofs legislation may die on the vine. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) withdrew his formerly enthusiastic backing for the bill -- which could put $2 billion toward solar-energy generation by 2019 ... |
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| Topics: Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, energy, legislation, news, politics, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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Give a Hoot, Offset a Poot
On offsetting emissions from flatulence |
Umbra Fisk |
31 Aug 2005 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I was wondering if there is any information about the average CO2 emissions from human flatulence. My friend (and I really do mean my friend, I'm not just trying to hide that it's for me) has a birthday coming up, and I think it would be a fun and meaningful gift to get him renewable-energy credits for his CO2 emissions. Thanks! Matt Ashland, Wis. Dearest Matt, When I first began writing thi ... |
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| Topics: advice, air pollution, Ask Umbra, energy, wind power (all these topics) |
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Freedom to Pollute Is on the March
New air rules could allow coal-fired plants to pollute more |
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31 Aug 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Freedom to Pollute Is on the March New air rules could allow coal-fired plants to pollute more The Bush administration may finally eviscerate the legal basis for many pesky air-pollution lawsuits against coal-fired power plants. A new proposal being drafted by the U.S. EPA would change the system for monitoring plants' emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide: after a plant modernized its equipment, ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, news, pollution and waste, US EPA (all these topics) |
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To CAFE or not to CAFE?
Are fuel-efficiency standards a smart way to reduce oil consumption? |
David Roberts |
30 Aug 2005 |
Gristmill |
| Fareed Zakaria has a nice rundown of the many ways our hunger for oil distorts our foreign policy and makes a mockery of our efforts to fight terrorism and spread democracy. At the end, he briefly mentions solutions: It's true that there is no silver bullet that will entirely solve America's energy problem, but there is one that goes a long way: more-efficient cars. If American cars averaged 40 miles per gallon, we would soon reduce consumption ... |
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| Topics: energy, fuel efficiency, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Chain of fuels
The latest solution to pumped-up prices |
Katharine Wroth |
26 Aug 2005 |
Gristmill |
| Because I'm obsessed with reactions to gas prices, I shall tell you about an email I got this morning from a childhood friend in Maine. Maybe you've also gotten it. But not from my friend, a sweet woman who usually forwards the Ann-Landers messages: you know, a poem reminding you to love your kids and scratch behind your dog's ears, because tomorrow you might all be dead, that sort of thing. Today's note is about a campaign to 'force a price war' by not buying gas f ... |
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| Topics: cars, energy, oil (all these topics) |
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Play Your Cardigans Right
Americans look with dread toward this winter's heating bills |
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26 Aug 2005 |
Daily Grist |
| Play Your Cardigans Right Americans look with dread toward this winter's heating bills Skyrocketing energy costs aren't just kicking Americans in the gas tank -- they're punching Americans right in the bills. The home-heating bills, that is. Folks are expected to spend $600 billion this year on oil purchases (including home heating oil), about $210 billion more than two years ago, and $167 billion on natural gas, up from $120 b ... |
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| Topics: energy, news, United States (all these topics) |
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