Energy

The EPA tries to keep track of all sorts of methane producers — including herds of methane-belching cattle.

U.S. May Be Producing 50 Percent More Methane Than EPA Thinks

7:59pm November 25, 2013

by Christopher Joyce

Previous estimates of the climate-warming gas were based on the rough number of methane-emitting sources on the ground — such as factories, refineries, stoves, swamps, landfills and cattle herds. But by directly measuring levels of methane in the air instead, a new study puts the total much higher.

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Is Running Your Car On Rubbish The Future Of Fuels?

8:07pm November 15, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

The EPA proposed a new standard on Friday for how much biofuel must be mixed into the nation's gasoline. The portion of vehicle fuel that comes from plants has increased dramatically over recent years to about 10 percent. But most of it comes from corn. Congress hoped that, by now, a billion gallons would be coming from advanced biofuels, which have much smaller greenhouse gas footprints. That hasn't happened. But the nascent cellulosic fuel industry says don't count it out. Several plants are on the verge of opening and more will be on the way.

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A prototype of a flexible battery from Imprint Energy, one of 40 companies working on battery technology in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Electric Cars Drive Demand For Cheaper, More Powerful Batteries

7:29pm November 14, 2013

by Lauren Sommer

Unlike the technologies in laptops, smartphones and electric cars, the batteries inside them have been slow to evolve. In Silicon Valley, more than 40 companies are working on finding a battery breakthrough. And they're facing international competition.

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People gather in the central square of Rjukan, Norway, on Wednesday to bask in the sun reflected by mirrors on a nearby mountainside.

As Mirrors Beam Light To Town, Norwegians Share Patch Of Sun

5:07pm November 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rjukan lies in the shadow of surrounding mountains for nearly six months every year. But the town recently installed a system of mirrors to bring sunlight to its central square. Not everyone can bask in the glow at the same time, but the project is bringing residents together.

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At more than 400 square miles, the Rim Fire is the largest Sierra Nevada fire in recorded history.

Fuel In The Fire: Burn Wood For Power Or Leave It To Nature

12:59pm October 16, 2013

by Lauren Sommer

The record-breaking wildfire in Yosemite National Park is calling attention to a problem found across the West: Forests are overloaded with fuel after a century of putting out fires. What to do about that is fueling its own heated debate.

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President Obama speaks at the southern site of the Keystone XL pipeline in Cushing, Okla., in March 2012.

One Thing Obama Can Do: Decide The Fate Of The Keystone Pipeline

3:58pm October 09, 2013

The president alone can approve or reject construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which is designed to take crude oil extracted from Alberta, Canada, through America's heartland to refineries on the Gulf Coast. New Yorker journalist Ryan Lizza says Obama could use the decision as a "symbolic turning point in the kind of energy future he wants America to have."

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Phase 2 Of BP Trial Focuses On Amount Of Spilled Oil

12:48pm October 08, 2013

by Jeff Brady

Both the U.S. government and BP have estimates on just how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010. The problem: They reached two different numbers. At stake is up to $18 billion in fines and penalties under federal environmental laws.

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National

In Wake Of Colo. Floods, A Scramble To Clean Up Spilled Oil

5:06am September 26, 2013

by Grace Hood

Colorado flooding has prompted an unprecedented challenge for the state's oil and gas industry. The practice of hydraulic fracturing is widespread along the state's Eastern Plains, but overflowing rivers have swept away equipment and caused more than 37,000 gallons of oil to spill into or near rivers.

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EPA Wants To Limit Greenhouse Gases From New Coal Power Plants

8:11pm September 20, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Under the proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency, new plants that run on coal would be permitted to emit only about half as much carbon dioxide as the average coal plant puts into the air today. Emissions from the electricity industry are already declining as utilities turn to natural gas and wind farms.

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Natural Gas May Be Easier On Climate Than Coal, Despite Methane Leaks

7:11pm September 16, 2013

by Richard Harris

Some scientists have argued that so much gas leaks out during production that it is actually worse for the environment than coal. But a new nationwide study shows that methane leaks from natural gas production aren't as bad as some feared.

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