Energy/Environment Energy Voices
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Oil supplies may not keep up with demand, IEA says
Oil prices may be low now, but don't bank on cheap prices forever. The International Energy Agency's latest report indicates that demand will rebound significantly, and the supply side will have difficulty keeping up.
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Greens spent millions on midterm elections and lost. Or did they?
Environmental groups dropped tens of millions to influence the midterm elections. And while they didn't keep the Senate blue, green groups hope they've made inroads with the GOP, and have elevated the profile of climate change and clean energy in American politics.
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Oil price tumbles on Saudi price cut. Big Oil feels a pinch. (+video)
Oil prices keep dropping and oil companies in the US and abroad are beginning to adjust their plans for a bear market. A fall in oil prices is a relief for US drivers, but it is very bad news for domestic producers that rely on high prices to keep oil flowing.
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Elections 2014: Would a GOP win open up Arctic drilling?
If Republicans win the US Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections, it's likely the party will move to open up Arctic drilling for oil. The controversial issue has come back in this year's midterm elections in Alaska.
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Despite campaign rhetoric, coal country readies for low-carbon future
From Georgia to Wyoming, regulators in coal-dependent states are cutting emissions to meet EPA's Clean Power Plan. The plan calls for emissions cuts of 30 percent, although states have considerable flexibility to reach that goal.
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Russia in weak position for new gas deal with China
The new natural gas deal between China and Russia is lopsided in China's favor. Western sanctions, plunging oil prices, and a plummeting currency all put Russia at a bargaining disadvantage vis-à-vis China.
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Early signs of a pullback in US oil drilling
Watch out, US shale boom: Plummeting oil prices are challenging the economics of expensive shale drilling. Low oil prices make shale drilling less profitable, and some oil companies are paring back spending and drilling plans as a result.
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Oil sands companies under pressure following wildlife deaths
More than a hundred birds died in Alberta oil sands waste ponds last week, raising questions about whether oil companies in Canada are doing enough to protect wildlife.
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Republicans capture Senate; Report warns of climate change; Cheap oil creates price showdown [Recharge]
Republicans won the Senate in last week's midterm elections, setting the stage for pro-oil and gas legislation and a fight over Obama's clean power plan. The International Panel on Climate Change released a report describing "severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts" of climate change. Tumbling oil prices threaten Saudia Arabia's profits and the US's shale boom.
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Midterm election results: Good news for Keystone XL pipeline
Republicans captured the Senate in Tuesday's elections, setting the stage for the GOP to push major energy issues – including approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. And with support from moderate Senate Democrats, Keystone likely has the support to make it through Congress.
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Slow climate change or end energy poverty? Let's do both.
The goal of curbing global greenhouse gas emissions can sometimes appear at odds with efforts to expand electricity access to the 1.3 billion around the world without it. But it is feasible to make progress on both fronts, write Goolman and Nicholson, so long as policymakers aim high.
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The case against US oil abundance
The swift decline in oil prices has the media buzzing about an oil supply glut, Cobb writes. But can oil – which now trades at eight times its price during 1998's glut – be said to be experiencing an oil glut now?
Photos of the Day 11/12
Chinese children arrive for a rehearsal for a welcome ceremony for visiting US President Barack Obama at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
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Despite campaign rhetoric, coal country readies for low-carbon future
From Georgia to Wyoming, regulators in coal-dependent states are cutting emissions to meet EPA's Clean Power Plan. The plan calls for emissions cuts of 30 percent, although states have considerable flexibility to reach that goal.
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Is Obama lowering gas prices to win votes?
In short: No, President Obama is not manipulating gas prices, Rapier writes. And yet, speculation of executive tinkering with gas markets always comes into play when elections roll around. Here's the real reason gas prices tend to fall during election seasons.
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Midterm election: Ohio governor promises more taxes on fracking
The midterm election in Ohio is a referendum on the future of fracking in the state. Gov. John Kasich of Ohio appears poised to win re-election on a promise of expanded oil and gas drilling coupled with increased taxes on the industry.
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US debates oil exports; Ukraine secures Russian gas; Solar gets cheap [Recharge]
A government report says US oil exports could actually benefit domestic consumers. Ukraine, Russia, and the EU avoid a humanitarian crisis by forging a deal to resupply Ukraine with Russian gas. Meanwhile, solar power prices keep on plunging. Catch up on the week in global energy with Recharge.
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Gas prices drop below $3 a gallon. That hasn’t happened in four years (+video)
Gas prices have fallen to the lowest levels since December 2010. Cheap prices at the pump are the result of a glut of oil in the global market, which has driven crude oil prices down significantly over the last several months.
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Is the US oil boom in trouble?
Oil prices continue to drop, energy companies are taking on large amounts of debt, and some call into question rosy projections about a long-term US shale boom. Should we be concerned about the future of American oil and gas?
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Ukraine gas talks stall again. What that means for winter in Europe. (+video)
Ukraine gas talks resumed in Brussels Wednesday, with early reports indicating a deal again could not be reached to resume Russian gas flows to Ukraine. As temperatures drop, officials are increasingly concerned about a lack of the vital winter heating fuel.
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Oil prices have hit their floor. Here's why. (+video)
Oil prices are dropping on high supply and low demand, and everyone is wondering how much lower can oil prices drop. The answer, writes Tillier, is not much lower.
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How Vermont's largest city went 100 percent renewable electricity
The city of Burlington now gets 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, Guevara-Stone writes. It's part of Vermont's goal to produce 90 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2050, including electricity, heating, and transportation.
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Will falling gas prices kill the electric car?
Gas prices are rapidly dropping due to the slump in crude oil prices and that is bad news for electric cars. The emerging technology has come a long way in recent years, but a prolonged state of low gas prices could further slow the spread of electric cars.
