Here are five recommended reads for today (2/17/12)

1. According to Climate Progress, “In a huge step toward making the nation’s first offshore wind farm a reality, Massachusetts officials announced Wednesday that energy companies Northeast Utilities and NStar have agreed to buy more than a quarter of the power produced by the Cape Wind offshore wind farm.”
2. Energy Boom reports, “San Diego Gas & Electric has jumped into its first new renewable energy contracts of 2012 with commitments to purchase a combined 300 MW from two new projects… 100 MW from the 189 MW Manzana Wind project…[and] 200 MW of energy from the Mount Signal Solar project.”
3. According to Inside Climate News: “A new report by the National Governors Association (NGA) showed that 28 states enacted more than 60 new “clean” economic development policies between June 2010 and Aug. 2011. Among those states, more than half, or 16, have Republican governors.”
4. The Hill reports, “Major industry groups have stepped up efforts to scuttle new EPA rules that require curbs on emissions of mercury and other air toxics from coal-fired power plants.”
5. According to the Washington Post, “The Republican-controlled House endorsed a plan Thursday to vastly expand oil and gas drilling off the nation’s coasts to help pay for a $260 billion transportation bill.”

Here are five recommended reads for today (2/16/12)

1. The New York Times reports, “Leaked documents suggest that an organization known for attacking climate science is planning a new push to undermine the teaching of global warming in public schools, the latest indication that climate change is becoming a part of the nation’s culture wars.”
2. Daniel Weiss writes at Climate Progress, “On February 13, Senators David Vitter (R-LA), John Hoevan (R-ND), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced theStrategic Petroleum Supplies Act, S. 2100 that would prevent President Obama from selling oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve unless Keystone is approved.”
3. Chris Turner of Mother Nature Network argues that “The time is now for Big Geothermal.” Turner explains: “In North America alone, there is enough energy trapped beneath the Earth’s surface to produce 10 times as much electricity as coal currently does. Geothermal power is clean, ubiquitous and reliable. And the technology to harness it is finally ready for primetime.”
4. Stefanie Penn Spear of EcoWatch asks, “Will Natural Gas Become the ‘Achilles’ Heel’ of Our Country?”
5. NPR reports: “The wind power industry in this country has grown fast in recent years, but that could come to a screeching halt. The industry depends on a federal subsidy to keep it competitive with other forms of electricity. It’s a tax credit wind farms get for the power they produce. That credit expires at the end of the year, and it’s not clear whether Congress will renew it.“

Here are five recommended reads for today (2/15/12)

1. DeSmogBlog reports: “Internal Heartland Institute strategy and funding documents obtained by DeSmogBlog expose the heart of the climate denial machine – its current plans, many of its funders, and details that confirm what DeSmogBlog and others have reported for years. The heart of the climate denial machine relies on huge corporate and foundation funding from U.S. businesses including Microsoft, Koch Industries, Altria (parent company of Philip Morris) RJR Tobacco and more.”
2. According to Energy Boom, “DuPont, the leading U.S. chemical maker, and Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., a leading Chinese PV panel maker, reached a $100 million deal this week with the goal of boosting supplies of solar-energy materials and promoting broader adoption of solar energy worldwide.”
3. Politico reports that “a variety of forces is pushing coal back to the brink.” These forces include: “federal power plant regulations that are more costly for coal than for other fuels, a barrage of environmentalist litigation hitting individual coal plants, and stiff competition from a glut of inexpensive domestic natural gas that is facing less aggressive attention from the EPA.”
4. At Grist, Daniel J. Weiss outlines “11 important clean energy proposals in Obama’s budget proposals.” These includes “Extend the production tax credit for wind energy.” “Invest in solar and wind energy,” and “Cut oil and gas tax breaks by $40 billion over a decade.”
5. CleanTechnica reports, “Domestic sales of solar PV cells [in Japan] rose 30.7% year-over-year in 2011 to 1,296 MW, the first time they’ve exceeded 1 gigawatt (GW), according to the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA), which noted that government incentives for homebuyers installing solar energy systems boosted the total.”

Here are five recommended reads for today (2/14/12)

1. Bloomberg reports, “President Barack Obama’s proposed budget would renew and extend a subsidy for renewable-energy projects that helps pay for as much as 30 percent of development costs, according to a solar lobbying group.”
2. On DeSmogBlog, Carol Linnitt asks, “Why Is Canada Killing Wolves and Muzzling Scientists To Protect Tar Sands Interests?“
3. 350.org founder Bill McKibben announces on his Twitter feed that a petition against the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline passed 500,000 signatures in under 7 hours.
4. The Washington Post reports, Gov. Martin O’Malley will be speaking in support of a bill aimed at developing offshore wind energy in Maryland… The governor has made the measure a priority of his legislative agenda again this year.”
5. At Climate Progress, Joe Romm explains why NY Times business columnist Joe Nocera is “still wrong and ‘very unfair’ about the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.”