RENEWABLES: The federal Energy Information Administration has consistently and significantly underestimated the potential of renewable energy sources in reports to federal policymakers, according to a new analysis. (InsideClimate News)
ROYALTIES: Environmental advocates are increasing pressure on the Obama administration to up fees energy companies pay to extract oil, natural gas and coal from public lands. (The Hill)
AD CAMPAIGN: The League of Conservation Voters launched an advertising campaign Friday against a Republican senator from Illinois, shaming him for a vote last week against the EPA’s climate rule for power plants. (The Hill)
DRILLING: The number of U.S. rigs drilling for oil declined for a 29th consecutive week, but the total number of operating rigs increased for the first time this year, thanks to an increase of five natural gas rigs. (FuelFix)
INVESTMENT: Foreign investors are helping fuel the U.S. petrochemical renaissance, as overseas companies scramble to take advantage of the surge of cheap domestic natural gas, according to a new analysis. (FuelFix)
BIRDS: Two years after Duke Energy’s renewable energy arm was prosecuted under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the energy giant is taking aim at the law. (Audubon Magazine)
FRACKING: A little-known activist group called the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund is behind anti-fracking movements in 18 communities across six states. (Reuters)
SOLAR: Despite strong public interest, political support for solar in Maine is eroding due to disagreements over how generators, ratepayers and utilities will benefit from the sun’s endless supply of clean power. (Portland Press Herald)
WIND: WindFloat Pacific’s 30-megawatt offshore wind project has been tripped up by an inability to find a buyer for the power that would flow from its five-turbine array about 20 miles off Coos Bay, Oregon. (Breaking Energy)
GIGAFACTORY: Nevada economic officials say work on Tesla’s $5 billion battery factory east of Reno is progressing smoothly and should be operational within a year. (Associated Press)
METHANE: ConocoPhillips ran one of the top 10 operations for methane leaks in 2013, the latest year for which data are available, according to an analysis of federal and corporate data. (ClimateWire)
NEW YORK: Half of New York’s power will come from renewable sources in the next 15 years, under a new state energy plan released Thursday. (Capital New York)
ETHICS: After revelations that a scientist failed to disclose his funding sources for climate change research, the Smithsonian Institution said Friday it is improving its ethics and disclosure policies to avoid conflicts of interest. (The Washington Post)
COMMENTARY:
- Investors should take note that offshore Arctic oil could be stranded oil. (The Globe & Mail)
- Energy efficiency can be incredibly valuable, but we need to measure it properly. (Vox)