EMISSIONS: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to announce today voluntary initiatives for farmers, ranchers and foresters to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions. (Associated Press)
ATLANTIC DRILLING: Six Senate Democrats from the Northeast are taking on the Obama administration with a bill to prevent offshore oil and natural gas drilling on the Atlantic Coast. (The Hill)
FRACKING:
• Two Democratic House members introduced a bill Wednesday to ban hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas, commonly known as fracking, on federal land. (The Hill)
• Half the 41 fracking companies operating in the U.S. will be dead or sold by year-end because of slashed spending by oil companies, an executive with Weatherford International predicts. (Bloomberg)
TAX BREAKS: Two Democrats in Congress on Wednesday introduced legislation that would end tax preferences for oil, natural gas and coal companies, which they say could save $135 billion over 10 years. (The Hill)
SOLAR:
• SolarCity announced Wednesday it has access to a $1 billion investment fund from Credit Suisse to finance commercial solar systems and storage technology over the next two years. (Sacramento Business Journal)
• Duke Energy Progress expects to employ 900 workers during peak construction this summer at three solar farms it is building in North Carolina. (Triad Business Journal)
EFFICIENCY: A four-year, $25 million effort has cut energy use at New York City’s Grand Central Station by 30 percent. (CBS New York)
BATTERY STORAGE: Tesla Motors Inc. is signing up big customers like Wal-Mart and Cargill, accelerating efforts to become a leader in energy storage. (Bloomberg)
BIOMASS:
• The Oregon Senate approved a bill to declare biomass “carbon neutral” and sent it to the House. (FierceEnergy)
• The Detroit Zoo hopes to raise enough money to buy a biodigester to turn the 800,000 pounds of manure its residents produce annually into methane-rich biogas. (ThinkProgress)
CARBON TAX: Yale University will become one of the first colleges or universities to put an internal price on their carbon emissions, levying a charge against university departments of $40 per metric ton. (ClimateWire)
HYBRIDS: Owners of gas-electric hybrids and battery electric vehicles are less and less likely to trade for another one, according to data from auto buying and research site Edmunds.com. (USA Today)
EV CHARGING: Hevo Power, a Brooklyn-based start-up, is creating a better means of recharging electric vehicles in a crowded city than using a wired plug. (The New York Times)
CARGO BIKES: A growing contingent of eco-minded urban parents are leaving their car keys at home and relying on high-capacity cargo bikes for family transportation. (The New York Times)
POLL: While majorities of all political parties say the effects of global warming will happen within their lifetimes, fewer than four in 10 conservative Republicans agree, according to a new Gallup poll. (Gallup)