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Friday, January 11, 2013

The Salt

This Butter Sculpture Could Power A Farm For 3 Days

A 1,000-pound butter sculpture is unveiled at the 97th Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg last week.

January 11, 2013 The biggest attraction at the annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., is always a giant, 1,000-pound sculpture crafted from butter. Once this year's show wraps up, all that beautiful butter will go right into a manure pit to become methane gas.

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Wednesday, January 09, 2013

The Picture Show

Under Construction: The World's Largest Thermal Solar Plant

The three solar fields and their respective towers. October 2012.

January 9, 2013 For two years, photographer Jamey Stillings has been documenting the construction of a solar plant that will, for better or worse, forever alter the Mojave landscape.

Summary

Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013

Drilling For Facts Under The 'Promised Land' Fiction

Matt Damon's character in the movie Promised Land comes to town to convince a landowner to allow a gas company to drill on his property.

January 4, 2013 In the film, opening in theaters across the country Friday, Matt Damon's character pitches natural gas drilling to a rural community. Even with a number of inaccuracies, the film explores real-life issues confronting towns that are promised wealth but have to weigh potential environmental impacts of drilling.

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Budget Deal Provides Tax Breaks For Green Energy

Ruben Fragoso checks out appliances at Best Buy in Miami in April 2010, when Florida residents were taking advantage of a federally funded discount for Energy Star-rated appliances. Legislation just passed by Congress as part of the fiscal-cliff deal includes tax breaks for energy-efficient appliances.

January 4, 2013 Whether you're a homeowner who bought an energy-saving refrigerator last year or a company hoping to build a wind farm, the tax package Congress just approved may give you a reason to cheer.

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Thursday, January 03, 2013

Wind Industry Secures Tax Credit, But Damage May Be Done

Wind turbines dwarf a church near Wilson, Kan. Although Congress voted to extend a wind energy tax credit, the temporary uncertainty dealt a blow to the industry.

January 3, 2013 Uncertainty over the credit had lingered for a while, causing the industry to put off long-term planning. So while the now-approved tax credit revives prospects for an industry facing tens of thousands of layoffs, don't expect to see many new turbines coming up soon.

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The Two-Way

Transocean To Pay $1.4 Billion In Gulf Oil Spill Settlement

The Transocean Discoverer Enterprise drill ship collects oil from the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well as workers try to stem the flow of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico, June 12, 2010.

January 3, 2013 The owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig where 11 men died in April 2010 has agreed to pay criminal and civil penalties to resolve Justice Department allegations over its role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

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Wednesday, January 02, 2013
Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Business

Rift With China Clouds Solar Industry's Future

Solar panels come off the line at SunPower's solar manufacturing plant near San Jose, Calif.

January 1, 2013 KQEDThe United States is on track to install a record number of solar power systems — thanks in large part to low-cost solar panels from China. U.S. officials have imposed trade tariffs on Chinese panels, but a trade war with China could put U.S. solar jobs at risk.

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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Environment

2013: A Tipping Year For Climate Change?

Cracks form in the bed of a dried lake in Waterloo, Neb. The drought withered crops and dried out lakes across the nation's midsection in 2012.

December 30, 2012 This year's weather will be one for the record books; 2012 is slated to be the hottest summer on record. "We've already passed all kinds of tipping points," environmentalist Bill McKibben says. He's wondering if President Obama will take a different approach to climate change in the coming year.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Texas Man Takes Last Stand Against Keystone XL Pipeline

David Daniel, an east Texas landowner, was so determined to block the Keystone XL pipeline from coming through his forest that he took to his trees and built an elaborate network of treehouses eight stories above the ground.

December 25, 2012 The Keystone pipeline is supposed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Texas — a route that runs right through David Daniel's land. To try to save his woods from bulldozers, Daniel built tree houses 80 feet in the air and protesters climbed up into them.

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Sunday, December 23, 2012

Forget Fracking: 2012 Was A Powerful Year For Renewables

Wind turbines stand alongside an electrical tower at the National Wind Technology Center, run by the U.S. Department of Energy, outside Boulder, Colo.

December 23, 2012 The boom in fossil fuels hasn't undermined the growth of renewable energy sources. Tax incentives boosted the wind and solar industries this year, but 2013 might blow for wind.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Next In Line For A Fracking Boom, California Looks At The Rules

Most hydraulic fracturing in California is done to extract to oil in areas like this field in Kern County. The state is drafting fracking regulations for the first time.

December 20, 2012 KQEDThe state is known for its tough environmental rules, but it has largely ignored hydraulic fracturing until now. Though California's concerns are like those of many other places, there's also the question of how the growing fracking industry might affect earthquakes.

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