Friday, February 27, 2015

Nebraska Injunctions halt Keystone XL for 12-18 months+

<> Injunctions halt KXL eminent domain proceedings in two Nebraska counties - Bold Nebraska reports that eminent domain and the Keystone XL pipeline are now halted in Nebraska for 12-18 months, attorneys estimate, until the Nebraska Supreme Court rules on the merits of this case.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Clean Energy RD&D Investments Make Us Stronger

<> Clean Energy RD&D Investments Make Us Stronger - The American Energy Innovation Council (AEIC), a bipartisan collection of business leaders focused on creating economic growth through public and private investment in new energy technology, recently issued a report calling for a boost in investment in energy research, development, and deployment (RD&D).

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

President Obama Veto Message On Keystone XL Bill & Reactions

<> President Obama Send Veto Message to the Senate: S. 1, Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act – "Through this bill, the United States Congress attempts to circumvent longstanding and proven processes for determining whether or not building and operating a cross-border pipeline serves the national interest. . ."

<> Bold Nebraska Discusses Keystone XL Veto on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" - Bold Nebraska director Jane Kleeb appeared on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" on Tuesday, Feb. 24 to discuss President Obama's veto of the Keystone XL fast-track bill, and the call for him to reject the pipeline once and for all.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Climate Change Laws of the World

<> Climate Change Laws of the World - From the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law: Countries around the world are taking important domestic actions to help tackle the issue of climate change; here's a collection of the relevant laws and policies of various countries in an easily accessible database.  

Monday, February 23, 2015

Regulations Proposed For Exploratory Drilling Offshore Alaska

<> BSEE, BOEM Issue Proposed Regulations to Ensure Safe and Responsible Exploratory Drilling Offshore Alaska - BSEE and BOEM today released proposed regulations to ensure that future exploratory drilling activities on the U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are done safely and responsibly, subject to strong and proven operational standards.

Friday, February 20, 2015

Exelon: EPA's Carbon Rule For Existing Power Plants Can Be Implemented Reliably and On Time Using Existing Market Mechanisms

<> Exelon: EPA's Carbon Rule For Existing Power Plants Can Be Implemented Reliably and On Time Using Existing Market Mechanisms - The electric industry can achieve the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's goal to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants on schedule and at a minimal cost to consumers without harming grid reliability or compromising the efficiency of existing energy markets, according to Exelon testifying before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) at a technical conference to discuss EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan [Exelon is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 32,500 megawatts of owned capacity]

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The 2015 Economic Report of the President

<> The 2015 Economic Report of the President - This morning, the Council of Economic Advisers released the 69th-annual Economic Report of the President, which reviews the United States' accelerating recovery and ways to further support middle-class families as the recovery continues -- Chapter 6 reviews the profound transformation of the U.S. energy sector;  the United States is producing more oil and natural gas and generating more electricity from renewables such as wind and solar.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Ohio Supreme Court Stops Local Drilling Bans

<> Ohio Supreme Court Stops Local Drilling Bans - In a narrow 4-3 decision, in the high profile case of State ex rel. Morrison v. Beck Energy Corp., the Ohio Supreme Court said that local drilling and zoning ordinances in Munroe Falls cannot be enforced because they conflict with the state law regulating oil and gas wells and operations. [links to Case summary, history, docket, decision, oral argument video, & all briefs]

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

The Most Ambitious Environmental Lawsuit Ever

<> The Most Ambitious Environmental Lawsuit Ever - A quixotic historian tries to hold oil and gas companies responsible for Louisiana's disappearing coast -- Each hour, Louisiana loses about a football field's worth of land.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes

Subscribers & Readers Note: WIMS will not be publishing on Monday, February 16, 2015, in observance of the Federal Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) holiday.

<> Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes - U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Mark Kirk (R-IL), and other members of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, introduced the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act (GLEEPA) to authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $475 million annually

Nebraska Court Again Stops Keystone XL Pipeline

Subscribers Note: WIMS will not be publishing on Monday, February 16, 2015, in observance of the Federal Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) holiday.

 

National / International News

<> Nebraska Court Again Stops Keystone XL Pipeline - A Holt County, Nebraska District Court judge halted TransCanada's attempt to use eminent domain to take their land for the Keystone XL export pipeline -- resolution could take another 12 months, or longer

Thursday, February 12, 2015

New Congress Approves Keystone XL Pipeline Bill

<> New Congress Keeps Promise to Approve Keystone Pipeline Jobs - House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) statement after the House passed S. 1, legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline 270-152 (includes 29 Democrats). ". . .With hardworking, middle-class families still struggling to get by, that should give the president plenty of cause to reconsider his veto threat and sign this bill into law." [Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) was the lone Republican voting against the bill].

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Proposed Climate Intervention Techniques Not Ready for Wide-Scale Deployment

<> Proposed Climate Intervention Techniques Not Ready for Wide-Scale Deployment - Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is still the most effective, least risky way to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change, concludes a two-volume report from a National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council committee that evaluated proposed techniques to either remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or increase the ability of Earth or clouds to reflect incoming sunlight

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

First Round of UN Climate Talks in 2015 Begin in Geneva

<> First Round of UN Climate Talks in 2015 Begin in Geneva - Countries began their next round of UN climate change talks on Sunday, in Geneva, where they will continue work to advance the draft text of a new, universal climate change agreement which they are due to conclude at the end of this year -- the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) is meeting from February 8 – 13.

Monday, February 09, 2015

Daily Environment ReportT 2015 Outlook

<> Daily Environment Report™ 2015 Outlook - [Bloomberg/BNA] The 2015 Outlook offers a comprehensive exploration of all the top issues facing the environment and energy industry. [Register for this free 60-page report of legislative and regulatory changes to come in 2015].

Friday, February 06, 2015

2015 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook

<> 2015 edition of the Sustainable Energy in America Factbook - Produced for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, provides up-to-date, accurate market intelligence about the broad range of industries — energy efficiency, renewable energy and natural gas — that are contributing to the country's move towards cleaner energy production and more efficient energy usage.

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Inhofe, Shuster Call for Withdrawal of WOTUS Rule

<> Inhofe, Shuster Call for Withdrawal of WOTUS Rule - U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works released the following joint statement with U.S. Representative Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, following the Senate-House hearing on the Administration's proposed rule to expand federal regulation of waters under the Clean Water Act the proposal's potential impacts on state and local governments

Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Congressional Hearing On EPA-USCOE Proposed WOTUS Rule

<> Administrator McCarthy to Testify in Front of House-Senate Joint Hearing on the Clean Water Rule - U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy will testify today in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the U.S. and the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on the proposed Clean Water Rule (WOTUS Rule).

Tuesday, February 03, 2015

President's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget & Congressional Reaction

<> 5 New Things About the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget - Here are five things that are new and different about the Fiscal Year 2016 budget.

<> Speaker Boehner Statement on President Obama's Budget - Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released the following statement on President Obama's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Proposal: "Today President Obama laid out a plan for more taxes, more spending, and more of the Washington gridlock. . .

Monday, February 02, 2015

White House Establishing A New Flood Standard for Federal Investments

<> A New Flood Standard for Federal Investments Will Help Communities Weather Climate Change, Extreme Storms - The White House is building on that experience by releasing a new flood risk management standard for new and rebuilt federally funded structures in and around floodplains.