Energy

Alaska's Economy Takes A Hit With Shell's Decision To Halt Drilling

5:27am September 29, 2015

by Rachel Waldholz

Alaska's economy depends heavily on oil for jobs and tax revenues. Shell's decision to halt oil and gas exploration off the state's northern coast is a "huge disappointment," the governor says.

Queue Listen Now

Iran's President Says Job Creation Is 'Priority' For His Country

10:23pm September 28, 2015

by Steve Inskeep

In an interview with NPR, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country will use its added billions of dollars from the nuclear deal for boosting the Iranian economy.

Queue Listen Now

ShellNo flotilla participants float near the Polar Pioneer oil drilling rig during demonstrations in May against the presence of the first of two Royal Dutch Shell oil rigs in the Port of Seattle.

Shell Oil Abandons Controversial Drilling Off Alaska's Shore

12:09pm September 28, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Shell announced the move late Sunday, describing what the company called "a clearly disappointing exploration outcome" in the Chukchi Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean.

What To Do With Railroad Tank Cars That Are No Longer Safe Or Economical?

6:56pm September 15, 2015

by Brian Mann

New safety regulations and a slump in oil prices means tens of thousands of railroad tank cars are being taken out of service. Railroads are scrambling to find space to store unwanted oil trains.

Queue Listen Now

The Antarctic ice sheet stores more than half of Earth's fresh water. Scientists wondered how much of it would melt if people burned all the fossil fuels on the planet.

What Would Happen If We Burned Up All Of Earth's Fossil Fuels?

6:43pm September 11, 2015

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Scientists used an estimate of how much fossil fuel is left in the ground to do computer simulations and come up with a worst-case scenario.

Queue Listen Now

Kevin Murphy says he is proud of what he and the other workers do at the Rosebud mine, including digging the coal and reclaiming the land afterward.

New EPA Rules Motivate Montana To Look Beyond Coal

8:10pm September 10, 2015

by Amy Martin

Montana has one of the heaviest lifts of any state to comply with the EPA's plan to reduce carbon emissions. But the state is also rich in renewable energy, and the regulations may be a boon to some.

Queue Listen Now

Noraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto, rear left, plants a tree with children of Naraha residents during an event in Naraha, Fukushima, northern Japan, on Saturday.

Japan Reopens Town Shuttered By Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

9:32am September 05, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The town of Naraha, which had 7,400 residents, was evacuated in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that triggered the release of radiation at the power plant.

A wind farm in Montezuma Hills, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. California is considering proposals to, among other things, derive half the state's electricity from renewable sources.

California Considers Sweeping Proposals To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions

7:39pm September 03, 2015

by Pauline Bartolone

The state is often a step ahead of the status quo when it comes to environmental policy, and climate change is no exception. New legislation includes a plan to cut gasoline use in vehicles by half.

Queue Listen Now

Economic Concerns Fuel Campaign To Save The Sage Grouse

6:25pm September 01, 2015

by Nathan Rott

Many in the West are backing an effort to keep the greater sage grouse off the endangered species list. By saving the bird, they feel they can save the culture and customs of the West as well.

Queue Listen Now

There are about 400,000 greater sage grouse left on the landscape, spread across 11 Western states, from California to North Dakota. That's a fraction of what their numbers were just a century ago.

Fight To Save The Sage Grouse Finds Friends In All Corners Of The West

1:53pm September 01, 2015

by Nathan Rott

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether to list the greater sage grouse as endangered. Many groups, including some oil and gas firms and a conservation group, don't want that to happen.

Queue Listen Now