Energy

Colorado Becomes First State To Restrict Methane Emissions

8:06am February 25, 2014

by Elizabeth Shogren

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas from oil and gas production. The rules require companies to find and repair equipment leaks. The rules also will reduce air pollution that contributes to smog.

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Propane cylinders sit on the grounds of Blue Rhino, a propane gas company, in Tavares, Fla. In the Midwest, farmers needed more propane for crops that came in later than normal.

As Temps Drop, Gas Prices Rise, Along With Demand For Fuel

4:18pm February 10, 2014

by Jeff Brady

The country is producing more natural gas than it can burn, but frigid weather has made it harder for companies to deliver that gas to those who need it, especially in densely populated areas in the Northeast. As a result, prices have skyrocketed.

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National

String Of Oil Train Crashes Prompts Push For Safety Rules

7:29pm January 24, 2014

by David Schaper

The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for the swift enactment of tough new standards on trains carrying crude oil. With the huge increase in oil shipped by rail across North America, safety officials warn another major disaster could be looming.

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World News

Nuclear Inspectors Enter Iran, With Eyes Peeled For Cheating

7:58pm January 20, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

This week in Iran, international inspectors are stepping up surveillance of the country's nuclear program. The inspections are at the heart of a landmark deal that freezes Iran's uranium enrichment in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from sanctions, but they are just a first step.

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Detroit Touts Clean, Efficient Diesels, But America Isn't Sold

3:07pm January 16, 2014

by Sonari Glinton

Hybrids and battery-powered cars are all the rage, but some car companies are investing in an older technology: diesel. The newest vehicles are cleaner and more powerful, and some drivers report getting up to 50 mpg. So what's keeping U.S. customers from switching pumps?

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An oversized truck load slowly moves equipment along an icy mountain road in Pennsylvania's Tiadaghton State Forest.

Natural Gas Boom Cuts Into Pennsylvania's State Forests

7:36pm January 09, 2014

by Marie Cusick

Pennsylvania is the fastest-growing state for natural gas production, but the development is cutting through swathes of previously unbroken forests. Some scientists say this could affect wildlife, which perform important functions like climate and insect control.

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National

The U.S. Energy Boom: Highlights Of The Year And What's Ahead

5:42pm December 29, 2013

The big energy story of 2013 was a boom in domestic oil production, especially in North Dakota. NPR's Arun Rath talks with national correspondent Jeff Brady, who saw the boom firsthand during a recent reporting trip to the state.

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Energy companies are adding workers, but fatal accidents are on the rise, too.

On-The-Job Deaths Spiking As Oil Drilling Quickly Expands

7:15pm December 27, 2013

As baby boomers retire and drilling increases, energy companies are hiring, adding 23 percent more workers between 2009 and 2012. But the hiring spree has come with a terrible price: Last year, 138 workers were killed on the job, twice as many as in 2009.

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Oil Company Looks To Great Lakes As Shipping Demand Booms

7:15pm December 27, 2013

by David Schaper

North Dakota and western Canada are producing crude oil faster than rail cars and pipelines can take it to refineries. Now, one company wants to ship it by barge across the Great Lakes. That worries environmentalists, who say a 2010 tar sands oil spill near Lake Michigan has yet to be fully cleaned up.

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Inside these cylinders lies uranium that was once part of a Soviet nuclear weapon. Today it's being used in the US as fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.

Megatons To Megawatts: Russian Warheads Fuel U.S. Power Plants

10:10am December 11, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

Once the Cold War ended, much of Russia's surplus uranium from thousands of decommissioned weapons wound up in crumbling military facilities. In 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy made a deal to have the material converted to fuel for U.S. power plants. The last shipment arrives today.

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