Energy

Phase 2 Of BP Trial Focuses On Amount Of Spilled Oil

12:48pm October 08, 2013

by Jeff Brady

Both the U.S. government and BP have estimates on just how much oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon explosion in 2010. The problem: They reached two different numbers. At stake is up to $18 billion in fines and penalties under federal environmental laws.

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National

In Wake Of Colo. Floods, A Scramble To Clean Up Spilled Oil

5:06am September 26, 2013

by Grace Hood

Colorado flooding has prompted an unprecedented challenge for the state's oil and gas industry. The practice of hydraulic fracturing is widespread along the state's Eastern Plains, but overflowing rivers have swept away equipment and caused more than 37,000 gallons of oil to spill into or near rivers.

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EPA Wants To Limit Greenhouse Gases From New Coal Power Plants

8:11pm September 20, 2013

by Elizabeth Shogren

Under the proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency, new plants that run on coal would be permitted to emit only about half as much carbon dioxide as the average coal plant puts into the air today. Emissions from the electricity industry are already declining as utilities turn to natural gas and wind farms.

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Natural Gas May Be Easier On Climate Than Coal, Despite Methane Leaks

7:11pm September 16, 2013

by Richard Harris

Some scientists have argued that so much gas leaks out during production that it is actually worse for the environment than coal. But a new nationwide study shows that methane leaks from natural gas production aren't as bad as some feared.

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Native Americans Camp Out To Protest Wis. Mining Project

5:22pm September 10, 2013

by Chuck Quirmbach

A dispute over a proposed iron ore mine in Wisconsin has spilled into the nearby woods. Native Americans have set up a camp to protect land near the mine site and say federal treaty rights allow the campers to stay.

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National

Vt. Nuclear Plant Shutdown A Sign Of Changing Energy Market

6:31pm August 27, 2013

by John Dillon

The owner of Vermont's only nuclear plant says it will shut down the facility next year. Entergy had just won a lengthy battle with the state over whether the plant could keep operating. Now the company says market forces and other issues mean the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant isn't profitable.

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Science

Physicists Find New Particle, Look for Answers

10:42am August 23, 2013

Researchers say that they've discovered a new subatomic particle - one that appears to contain four quarks bound together. Physicist Sean M. Carroll describes the significance of the find, and talks about the ongoing effort in physics to explain why the universe is the way it is.

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Regulators Monitor 'Serious Leaks' At Japanese Nuclear Plant

7:25am August 23, 2013

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is back in the news — more than two years after an earthquake and tsunami triggered a series of meltdowns. New leaks found this week prompted regulators to consider raising the alert level.

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Part of the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant in Lewiston, N.Y., is seen from the air on Aug. 14, 2003, during a massive power outage that stretched from New York to Detroit and into Canada.

National

The Next Disaster Scenario Power Companies Are Preparing For

8:49am August 15, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Ten years after a cascading power outage across a broad section of the U.S. and Canada, utility operators and regulators are concerned about another blackout scenario: a massive cyberattack that could threaten the U.S. electric grid.

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The sun sets over the Manhattan skyline during a major power outage affecting a large part of the Northeastern United States and Canada on Aug. 14, 2003. Ten years later, some improvements have been made to the grid to prevent another large-scale blackout

10 Years After The Blackout, How Has The Power Grid Changed?

12:58pm August 14, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

Sagging power lines and computer glitches led to a power outage that left 50 million people across the Northeast U.S. and part of Canada in darkness on Aug. 14, 2003. New sensors have been installed, and operator training and computer systems have been upgraded. But is that enough to prevent another massive blackout?

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