“The Florida Everglades is a large and diverse aquatic ecosystem that has been greatly altered over the past century by an extensive water control infrastructure designed to increase agricultural and urban economic productivity. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), launched in 2000, is a joint effort led by the state and federal government to reverse… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Energy
GAO Reports – Indian Energy Development, 401(K) Plans, Military Personnel, Nuclear Command, Older Americans Act
Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands – GAO-15-502: Published: Jun 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. 401(K) Plans: Frequent and Collective Trading Are Uncommon and Not a Significant Concern for Plan Participants, Sponsors, or Mutual Funds, GAO-15-427R: Published: May 14, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015.… Continue Reading
California Curtails Senior Water Rights
Senior Water Rights Curtailed in Delta, San Joaquin & Sacramento Water sheds – “With drought conditions continuing into the summer months, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) announced today that there is insufficient water available for senior water right holders with a priority date of 1903 or later in the San Joaquin… Continue Reading
Report – Renewable Energy Target Setting
“What are renewable energy targets? Why set a renewable energy target? How should they be designed and translated into specific policy instruments? Renewable energy targets have become a defining feature of the global energy landscape. Some 164 countries around the world have adopted at least one type of renewable energy target as of mid-2015, up… Continue Reading
Oil exploration in U.S. Arctic continues despite current price environment
EIA – “Alaska’s crude oil production has declined from 1.8 million barrels per day (MMb/d) in 1991 to 0.5 MMb/d in 2014, and it is expected to continue declining through 2040. Almost 75% of Alaska’s crude oil production from 1990 to 2012 was from the Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk River fields in the central North… Continue Reading
Modernizing Access to Environmental Data
“Do you use our Enforcement and Compliance History Online database? If you do, then you may already know about our yearlong modernization effort to make it one of the most robust government data tools in the world. If you don’t, then now is a good time to try it out. Recognized by President Obama as… Continue Reading
NASA releases detailed global climate change projections
News release: “NASA has released data showing how temperature and rainfall patterns worldwide may change through the year 2100 because of growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. The dataset, which is available to the public, shows projected changes worldwide on a regional level in response to different scenarios of increasing carbon dioxide simulated… Continue Reading
Huge increase in US residential solar installations
“Shattering previous records, the United States residential solar market grew 76 percent over the first quarter of 2014, installing 437 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaics (PV) in the first three months of 2015. According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Q1 U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, released today, the U.S. installed 1.3 gigawatts (GW)… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Aviation Security, Missouri River Basin
Aviation Security: TSA Has Taken Steps to Improve Oversight of Key Programs, but Additional Actions Are Needed, GAO-15-678T: Published: Jun 9, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 9, 2015: “The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken steps to improve oversight of Secure Flight—a passenger prescreening program that matches passenger information against watch lists and assigns each passenger… Continue Reading
Subaru to Share Zero Landfill Expertise With National Park Service
News release: “Subaru, recognized for having the first automotive assembly plant in America designated as zero landfill, today announced it will share its knowledge of zero landfill practices with the National Park Service to reduce landfill waste from the parks. In partnership with National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), a non-profit national park advocacy group, the… Continue Reading
Nuclear Power Assessment Study Final Report
Via FAS – The 177-page study, prepared for NASA by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory – February 4, 2015 – Released June 1, 2015. “The objective of this study is to ”Discuss a sustainable strategy and present findings for the provisioning of safe, reliable, and affordable nuclear power systems that enable NASA Science Mission… Continue Reading
Study – Think Wood Pellets are Green? Think Again
NRDC, May 2015: “Biomass is often described as a clean, renewable fuel and a greener alternative to coal and other fossil fuels for producing electricity. But recent science shows that many forms of biomass—especially from forests—produce higher carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels. In particular, a growing body of peer-reviewed, scientific studies shows that burning… Continue Reading
