's Climate Chronicles

U.S. Won't Pass Carbon-Price Law for Power Generators This Year, Reid Says (Bloomberg) 

The U.S. won't pass legislation this year that charges power plants a price for releasing CO2 and other gases that scientists have linked to climate change, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

Conservatives Hammer Candidates Over 'Cap and Trade' (McClatchy Newspapers)

Conservative Republicans around the country are using cap and trade as a political weapon to attack GOP moderates as well as Democrats.

DOE Giving $575 Million in Carbon Capture Grants (AP)

The Energy Department said Tuesday it was awarding $575 million for carbon capture research-and-development projects in 15 states.

Birds Dying in Oil Sands at 30 Times Reported Rate (Toronto Star)  

A new study published in in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology says birds are likely dying in oil sands tailings ponds at least 30 times the rate suggested by industry and government.

Oil Sands to Dominate Agenda on Nancy Pelosi’s Visit to Canada (Globe and Mail)

Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi will get a crash course this week on Canada's oil sands in a series of private meetings quietly orchestrated by Pres. Obama's point man in Ottawa.

Latest Fire Won't Extend Oil Drill Ban (Reuters) 

Fire on another Gulf of Mexico oil platform last week will not slow a decision whether to lift the U.S. drilling moratorium imposed after the BP  well disaster last spring, a key federal official said Tuesday.

BP to Release Oil Disaster Report Today (Houston Chronicle)

BP said it will release findings today of a months-long internal investigation into the Deepwater Horizon accident, possibly answering key questions about the disaster and acknowledging some responsibility for the blowout.

NIH to Use BP Cash to Study Spill Health Effects (Reuters)

The U.S. National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday it would use $10 million from BP to start a multi-year study to look at the potential health effects from the oil spill in the Gulf. 

Renewable Energy Touted at Nevada Policy 'Summit' (AP) 

With clean-energy legislation trapped in a political deadlock, renewable energy advocates called big business the new leader in the nation's green revolution during a national summit meeting Tuesday.

CO2 Target Debate Is Irrelevant, Former UN Climate Chief Says (Bloomberg) 

The greenhouse-gas targets pledged by nations after the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in December won't change much before 2020, so there's little point debating them, the man who stewarded the summit said.

Climate Change May Add to Disaster Death Tolls (Reuters) 

Natural disasters are tending to kill fewer people but climate change may add to the toll by unleashing more extreme weather and causing after-effects such as disease and malnutrition, experts say.

New Top Climate Change Negotiator Appointed (AFP)

Canada has announced the appointment of a new chief negotiator and ambassador for climate change whose mandate will be to try implement agreements made at the talks in Copenhagen.

Smart Meters Alone May Not Save Much Energy: Study (Reuters)

Smart meters to boost energy efficiency in homes do not automatically achieve a significant reduction in energy demand, research showed on Wednesday.

UK: Solar Panel Pioneers at Risk of Missing Feed-In Tariff Deadlines (BusinessGreen)

Over 4,500 pioneering early adopters of solar and other forms of micro-generation technology could be in danger of missing out on the UK government's new feed-in tariff incentive scheme.