STUFF

WTO says China's restrictions on 9 rare earth minerals violated global rules. Meanwhile, Japan has discovered huge reserves of rare earths in Pacific Ocean bottom mud near Hawaii and Tahiti. Est. 80-100B tons, 1000X total found on land to date. In intl waters, so property of Intl Seabed Authority.

EPA has granted biomass a reprieve from CO2 rules.

How much are govt corporate fines in last few years? Up? There's a Google search I guess. Just curious.

Worst drought now in 60 yrs in Horn of Africa.

New study: subsurface water temps on rise around globe.

MSFT killed Hohm - with 74 users - a week after Google killed Power Meter. E efficiency software. Homes use 20% of all E use in US. Do homeowners want to spend money and time to analyze how to reduce avg $100/mo el bill? Nope.

World Bank: global food prices up 36% April this year v. last yr. Close to '08 peak.

VC funding for greentech was $2.6B in 1Q11. Leaned toward later-stage deals.

Govt spending dept: a Calif prison psychiatrist was paid $838k. I assume for a year.

NG pipeline from Egypt to Israel, Jordan, et al. blown up again. Note to Egypt: let the Bedouins in on the revs.

'10 US NG use hit record 24.1 TCF. Prod grew 3%. More producing gas wells than ever before.

Intl av fuel standards now allow 50% biofuel blend w/ avfuel.

EIA: in 1Q11, renewable E sources provided 2.25 Quad BTUs, or 11.7% of US prod, 5.6% more than nuclear. Biomass/fuels was 48%, hydro 35%, wind 13%, geotherm 2.5%, solar 1.2%. Renewables were 13% of net US elgen and 26% of actual prod. Coal-generated elgen dropped 5.7% yoy.

PV module prices have dropped 70% since '08. Chinese silicon modules now as low as $1.50/w.

AK will hold oil/gas lease sale in Oct on 14.7M acres in Beufort Sea, North Slope. Could be 3-6B bls of undiscovered recoverable oil, 500M bls of NG liquids, 24-44 TCF of NG.

Caspian Pipeline Cosortium has started $5.4B expansion to double capac to 1.4mb/d by '15. Kazakhstan to Black Sea. Again, I ask, who was Stan?

Recently discovered coal field in Australia could be biggest in world.

JP's auto prod was down 30% in May yoy.