STUFF

Areas around Grand Canyon still open to uranium mining. Proposal to expand coal mining near Bryce Canyon. Intro of NG drilling around Bridger-Teton. EPA demanding more aggressive action to clean up haze in national parks/forests. Backlash from some states and industry.

Commercial trapping of crayfish now allowed on Lake Tahoe aimed at improving water clarity.

Ozone rising ... put to "mojo risin'" (the song) (my idea). The Doors? Air alerts from China to US. New website - Asia Society - charts China daily air qual and monthly comparisons to US.

Nationwide 1st major insurer that won't cover fracking damage. Risks belong to landowners, frackers and support contractors.

Oil fracking boom in west TX helping Midland, et al.

E85 pumping @ 2.96/gal, E15 @ 3.28, regular @ 3.30, diesel @ 3.70 @ 1st E15 station in Kansas. Operator owns 8 stations.

US placed 9th in E efficiency ranking of world's 12 top econs, falling below China. 27 metrics. US placed last in transportation. Made "limited or little progress".

Conservatives taking fresh look at deficit-neutral carbon tax. George Shultz preparing to promote carbon tax that returns revs to taxpayers and programs.

Forest Service: forest restoration program in '11 created ~550 jobs, generated commercial timber revs, reduced risk of megafires across 123K acres.

IKEA to install <5MW rooftop solar on 2 east coast distribution centers.

1 effort to kill Calif bullet train died. Another vows "redoubling". Has any political effort ever been "retripled"? Econ Q's, tho, after study of Japan's bullet.

Scientists: pink salmon population has evolved to cope with climate change. Yea, but, there's more change coming, you pink salmons.

Imports of Chinese solar panels down, but up from other Asian nations.

EU offering 1.5B Euros in green competition.

UK generating 5B pounds in renewable energy exports: E secretary.

Battle raging over fed agency that charges up to $995 to read 1 of its industry-developed oil/gas pipeline safety standards. Congress ordering to stop charging. "Incorporation by reference" - inclusion of industry standards into fed laws w/out publishing full text. Will we see another unanimous House vote? Picking the low-hanging fruit.

Brookings: appliance, vehicle standards stifling consumer choices. O come on.

Farm bill proposals boost major conservation initiatives: USDA undersec.

Study: asian carp would thrive in Great Lakes.

Shell seeking air permit change for Alaska drill ship.

Canada launched study on health effects of wind (I assume) turbines.

Despite alliance, GM not likely to share Volt tech with Peugeot.

USDA produce safety program facing chopping block.

Bird, butterfly populations down in Japan after Fuku.

At 20MW CSP plant - 10K mirrors reflecting sunlight onto 10K receiving tubes - operators trying to find tubes with air or H leaks or shattered tubes from flung rocks. Operating, say, 4% under capac may have 400 bad tubes. Check by hand takes months. NREL now has "Thermal Scout". Checks tubes in 2 days by vehicle with GPW on roof, IR cam in back and software to track/analyze realtime. Driver just has to push some buttons. 40 multi-MW CSP plants in world now. 28 more planned by '14.

What if ships were built with turbines beamed out at the bow - and possibly more turbines back at the stern - to capture the power from, what, 15-knot speed? Feed to battery banks to power propellers. No. I don't have a patent. I give my thoughts away. Like putting magnetic generators on any wheel of all vehicles to charge battery bank to propel the vehicle. Let alone micro wind turbines wherever wind could be efficiently collected to help charge the battery bank. Let alone any solar energy capture (like tops of truck trailers). Just pondering. Cogitatin'.

Sodium-sulfur batts closing in on lithium-ion?

USDA cut corn production forecasts by 20 bushels/acre. ~12%. Drought hurts.

World Health Energy Holdings testing new seawater purification tech in New York and India. Algae system to reduce salinity. Seawater has 3% salinity (30K ml/liter). Ag water has .01-.02%. Drinking water typically <.0055%.

NSF awarded SBIR grant to CIT spin-off to engineer cellulase enzymes for biofuels from corn stover.

Oil tanker full of crude stranded off Singapore coast 150 days. Part of Sudan war.

GE/Intl Climbing Machines teamed up on robots to carry out large-scale wind turbine blade inspections.