STUFF

Final hearing yesterday at ITC of US trade case v. Chinese solars. Commerce Dept to announce final decision on tariffs Oct 10. ITC determination in Nov. Commerce can't activate tariffs without ITC OK.

Winter Antarctic ice coverage this year set 33-yr high. .5% more than '06. So why is Arctic melting at record pace? Because north hemisphere much more industrialized than south?

Australia mining comp - Lyna - delayed again from opening Malaysia rare earths minerals plant.

Report: PA coal industry costs state taxpayers more money than it generates.

NY judge shot down local town's fracking ban.

Deepwater GOM set to be world's most active oil play.

Cost to replace a barrel of produced oil up from $6/bl in '98 to $27 in '11.

Iraq oil production likely to hit 3.4Bb/d by next year. Exports expected to avg 2.9Mb/d.

NG prices now near $3.40. Coal competitive for elgen again. And wind, solar more attractive.

Big news: Chrysler, Ford, GM approved E15 for new cars. GM for '12 models, Ford and Chrysler '13. What engine changes made?

Global Clean Energy (TX) cultivates biofuel feedstock from jatropha, switchgrass. Now adding algae. Hopes to buy abandoned shrimp farms in Rio Grande Valley.

NSF awarded near $1M grant to U of NH asst prof of chem eng to support research on increasing ethanol oxidation fuel cell reation efficiency.

Richland Community College in Decatur IL ("soybean capital of the world") started 1st undergrad program on carbon capture, storage in US. 10 students.

Utility seeks restart for Cal nuke plant where radiation leak occurred.

NOAA: US western states to see drought through fall.

Fire at TX refinery. Seems too many refinery fires lately. Or just refinery problems. Heck, Calif gas stations shutting down because of refinery probs. The refineries are getting very old.

Coast Guard investigates sheen near BP GOM spill site.

Great Lakes Compact faces 1st test as Wisconsin town looks to tap Lake Michigan.

Lexington Mass sueing chem makers over PCB use in schools construction.

St Louis neighborhood concerned about Cold War chem testing.

Hong Kong turning to rooftop farms, organic markets in lieu of Chinese imports.

New EPA regs could force retirement of 25Gw of coal elgen more than predicted in '10. Replacement investment $126-144B needed. By July this year, ~30Gw of coal plants had decided to close by '15. Near 10% of total US coal plant capacity.

Latest cyber attack disrupted Iran's internet access. And real Iran econ disruption erupting with currency valuations.

Work to start later this month to double size of Chattanooga airport solar farm after $3M fed grant.

A week after LM Wind Power announced cut of  > 300 jobs at Grand Forks plant they said they would create 300 jobs at new factory in Brazil.

Pepco issued RFP for wholesale el power for DC customers.