STUFF

Inauguration coverage pretty awesome. A great day for America. What's the alternative?

U of PA toxicologists organized working group with researchers from other top universities including Columbia, Johns Hopkins, UNC to investigate, analyze reports of nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties, other ills from people who live near NG drilling sites, compression stations or wastewater pits.

Inaugural wx: temp 13F warmer than '08. Is that global warming or just wx? What is mean temp of inaugs? Maybe we will find out.

EPA giving Navajo AZ coal plant 5 more years - to '23 - to install emissions control equipment. 2.2Gw plant. 39 yrs old. Kayenta coal mine feeds the plant. 1K local jobs. Placation.

Researchers found despite ravaged appearance of forests in Colo - 80-90% of canopy in many watersheds gone - streams and lakes remarkably healthy. Small trees that pine beetles left alone drastically increased their uptake of nitrate, thereby protecting watersheds.

Bill intro'd to VA General Assembly to lift moratium on U mining. Issue dividing state's southern region.

Former admin officials (Clinton's, Obama's) appealing prez suspend Shell's Arctic drilling plans.

US wind power 6% of total elgen cap at yearend. 13.2Gw installed in '12. Total now ~60Gw. Equipment prices down over 21% since '10.

New state studies across US make financial case for greater deploy of distributed solar generation and net metering. Recent NY report found PV solar delivers between 15 to 40 cent/KWh benefit to ratepayers and taxpayers. TX report found adding solar valued at over $520M. Net metering in VT up 4x since '08, solar 88%.

PV equipment spending, including thin-film, forecast to decline to 8-yr low this yr. Projected $2B. $12B in '11.

US oil demand at lowest level in 16 yrs. Goldman Sachs analyst won't be surprised to see $150/bl oil this summer. US looking for 1.2M b/d jump in oil production next 2 yrs. But new wells expensive, depletion must faster. Active US drilling rigs at 22 month low.

Oil price in '12 avg'd $112/bl. Highest year avg: IEA.

Global prices of LNG rising toward record high.

SUNY Buffalo researchers demo'd H generation from ultra-small Si nanoparticles (10 nm diameters) proceeding much more rapidly than expected from extrapolation of rates using larger particles. Ultra-small particles react with water to gen H 1Kx faster than bulk Si, 100x faster than previously reported Si structures, 6x faster than competing metal formations.

Russia swtae-owned energy firms preparing to move into polar regimes.

NG withdrawals from UK storage hitting record highs. Cold temps.