Climate Energy

He-said, she-punched-him-in-the-face: The imbalance of American party politics

There are aspects of contemporary U.S. politics that mainstream pundits and analysts have trouble facing squarely. One of them is the radicalism of today’s Republican Party, not only in terms […]

Obama will make final determination on Keystone XL

Obama has announced that the buck on Keystone XL will stop with him. This image is kind of wishful thinking — it's nice to imagine that Obama will just slice through […]

Is solar Britain’s new sunset industry?

Photo: doggy SchnauzerGovernment treasury departments don’t generally respond well to the idea that the environment matters, and here in the U.K. things are no different. Yesterday, Energy Minister Greg Barker […]

State Department rejects 94,000 public comments on Keystone XL

The Sierra Club's Beyond Oil campaign collected 296,000 written comments on Keystone XL, and submitted them by email to Cardno Entrix, the TransCanada-affiliated firm that evaluated the pipeline. When a […]

Another coal ash spill — this time in Lake Michigan

The We Energy Oak Creek Power Plant.Photo: JonnyfixedgearHow many more coal ash spills need to happen before Americans are protected by coal ash safeguards? The latest happened Monday in Oak […]

It will take at least 30 years to safely close Fukushima

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was shut down in March, after earthquake and tsunami damage led to meltdowns, radiation leaks, and evacuations. But an expert panel, convened by Japan’s Atomic […]

Will other states follow Nebraska’s lead in fighting Keystone XL?

Nebraskan protesters outside the state capitol.Photo: Mitch PaineThe Keystone XL pipeline will cross six states: Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Opposition has been fiercest in Nebraska, whether […]

Rep. Cliff Stearns doesn’t understand how government subsidies work

Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.)Photo: Republican ConferenceCross-posted from Climate Progress. So far this week, four of the world’s top five oil companies have announced more than $24 billion in third quarter […]

Distributed solar power gets more affordable

Solar economies of scale seem to be improving as the U.S. market matures, opening the door for much more cost-competitive distributed solar power.

Power the economy and grid with local solar [Infographic]