Alternative Energy

Oil spreads from wreck of ship off Italian coast, but extent of spillage is unclear - The Washington Post

2012-02-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

Oil spreads from wreck of ship off Italian coast, but extent of spillage is unclear - The Washington Post:

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“Green Button” to Help Consumers Understand Energy Use | Alliance to Save Energy

2012-02-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

“Green Button” to Help Consumers Understand Energy Use | Alliance to Save Energy:

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Climate change increasing Canada's boreal forest mortality reducing carbon sink capacity : Indybay

2012-02-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

Climate change increasing Canada's boreal forest mortality reducing carbon sink capacity : Indybay:

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Houston faces penalties over 1970s smog limits - Houston Chronicle

2012-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:00

Houston faces penalties over 1970s smog limits - Houston Chronicle:

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California’s Plug-In Car Push Has Huge Gas-Powered Loophole

2012-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

California’s Plug-In Car Push Has Huge Gas-Powered Loophole:

Last week the California Air Resource Board voted to pass new regulations that would require automakers to put 1.4 million plug-in electric and hybrid cars on the roads by 2025. But as I pointed out in the intial post, automakers can get around making that many EV’s by simply “overcomplying” with a greenhouse-gas reduction target.

By overcomplying, CARB means that automakers who reduce their overall fleet emissions by 2-grams-per-mile more than the stated goals of a 34% reduction from the 2016 GHG emissions standard can sell about half as many zero or low-emissions vehicles. That could cut in half the 1.4 million clean car goal, which would be a boon to automakers who see the goal of 15% clean car sales as largely unachievable, short of a massive and permanent gas price spike.

So, not only is CARB now mandating what kinds of cars automakers should make, but they are also leaving a massive, easily-attainable loophole that will cut the legs right out under from the overly-ambitious goal.

Do two bone-headed moves make for good policy? Probably not. CARB hasn’t even left the door open for discussion of this move, and since 15 other states apply to CARB standards, this affects the whole nation, not just the Golden State.

Does anyone here really believe that by 2025, 15% of cars on the road will be electric or plug-in hybrids? I don’t. It is far more likely that Americans will transition from huge cars into smaller, more fuel-efficient offerings that don’t have a huge price premium like hybrids and EV’s. Nationwide, hybrids only account for less than 3% of all new car sales. California expects a five-fold increase in less than 15 years. I am all for electric cars and hybrids, but the last time California mandated that automakers build and sell electric cars, it ended poorly for all involved.

Instead of mandating the cars automakers should build, CARB should instead figure out how to make electric vehicle ownership easy and affordable while at the same time increase gas taxes on the cash-strapped state to help fix up some of their many crumbling roads and bridges. The market will figure things out from there.

Only CARB has the ability to simultaneously piss off the private industry and environmentalists in one fell swoop.

Ugh, California. That is all I have to say.

Source: Plug-In Cars | Image: Aaron Khor via Shutterstock

Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies Could Achieve Half The World’s Carbon Reduction Goals

2012-01-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies Could Achieve Half The World’s Carbon Reduction Goals:

There is a lot of discussion in Washington these days about ending tax credits and subsidies for long-standing industries like coal and oil suppliers. But these subsidies are considered sacrosanct by many politicians, often the same politicians who decry any investment into green energy as “socialism.” But a study by the International Energy Agency finds that by ending fossil fuel subsidies, the “free-market” would make most cost-efficient choices.This natural shift could get the world halfway to its ambitious carbon reduction goals.A big talking point in the Republican party these days is ending government subsidies and interference in the free market. This mainly applies to green energy grants in the GOP’s eyes of course, but as President Obama said in his State of the Union address, America has subsidized oil and coal companies for over a century. If the GOP is serious about cutting back on the government, the first thing to go should be subsidies to the oil and coal companies. By the IEA’s calculations, the world spent over $409 BILLION subsidizing fossil fuels in 2010. That is compared to just $66 billion spent subsidizing clean energy.

But the argument goes that a truly free market would be free of these troubling subsidies, which obviously favor energy sources like coal and oil, no matter how dirty or hard to come by they are. And many politicians like to distort the facts to make it look like the government heavily subsidizes green energy alternatives, which simply isn’t true when compared to fossil fuel subsidies. The free market could go a long way towards pushing clean energy forward, if only governments would force the fossil fuel industry to finally stand on its own two legs. And when cheap energy isn’t so cheap anymore, people will seek out cheaper, cleaner alternatives. Then again, ending fossil fuel subsidies could lead to violence like the recent protests and reprisals seen when the Nigerian government ended gas subsidies, effectively doubling the price of petrol overnight.

Hopefully. It may be wishful thinking, but a guy can dream.

Source: Slate | Image: EpicStockMedia via Shutterstock

Saudi Oil Minister Calls Global Warming “Humanity’s Most Pressing Concern”

2012-01-31T09:28:00.000-08:00

Saudi Oil Minister Calls Global Warming “Humanity’s Most Pressing Concern”:

Americans use the term “Saudi Arabia of” to describe an abundance of something — usually energy. We are the “Saudi Arabia of wind,” the “Saudi Arabia of coal,” the “Saudi Arabia of efficiency,” and so on and on and on.

I’ve come to jokingly use this term for anything really huge. (We are, after all, the Saudi Arabia of climate denial.) So in true American spirit, I am dubbing yesterday’s speech by Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi the Saudi Arabia of bold statements.

In a speech at the Middle East and North Africa energy conference in London yesterday, Al-Naimi — who once called renewable energy a “nightmare” — hailed energy efficiency and solar as important investments, global warming “real” and “pressing,” and explained that drilling for oil “does not create many jobs.”

“We know that pumping oil out of the ground does not create many jobs. It does not foster an entrepreneurial spirit, nor does it sharpen critical faculties.”

In the U.S., which is definitely not the Saudi Arabia of oil (that would be Saudi Arabia), there is a major industry campaign underway to convince Americans that drilling for fossil fuels will create over a million jobs in the country. However, assuming we drill virtually everywhere possible in America, credible analysis puts the real figure at a small fraction of that claim.

Even the Saudis, who pump out 12% of the world’s oil, understand that simply drilling for more oil isn’t a long-term economic strategy.

A business-as-usual path also puts us deeper into environmental debt, a point that the Saudi oil minister seems to understand as well. While Al-Naimi said he believes that oil production “will continue to play a major role in the overall energy mix for many decades,” he also made some very explicit statements about carbon emissions:

“Greenhouse gas emissions and global warming are among humanity’s most pressing concerns. Societal expectations on climate change are real, and our industry is expected to take a leadership role.”

It’s still not really clear what that “leadership role” is — except to pump out more oil and gas. Although, Al-Naimi did give a plug to efficiency and renewables as increasingly important part of the country’s energy strategy:

“The efficient use of energy is as much an issue for Saudi Arabia, with its huge natural resources, as it is for all countries. Increased efficiency makes sense environmentally, but also economically.”

“We are striving, also, to raise awareness among the public, and specifically addressing children and schools about the tangible benefits of energy efficiency. And we are investing manpower, and brainpower, in efforts to develop new thinking when it comes to energy efficiency.”

“I see renewable energy sources as supplementing existing sources, helping to prolong our continued export of crude oil. And this is why we are investing in solar energy, which we also have in abundance. The Kingdom experiences roughly 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, emitting about 7,000 watts of energy per square metre. Saudi Arabia also features empty stretches of desert that can host solar arrays and it is blessed with deposits of quartz that can be used in the manufacture of silicon photovoltaic cells.”

Saudi Arabia is considering a renewable energy law that would help promote a modest increase in solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, biogas and waste-heat-to-energy. However, if the strategy is seen only as a way to “prolong continued export of crude,” it doesn’t really match Al-Naimi’s statement that carbon-based resources are “among humanity’s most pressing concerns.”

Indeed, the gap between rhetoric and the pace of change in global energy production is one big Saudi Arabia of contradictions.

WikiLeaks peak oil bombshell: Saudi Arabian reserves overstated by 40%, global production plateau immiment

ExxonMobil Makes $41 Billion, But Pays Estimated 17.6% Tax Rate, Lower Than Most Taxpayers (But Not Romney)

2012-01-31T08:54:00.000-08:00

ExxonMobil Makes $41 Billion, But Pays Estimated 17.6% Tax Rate, Lower Than Most Taxpayers (But Not Romney):

ExxonMobil had the largest profits of the Big Five oil companies in 2011, raking in $41.1 billion for the year. This 35 percent jump from last year is driven in large part by record-high oil prices. Today, the oil giant announced its fourth quarter profits of $9.4 billion, a 2 percent increase since 2010. Here are a few other facts about ExxonMobil:

• Exxon’s $41.1 billion in 2011 profit translates into nearly $5 million in profit every hour, or more than $1,300 every second. The annual profit comes near the record revenues of $46.23 billion in 2008.

• Stock buybacks for Q4 were $5.4 billion, and $ 21.60 billion for the year, equivalent to 53 percent of total 2011 profit. This enriches executives, the board of directors, and largest shareholders.

• Exxon pays a lower tax rate than the average American. Between 2008-2010, Exxon Mobil registered an average 17.6 percent federal effective corporate tax rate, while the average American paid a higher rate of 20.4 percent. [In 2010, Mitt Romney paid an effective tax rate of 13.9%.]

• The company paid no taxes to the U.S. federal government in 2009, despite 45.2 billion record profits. It paid $15 billion in taxes, but none in federal income tax.

• The oil giant uses offshore subsidiaries in the Caribbean to avoid paying taxes in the United States.

• Exxon is sitting on $11 billion cash on hand as of September 30.

• Exxon spent nearly $13 million on lobbying expenditures in 2011. The company gave nearly another $900,000 in federal campaign contributions. 92 percent of contributions went to Republicans.

• Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson made $29 million in 2010 (according to the latest records): He made $2.2 million in salary, a $3.4 million bonus, and stock awards valued at $15.5 million.

• Exxon is drawing out a legal battle for damages on a spill from 22 years ago. Exxon hasn’t paid $92 million in cleanup for the devastating Valdez Alaskan oil spill. In its Sept. 30 court filing, Exxon argued the damages it agreed to pay only covers “restoration” and not additional “clean-up.”

• Far from a job creator, ExxonMobil — together with Chevron, Shell, and BP — reduced their U.S. workforce by 11,200 employees between 2005 and 2010.

Oil spill brings attention to delicate Gulf coast

2012-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Oil spill brings attention to delicate Gulf coast: It took BP PLC’s well blowing out in the Gulf of Mexico for the nation to turn its attention to the slow, methodical ruin of the ecosystem that had been happening for years.

Remarkable Editorial Bias on Climate Science at the Wall Street Journal - Forbes

2012-01-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Remarkable Editorial Bias on Climate Science at the Wall Street Journal - Forbes:

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BP email hushed up oil spill rate estimate as Gulf rig was sinking | NOLA.com

2012-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

BP email hushed up oil spill rate estimate as Gulf rig was sinking | NOLA.com:

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Memo to Democrats: Get Behind Clean Energy. ASAP.

2012-01-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Memo to Democrats: Get Behind Clean Energy. ASAP.: Everybody loves clean energy except Congressional Republicans.

Save money with an energy audit

2012-01-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

Save money with an energy audit: Knowing how much energy your gadgets use can help save money and cut your carbon footprint.

Warren Buffet’s Utility Explains Clean Energy Investment: “This Is a Vote for Renewable Energy. It is Not a Bet.”

2012-01-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffet’s Utility Explains Clean Energy Investment: “This Is a Vote for Renewable Energy. It is Not a Bet.”:

Buffett casts his vote for renewable energy. Will he cast a vote against coal?

Warren Buffet’s utility subsidiary, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, has made a number of large investments in renewable energy over the past few years. But the famed investor doesn’t exactly make environmentalists jump for joy.

Buffett’s take on climate change has been schizophrenic, to put it kindly. In 2009, he penned an op-ed in the New York Times expressing his concern for the problem, mostly for economic reasons. But since then he has made massive bets on coal mining and transportation — calling the industry “fascinating.” MidAmerican also owns 11 coal-fired power plants around the U.S.

Oddly, the same year Buffett wrote that “the world properly worries about greenhouse emissions,” he fought against legislation that would have put a value on global warming pollution. Rolling Stone labeled him one of the top “climate killers” of 2009 due to his sizable investments in oil and coal.

But MidAmerican made a positive move worth mentioning this week. The company announced on Tuesday at it would set up a new business devoted to developing renewable energy generation projects in the unregulated market — focusing on wind, solar, geothermal and hydro. This is in addition to the $6 billion MidAmerican has invested in wind projects in the last three years, and $3 billion it invested in solar last year.

The announcement itself is notable. But the real story is the way executives at the company are talking about the move. Greentech Media reported on the news this week:

“We look forward to expanding our wind, geothermal, solar and hydro portfolio,” said MidAmerican Energy chairman, president and CEO Greg Abel. “We believe the need for renewable energy will continue to grow.”

Like other well-capitalized, high-profile investors such as Google and Ted Turner, the Buffett company believes this increased emphasis on renewables in its portfolio is a solid business decision that will pay off over time.

“This is a vote for renewable energy,” Weisgall told GTM in discussing why Warren Buffett, perhaps the nation’s premier investment maven, is for this move. “It is not a bet.”

Yet again, the world’s top businesspeople are telling us that renewable energy is not a fad, not a bet, but a solid long-term investment.

This isn’t huge news to anyone who follows the business. But at a time when deep political opposition to clean energy has become completely divorced from the reality on the ground, it’s always worth highlighting what top investors really think — especially the people representing the one of the most successful investors in the world.

Given Buffett’s continued interest in coal and past efforts to stop a price on carbon, this news won’t give much solace to those working to slow global warming pollution. But it’s also a positive sign that an investor of his caliber is “voting” for renewable energy.

When will he finally cast a vote against coal?

Chevy Volt Education Project Shows Efficiency Impact from Speed and Temperature

2012-01-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

Chevy Volt Education Project Shows Efficiency Impact from Speed and Temperature:

Environmental Science students Jed and Layne check data on their spreadsheets using the Energy display on the Volt. These two guys are great examples of how the real-life application involved in the project increases interest. As we have more information to share students in these classes will be involved in giving presentations to various organizations in our community and surrounding area.

Now three weeks into our Chevy Volt educational project, and I continue to be impressed with our Volt. With our calculations showing electric miles costing just one-third that of the gas-powered miles, how could you not be impressed?

Study: 79% of Broadcast Sources on Keystone XL Were Supporters of the Pipeline

2012-01-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

Study: 79% of Broadcast Sources on Keystone XL Were Supporters of the Pipeline:

by Joceyln Fong and Jill Fitzsimmons, in a report from Media Matters

A Media Matters analysis shows that as a whole, news coverage of the Keystone XL pipeline between August 1 and December 31 favored pipeline proponents. Although the project would create few long-term employment opportunities, the pipeline was primarily portrayed as a jobs issue. Pro-pipeline voices were quoted more frequently than those opposed, and dubious industry estimates of job creation were uncritically repeated 5 times more often than they were questioned. Meanwhile, concerns about the State Department’s review process and potential environmental consequences were often overlooked, particularly by television outlets.

Pro-Pipeline Voices Were Quoted More Frequently

All But Two Major News Outlets Quoted More Pipeline Supporters Than Opponents. With the exceptions of USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, every news outlet included in this study quoted or hosted more people in favor of the pipeline than opposed.

BROADCAST: Among the broadcast networks, 79% of those quoted or interviewed were in favor of the pipeline. NBC and ABC did not quote anyone opposed.

CABLE: On Fox News, 66% of those quoted or hosted were in favor and 13% were opposed. CNN featured 54% in favor and only 14% opposed. MSNBC was the most balanced, with 38% in favor and 31% opposed.

PRINT: Of those quoted by the major newspapers, 45% were in favor of the pipeline and 31% were opposed. The New York Times was the most balanced, quoting 35% in favor and 27% opposed. The Wall Street Journal was the least balanced, with 52% in favor and 21% opposed.

Op-Eds/Editorials Supporting Keystone XL Outweighed Those Opposed. The editorial boards of the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal have come out in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline. Those three newspapers published 16 op-eds or editorials supporting the pipeline and only one opposed. All together, the print outlets published 19 op-eds or editorials in favor of the project and 10 opposed. The New York Times editorial board took a stance against the pipeline.

TV News Coverage Mirrored Pipeline Proponents’ Preferred Framing

Media Framed Pipeline As A Jobs Issue. Although the pipeline would lead to a small number of long-term jobs, the potential for job creation from the pipeline was mentioned in 68% of print coverage, 67% of broadcast coverage and 75% of cable coverage.

BROADCAST: All three broadcast networks mentioned jobs more than any other issue we tracked in the Keystone XL debate. CBS topped the list, discussing jobs in 75% of its coverage.

CABLE: Fox News mentioned jobs in 85% of its coverage — more than any other television network. Both Fox and CNN covered jobs more than all the other issues we measured combined. Only MSNBC mentioned environmental factors more often than jobs.

PRINT: USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal covered jobs more than any other issue we tracked. The Los Angeles Times mentioned jobs in 86% of its coverage, topping all other media outlets included in our analysis.

Media Repeated Industry’s Inflated Job Numbers

Industry Job Estimates Have Been Widely Discredited. TransCanada, the Canadian company behind the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, has long pushed the message that the project would “directly create more than 20,000 high-wage manufacturing jobs and construction jobs in 2011-2012 across the U.S.” as well as “118,000 spin-off jobs,” and up to 553,000 jobs “stemming from a permanent increase in stable oil supplies.” At times TransCanada used the term “jobs” to refer to what was actually an estimate of “person-years of employment,” and the press rarely explained the difference. Some of TransCanada’s figures come from a study that independent analysts have called “dead wrong,” “meaningless,” “flawed and poorly documented.” A Bloomberg Government analysis found that TransCanada’s estimate of direct job creation per mile is higher than what took place during construction of the pipeline TransCanada completed in 2010, indicating that the company either “intends to hire more workers [per mile] for shorter periods of time, or that the company’s construction crew and jobs figures are overstated, compared with earlier stages of the Keystone project.” The State Department estimated that “the construction work force would consist of approximately 5,000 to 6,000 workers,” and said the project “would not have a significant impact on long-term employment.”

Media Uncritically Repeated Industry Job Estimates 76 Times. Every news outlet included in our analysis uncritically repeated TransCanada’s jobs numbers at least once. The major print outlets did so 34 times – in 29% of the Keystone XL articles mentioning jobs — with the Associated Press accounting for almost half of those instances. The broadcast networks repeated these figures 4 times — one third of the times jobs were mentioned. And the cable networks did so 38 times — 44% of the coverage mentioning jobs. Fox News uncritically repeated these numbers more than all the other television networks combined.

By Contrast, Criticisms Of These Figures Were Rarely Mentioned. Criticisms of the industry job estimates were included a total of 6 times in the print coverage, or 5% of the print coverage that mentioned jobs. The cable outlets covered the criticisms a total of 9 times, or 11% of cable coverage that mentioned jobs. All together, the outlets uncritically passed along TransCanada’s numbers 5 times more often than they mentioned criticisms of those numbers.

TV Media Downplayed Environmental Risks

Keystone XL Prompted Serious Environmental Concerns. The original Keystone XL pipeline route would cross through the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, a “sensitive ecosystem” sitting atop the Ogallala Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for the region. Given that the existing Keystone pipeline has “experienced 14 spills since it began operation,” including a major spill of 21,000 gallons, many are concerned about the potential for groundwater contamination if the oil were to spill. This concern is amplified by reports that PHMSA, the agency responsible for overseeing pipeline safety, is chronically understaffed and toothless. Before Congressional Republicans imposed a decision deadline on the Obama administration, TransCanada, the state of Nebraska, and the State Department had agreed to consider an alternative route around the Sand Hills. Others object to the pipeline because it signifies a long-term commitment to the unconventional production of fossil fuels that drive climate change. EPA initially criticized the State Department for not fully assessing the pipeline’s impact on climate change, noting that developing tar sands oil is 82% more carbon intensive than the average crude refined in the U.S.

TV Coverage Often Overlooked Environmental Risks. While the Keystone XL pipeline debate was often framed as a ‘jobs versus environment’ issue, specific environmental concerns were only mentioned in 34% of cable coverage and 17% of broadcast coverage. Specifically, the threat posed by the pipeline to the Ogallala Aquifer was mentioned in 16% of cable coverage and 17% of the broadcast coverage, while climate change was mentioned in 10% of cable coverage and 6% of broadcast coverage.

BROADCAST: Of the broadcast networks, ABC mentioned environmental concerns the most — in a third (33%) of its coverage. NBC didn’t mention specific environmental concerns at all. Climate change was only mentioned once, on CBS.

CABLE: MSNBC was the only cable network to discuss environmental concerns more than any other issue — in 50% of its coverage. CNN covered environmental concerns the least, in less than a quarter (22%) of its coverage. And while Fox News mentioned environmental factors in a third (33%) of its coverage, it was often to dismiss these concerns.

Media Failed To Report EPA’s Criticism Of Environmental Review. The EPA repeatedly challenged the State Department’s preliminary Environmental Impact Statement. Calling the State Department’s draft review “inadequate,” the EPA recommended a more thorough analysis of the pipeline’s potential environmental impact. The State Department issued a Supplemental Draft EIS in April 2011 which addressed comments from EPA and other federal agencies, but again the EPA called the review “insufficient” and recommended further analysis. The State Department released its final EIS in August 2011 — prior to postponing a decision on the project — and the EPA has not commented on the document. Of the 9 television segments that mentioned the State Department’s review, none mentioned EPA’s earlier criticisms. Only 30% of print items mentioning the EIS noted EPA’s criticisms. Excluding the New York Times, this number drops to 14%.

News Corp. Turned A Blind Eye To Pipeline Protests. A string of large demonstrations against the Keystone XL pipeline took place throughout the fall. These protests were mentioned in 29% of print coverage, 22% of broadcast coverage, and 21% of cable coverage. The Wall Street Journal and Fox News — both owned by News Corporation — covered the protests the least, in only 15% of their coverage.

Media Advanced Claims That The Pipeline Would Bolster Energy Security

Significance Of Pipeline To Energy Security Is Disputed. TransCanada has said that its pipeline would increase U.S. energy security by displacing imports from countries deemed less friendly to the U.S. According to the Congressional Research Service, “it may be possible for Canadian oil supplies to effectively ‘push out’ waterborne shipments from other countries, although this depends on a wide range of market conditions.” CRS also noted that “Apart from Keystone XL, several other pipeline proposals could help carry growing Canadian crude oil supplies to the U.S. Gulf Coast,” and pointed out that “even if Keystone XL is built, prices for the crude oil it carries” will “continue to be affected by international events.” Indeed, the benefit to American consumers of any shift in U.S. import sources that could be attributed to the Keystone XL pipeline is far from clear. As the Council on Foreign Relations’ Michael Levi has noted, “U.S. vulnerability to turmoil in the Middle East is linked to how much oil we consume, not where we buy it from.” The pipeline would do very little to shield the U.S. economy from high and volatile prices.

Print Media Frequently Touted Keystone XL As A Step Towards U.S. Energy Security. The purported contribution from the Keystone XL pipeline to American energy security was mentioned in 52% of print coverage, 22% of broadcast coverage, and 28% of cable coverage. USA Today, whose editorial board supports the pipeline, mentioned energy security in 67% of its coverage, more than any other print outlet. Fox News mentioned it more than all the other television networks combined. Only items in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times questioned the energy security benefits of the pipeline.

Allegations Of Bias Garnered Small Amount Of Coverage

Questions Have Been Raised About State Department Impartiality. Concerns about the rigor of the State Department’s approval process arose almost a year before the Environmental Impact Statement was completed, when Secretary Clinton said that her office was “inclined” to sign off on the pipeline. In addition, the State Department’s EIS was prepared by consulting firm Cardno Entrix, which lists TransCanada as a client, raising concerns among legal experts. A series of documents obtained by Wikileaks and Friends of the Earth also revealed a cozy and collaborative relationship between some State Department officials and TransCanada, including examples of agency officials coaching the corporation on how to make the strongest case for its pipeline. The inspector general is currently investigating the State Department’s handling of the Keystone XL review.

Media Rarely Mentioned Concerns About Bias, Conflict Of Interest. These issues were mentioned in 20% of print coverage, 7% of cable coverage and 6% of broadcast coverage. Among print outlets, the Wall Street Journal covered these issues the least (11%). Among the cable outlets, CNN mentioned them the least (5%), with Fox News not far behind (6%). NBC and ABC did not cover them at all.

Methodology

This report analyzes print and television coverage of the Keystone XL pipeline between August 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011. Our results are based on a Nexis or Factiva search of six major print outlets (New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and Wall Street Journal), the major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC and CBS), CNN and the primetime shows on MSNBC and Fox (daytime shows for these networks are not available in Nexis).

For print outlets, we searched Nexis for “Keystone XL” and included both news and opinion items, but excluded web-only content. For television networks, we searched for “Keystone and pipeline.” Our analysis includes any article or segment devoted to the pipeline, as well as any substantial mention (more than one paragraph of an article or news transcript.) The following chart displays the coverage included in our study:

– Jocelyn Fong and Jill Fitzsimmons are researchers with Media Matters for America. This piece was originally published at the Media Matters website.

2 oil traders to be sentenced in Houston for fraud

2012-01-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

2 oil traders to be sentenced in Houston for fraud: Two oil traders face up to 20 years in prison when they’re sentenced for their part in a $57 million kickback and fraud scheme.

Smart Utility Systems to Host AMI Smart Grid Open Forum at DistribuTECH in San Antonio, Texas - MarketWatch

2012-01-26T07:39:00.000-08:00

Smart Utility Systems to Host AMI Smart Grid Open Forum at DistribuTECH in San Antonio, Texas - MarketWatch:

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Party fouls: Blowing the whistle on Congress oil corruption [SLIDESHOW] | Grist

2012-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

Party fouls: Blowing the whistle on Congress oil corruption [SLIDESHOW] | Grist:

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ConocoPhillips Announces $3.4 Billion in Q4 Profits — Bringing 2011 Profits to $12.4 Billion

2012-01-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

ConocoPhillips Announces $3.4 Billion in Q4 Profits — Bringing 2011 Profits to $12.4 Billion:

by Noreen Nielsen

This morning, ConocoPhillips announced its 2011 fourth-quarter earnings, reporting profits of $3.4 billion — a 66 percent gain– bringing total profits in 2011 to $12.4 billion. Below is a quick look at some other facts about ConocoPhillips:

ConocoPhillips has spent over $16 million lobbying Congress in 2011, ranking in as the fifth largest spender last year – and number one in the oil and gas industry.

ConocoPhillips has contributed over $200,000 to federal campaigns in 2011, with 90 percent of the contributions going to Republicans.

ConocoPhillips used 88 percent of their 2011 profits – $11 billion – to buy back their own stock. That enriches their shareholders, but it doesn’t add to oil supplies or investments in alternative fuels or other new technologies.

The five biggest oil companies – BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Shell – are likely to make $130 billion in profits in 2011. Added together, the Big Five oil companies are sitting on cash resources of $59 billion and made nearly $1 trillion in profits over the past decade.

Chevron Corp. plans to release its quarterly figures on Friday, followed by Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell next week.

Building a smarter grid in Austin, Texas | Environmental Defense Fund

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-08:00

Building a smarter grid in Austin, Texas | Environmental Defense Fund:

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Smart Grid Initiatives Address Cyber Security, Renewable Energy Intermittency

2012-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Smart Grid Initiatives Address Cyber Security, Renewable Energy Intermittency: Securitizing renewable energy networks from cyber-attacks is not complicated by their oft-cited operational headache of intermittency, but rather by their separation from a utility's control system, said smart grid executives at the Gridwise Global Forum in Washington, DC in early November. Though renewable intermittency adds to the challenge of stabilizing a grid, the forum revealed new evidence of real-world smart grid load shifting that continues to chip away at the tired argument that renewable energy cannot successfully integrate into a legacy grid.

Fracking: Is there really 100 years’ worth of natural gas beneath the United States? - Slate Magazine

2012-01-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Fracking: Is there really 100 years’ worth of natural gas beneath the United States? - Slate Magazine:

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Natural Gas Is A Bridge To Nowhere Absent a Serious Price for Global Warming Pollution

2012-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Natural Gas Is A Bridge To Nowhere Absent a Serious Price for Global Warming Pollution:

President of American Gas Association, 1981: “In fact, gas energy — currently America’s largest domestically produced fuel — could prove to be the keystone to solving the nation’s energy crisis by serving as the ‘bridge fuel’ to the next century’s renewable energy technologies.”

VP of AGA, 1988, “refers to natural gas as a bridge fuel — the least harmful alternative while the world looks for other, longer-lasting solutions to the ‘greenhouse’ effect,” the Washington Post reported.

Chair of AGA, 2008: “Natural gas will be the bridge fuel to the future…. The electric industry is expected to turn to natural gas as a bridge until clean coal and nuclear generation are available.”

It’s the longest bridge in history! Heck, the Golden Gate Bridge only took 4 years to build!

The President will be touting natural gas in his State of the Union address tonight, according to sources. Nothing wrong with touting gas — if you also tout a rising carbon price, which the president once did but no longer does.

Way back in June 2009, I pointed out the value of gas in the context of a climate bill with a rising CO2 price — see “Why unconventional natural gas makes the 2020 Waxman-Markey target so damn easy and cheap to meet.” But the key point of that post was that you could put gas in existing, underutilized plants to replace existing coal power cheaply to meet the key 2020 target Obama. Building lots of new gas plants doesn’t make much sense since we need to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the next few decades if we’re to have any chance to avoid catastrophic global warming .

Late last year, some of the leading (center-right) economists in the country — Nicholas Z. Muller, Robert Mendelsohn, and William Nordhaus — concluded in a top economic journal that the total damages from natural gas generation exceed its value-added at a low-ball carbon price of $27 per ton! At a price of $65 a ton of carbon, the total damages from natural gas are more than double its value-added!

For the record, stabilizing at 550 ppm atmospheric concentrations of CO2, which would likely still be catastrophic for humanity, would require a price of $330 a metric ton of carbon in 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted back in 2008.

The fact that natural gas is a bridge fuel to nowhere was in fact, first demonstrated by the IEA in its big June 2011 report on gas — see I EA’s “Golden Age of Gas Scenario” Leads to More Than 6°F Warming and Out-of-Control Climate Change. That study — which had both coal and oil consumption peaking in 2020 — made abundantly clear that if we want to avoid catastrophic warming, we need to start getting off of all fossil fuels.

Then came a remarkable new study by Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that concluded:

In summary, our results show that the substitution of gas for coal as an energy source results in increased rather than decreased global warming for many decades.

Here was the key figure:

Coal, natural gas, and climate: Shifting from coal to natural gas would have limited impacts on climate, new research indicates. If methane leaks from natural gas operations could be kept to 2.5% or less, the increase in global temperatures would be reduced by about 0.1 degree Celsius by 2100. Note: This is a figure of temperature change relative to baseline warming of roughly 3°C (5.4°F) in 2100 (or nearly 7°F warming compared to preindustrial levels). Click to Enlarge.

What NCAR’s new study added is more detailed modeling of all contributors to climate change from fossil fuel combustion — positive and negative. Reducing coal use reduces sulfate aerosols that have a short-term cooling effect. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, so leakage throughout the natural gas production and delivery system adds to near-term warming. And, of course, since natural gas is a hydrocarbon, it’s combustion does produce CO2, albeit much less than the coal it might replace. When you put all these factors together, here’s what you conclude:

“Relying more on natural gas would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, but it would do little to help solve the climate problem,” says Wigley, who is also an adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia. “It would be many decades before it would slow down global warming at all, and even then it would just be making a difference around the edges.”

Natural gas might have been a bridge to a low carbon future 30 years ago when the term was first introduced, but now its primary value would be to reduce the cost of meeting just a near-term CO2 target in the U.S.

A key finding of the NCAR study is:

The most important result, however, in accord with the above authors, is that, unless leakage rates for new methane can be kept below 2%, substituting gas for coal is not an effective means for reducing the magnitude of future climate change.

The question of what the total leakage rate is remains hotly contested, but I know of no analysis that finds a rate below 2% including one by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the DOE’s premier fossil fuel lab.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to have a serious chance at averting catastrophic global warming, then we need to start phasing out all fossil fuels as soon as possible. Natural gas isn’t a bridge fuel from a climate perspective. Carbon-free power is the bridge fuel until we can figure out how to go carbon negative on a large scale in the second half of the century.

ADDENDUM: Let me end by pointing out another NCAR study, published a complete literature review of “Drought under global warming” (see here). That study makes clear that Dust-Bowlification may be the impact of human-caused climate change that hits the most people by mid-century, as the figure below suggests (click to enlarge, “a reading of -4 or below is considered extreme drought”):

The PDSI [Palmer Drought Severity Index] in the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl apparently spiked very briefly to -6, but otherwise rarely exceeded -3 for the decade(see here).

The large-scale pattern shown in Figure 11 [of which the figure above is part] appears to be a robust response to increased GHGs. This is very alarming because if the drying is anything resembling Figure 11, a very large population will be severely affected in the coming decades over the whole United States, southern Europe, Southeast Asia, Brazil, Chile, Australia, and most of Africa.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research notes “By the end of the century, many populated areas, including parts of the United States, could face readings in the range of -8 to -10, and much of the Mediterranean could fall to -15 to -20. Such readings would be almost unprecedented.”

Texas is currently at a PDSI of -7.75, close to its record of -7.8 in September 1956 – see Hell and High Water Stoke Texas Blaze: “No One on the Face of This Earth has Ever Fought Fires in These Extreme Conditions”

For the record, the NCAR study merely models the IPCC’s “moderate” A1B scenario — atmospheric concentrations of CO2 around 520 ppm in 2050 and 700 in 2100, which looks close to what Wigley modeled. If this is the Golden Age of Gas, then it must be describing the color of the dust.

On cleantech, no Newt is good Newt | Grist

2012-01-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

On cleantech, no Newt is good Newt | Grist:

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OnStar to help Volt drivers choose renewable energy

2012-01-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

OnStar to help Volt drivers choose renewable energy: Even if they haven't installed a solar array in their backyard, Volt drivers could choose to recharge their plug-in hybrid with renewable energy.

World's Government Spent $500 Billion Subsidizing Fossil Fuels, $66 Billion on Renewables

2012-01-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

World's Government Spent $500 Billion Subsidizing Fossil Fuels, $66 Billion on Renewables:

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Nissan LEAF Severe Weather Test [VIDEO]

2012-01-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Nissan LEAF Severe Weather Test [VIDEO]:

We have all been there: it’s minus 15 Celsius outside, snow chunks fall down on you like there’s no tomorrow and you can’t call anyone because your cellphone is dead. It wasn’t dead 3 minutes ago. In fact it had 2 lines of battery on the screen but now it’s over because the reality of [...]

Russia alarmed by EU ban on Iranian oil, sanctions | Reuters

2012-01-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

Russia alarmed by EU ban on Iranian oil, sanctions | Reuters:

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Europe bans Iranian oil imports in push to curtail nuclear program - The Washington Post

2012-01-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

Europe bans Iranian oil imports in push to curtail nuclear program - The Washington Post:

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Halliburton profit rises 50%

2012-01-23T06:54:00.000-08:00

Halliburton profit rises 50%: Halliburton’s fourth-quarter earnings rose 50% on strong growth in North America.

6 Little-Known Ways to Green Your Kitchen - Greener Ideal

2012-01-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

6 Little-Known Ways to Green Your Kitchen - Greener Ideal:

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Simple timer programs for your PC

2012-01-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

Simple timer programs for your PC: Questions and answers on consumer technology.

Obama Kills Keystone XL, But Tarsands Fight Just Beginning

2012-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Obama Kills Keystone XL, But Tarsands Fight Just Beginning: Environmental activists gathered in front of President Obama's Austin campaign headquarters yesterday to applaud his decision to deny Transcanada's bid to construct the Keystone XL pipeline which would have brought diluted bitumen, a nearly solid form ...
See all stories on this topic »

Google sets a high standard, all US Data Centers are ISO 14001 environmental and OHSAS 18001safety Certified - Green (Low Carbon) Data Center Blog - Green Data Center Blog

2012-01-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

Google sets a high standard, all US Data Centers are ISO 14001 environmental and OHSAS 18001safety Certified - Green (Low Carbon) Data Center Blog - Green Data Center Blog:

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CAFE Hearings Focus Opposing Viewpoints

2012-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

CAFE Hearings Focus Opposing Viewpoints:

By Jeff Cobb

In Detroit on Tuesday some strong arguments were heard either in support of or against the proposed 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and the auto industry is split on the issue.

The hearing will be followed by two more this month, and these are required by federal government regulators prior to finalizing fuel economy standards by the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency later this year that would mandate a fleet average of 54.5 miles per gallon (about 40 mpg on sticker) by 2025.

Need a better thermostat? Look to your smart phone

2012-01-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

Need a better thermostat? Look to your smart phone: Internet-connected dishwashers and TVs get lots of attention, but thermostats that can be remotely controlled bring new conveniences and help people actually use the scheduling features of programmable thermostats.

Futures Movers: Oil rebounds above $101 on inventory drop

2012-01-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Futures Movers: Oil rebounds above $101 on inventory drop: Benchmark U.S. crude-oil futures rebound after data showing a surprise drop in crude stocks.

How CBS Helped Bill O’Reilly Spew More Lies About Clean Energy

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

How CBS Helped Bill O’Reilly Spew More Lies About Clean Energy:

by Joceyln Fong, cross-posted from Media Matters

Last night Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly told his viewers that the Obama administration “gave France 1.2 billion” in clean energy funding. It was completely false and something Fox could have avoided with a few minutes of fact-checking. But a chunk of the blame belongs to CBS, which enabled O’Reilly’s misinformation with its own sloppy journalism.

CBS News’ new morning show ran a report on Friday by correspondent Sharyl Attkisson which purported to identify 11 “New Solyndras.” The segment was surprisingly bad, and like so much reporting on clean energy these days, eagerly skipped over the facts in pursuit of a broader narrative. In the report, Attkisson included California solar company SunPower on her list of struggling clean energy companies purportedly risking taxpayer dollars:

ATTKISSON: SunPower landed a $1.2 billion loan guarantee last fall after a French oil company took it over. On its last financial statement, SunPower owed more than it was worth.

Citing CBS, O’Reilly concluded that “the French people got our money,” adding, “We gave France 1.2 billion, because this company went bankrupt and the French guy swooped in … grabbed the company, and went back to Paris with our money”:

In reality, SunPower doesn’t have a federal loan guarantee. NRG Energy acquired the project in question — the California Valley Solar Ranch — from SunPower shortly before the project received the loan guarantee from the Department of Energy. So NRG, not SunPower, is on the hook for the loan. The CVSR project is not considered risky for taxpayers because California utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co. already signed a long-term contract to buy the power from the solar plant.

And SunPower did not go bankrupt, as O’Reilly claimed (a minor detail by Fox News standards). The fact that a massive French oil company (Total SA) purchased a majority stake in SunPower “could give SunPower a huge advantage” since “Total can get access to large amounts of capital at lower rates than standalone solar companies,” according to solar analyst Shyam Mehta. In December, Total upped its stake to 66 percent in what was seen as “a vote of confidence” in the solar company.

Jocelyn Fong is a researcher at Media Matters for America. This piece was originally published at Media Matters.

Fuel Fix » BP may pay U.S. $25 billion for Gulf spill

2012-01-19T07:32:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » BP may pay U.S. $25 billion for Gulf spill:

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Oil and Gas Jobs Increase by 75,000 Under Obama — 69,000 More Than Would Be Created By Keystone XL

2012-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

Oil and Gas Jobs Increase by 75,000 Under Obama — 69,000 More Than Would Be Created By Keystone XL:

Approximately 75,000 jobs were created in the oil and gas sector under the Obama Administration between 2009 to 2011, according to analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That’s roughly 69,000 more jobs than would be created by construction of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

The figures, reviewed by the Center for American Progress, show that overall employment in oil and gas (extraction, field support, pipeline construction and transportation, and petroleum refineries) increased by 13% in the last two years.

The figures do not include categories such as gasoline stations, fuel dealers, asphalt paving, or lubrication production.

This strong increase in American fossil fuel jobs contradicts the arguments made by supporters of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, who have attacked the Obama Administration for denying the initial permit for the pipeline due to environmental concerns.

The oil and gas industry claims that Keystone XL will create up to 20,000 direct and indirect jobs. But more careful research of those jobs claims — analysis that is backed up by the State Department, Cornell University and TransCanada, the company building the pipeline — has shown that the number is closer to 6,000 jobs.

Armed with these inflated figures (which are still about 55,000 less than jobs created in the last two years), Keystone XL supporters have argued that the tar sands pipeline will be a panacea for job creation in America. In response to today’s news that the Obama Administration would reject the Keystone XL permit and ask TransCanada to file for another, Keystone supporters lined up to lambaste the President.

Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donahue said it proves “that creating jobs is not a high priority for this administration.”

And Republican Presidential front-runner Mitt Romney laid it on thick: “If Americans want to understand why unemployment in the United States has been stuck above 8 percent for the longest stretch since the Great Depression, decisions like this one are the place to begin.”

But here’s the deep, dirty little secret not mentioned by fossil fuel champions who falsely claim the Administration is killing oil and gas jobs: Since Obama took office, oil production has increased substantially — with more drilling rigs being deployed in America today than at any time since the mid 1980′s.

This increase in production has already resulted in 12 times the jobs that would be created to build the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Do you hear any mention of that from political candidates or the fossil fuel lobby? Absolutely not. And you never will.

These jobs figures prove once again that no matter how aggressively this Administration promotes oil and gas — alienating the environmental base in the process — political opponents will attack Obama in any way they can.

You can find the BLS figures here.

Zach Rybarczyk and Daniel J. Weiss contributed to this report.

Keystone XL: America's Italian cruise ship?

2012-01-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL: America's Italian cruise ship?: Why is it that when I picture the Keystone XL pipeline, I see a half-submerged cruise ship in the Mediterranean? Maybe it's because the wreck of the Costa Concordia off Italy's coast is a reminder that, well, stuff happens. Which is why it's good news ...
See all stories on this topic »

Eco-Friendly Economics for the Green Investor

2012-01-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

Eco-Friendly Economics for the Green Investor: Three strategies, each with different risks and rewards, can help an investor make more greenbacks while staying green.

Keystone XL: Undermining Energy Security and Sending Tar Sands ...

2012-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL: Undermining Energy Security and Sending Tar Sands ...: The Keystone XL pipeline has been presented as a boon to U.S. energy security by its proponents. It is no such thing. The oil industry is not concerned with U.S. energy security or the U.S. national interest. It is purely interested in maximizing ...
The Price of Oil

Chinese-Built EV’s To Receive Generous Subsidies

2012-01-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Chinese-Built EV’s To Receive Generous Subsidies:

The United States and China are two fundamentally different countries, and nowhere does that shine through more obviously than in transportation. While American politicians block any and all efforts to promote alternative fuels and high speed transportation, China has wholly embraced these concepts. And now China’s government has revealed a new set of extremely generous subsidies that will apply to all electric vehicles built in China.

According to China Daily, the Chinese government is making electric vehicles a top priority, putting aside $1.5 billion per year for the next ten years to advance the EV market. For all domestically-produced electric vehicles (of which there are currently 49 either on the market, or so coming to market) the government will waive sales tax, effectively cutting EV prices by 9%.

Additionally, subsidies of up to 120,000 yuan, $19,100 will be offered, which is up from the 60,000 yuan, or about $9,500 that the government had previously offered. As with U.S. subsidies, the amount will be reduced as more and more EV’s are sold. Fuel cell vehicles will also benefit from the tax break, though hybrids will only get a 50% reduction in sales tax.

As for EV’s made outside of China? They not only get zero subsidies, but must pay a 25% customs duty on top of the 9% sales tax, meaning it all but kills the market for imported EV’s.

How does America respond? By cutting three EV tax credits, and threatening to repeal the $7,500 tax credit, on top of killing any and all hopes of having a high-speed rail network linking our country. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, these tax credits have on electric vehicle sales in China, as questions about range and charging are universally shared.

But if I could save almost $20,000 off the cost of a LEAF or Volt, I’d go buy one tomorrow. As it is, we all stand a better chance of affording cheap Chinese-made EV’s as they prop up this burgeoning domestic industry. Foreign automakers like VW and GM are going to have to sign alliances or build their cars in China to compete, each carrying its own costs that can’t necessarily be put into gains or losses columns.

Source: China Daily via The Truth About Cars

UPDATE 3-Brent supported as Iran warns Gulf exporters | Reuters

2012-01-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

UPDATE 3-Brent supported as Iran warns Gulf exporters | Reuters:

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OPEC Avoids Iran Issue - WSJ.com

2012-01-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

OPEC Avoids Iran Issue - WSJ.com:

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Teen wows experts with innovative solar panel array - Israel Environment, Ynetnews

2012-01-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Teen wows experts with innovative solar panel array - Israel Environment, Ynetnews:

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How to Go Green without Going Crazy

2012-01-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

How to Go Green without Going Crazy: Utilities worry about a lot of things, such as keeping the lights on, earning a return for investors, and making regulators and customers happy with their service.
Now there is a new worry: How can they protect customers from what one utility refers to as “mental fatigue?”
In this particular case, the utility raises the issue as it pr

Bird-Friendly Building Design

2012-01-14T10:01:00.000-08:00

Bird-Friendly Building Design

Keystone pipeline aids our enemies

2012-01-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

Keystone pipeline aids our enemies: By Libby Spencer Steven M. Anderson, says the Keystone XL pipeline threatens our national security. He's just any commentator on the subject. He's a retired Army brigadier general, and senior mentor with the Army's Battle Command Training Program. ...
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China's Pollution Is So Insane You Can See It From Space

2012-01-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

China's Pollution Is So Insane You Can See It From Space: This is really bad. NASA has published an image of the pollution haze taking all over the North China Plain. Yes, it's so bad that you can see it taking over thousands of square miles from space.

IBM Claims To Have Develop 500 Mile “Air Battery” For EV’s

2012-01-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

IBM Claims To Have Develop 500 Mile “Air Battery” For EV’s:

I was having an argument with a fellow writer yesterday who, among his many arguments against electric vehicles, is the fact that battery technology will never improve. He says that batteries are at the end of their technological development.

It’s a pretty silly argument from an otherwise intelligent person, when there are companies like IBM dumping billions of dollars into battery research. In fact, IBM claims to have developed a lithium-air battery cell that can hold more than 1,000 times the energy of standard lithium-ion batteries.

The lithium-ion batteries work by passing a charge from the negative to positive electrode. The inherent problem with this is that very few atoms can pass through the lithium-ion chemistry at a time, resulting in low energy output, and long charging times. In effect, there is an energy bottleneck. The lithium-air batteries replace metal oxide at the positive electrode with carbon, enabling for a lot more energy storage, enough to drive an average EV for about 500 miles on a single charge. This isn’t the first battery to make claims of improved energy density, nor do I expect it to be the last.

The catch is that recharging these batteries kills them very quickly, making them useless for car applications. So scientists at IBM’s Zurich labrotory started using a supercomputer to come up with an alternative element to use. They’ve found one that is promising, though they won’t reveal exactly what it is, but hope to have a full-scale prototype working in 2013, and production-ready batteries by 2020.

Even if IBM’s battery fails, there are so many companies, researchers, and governments pouring money into battery research that I feel it is pretty much inevitable that someone, somewhere will develop a next-gen battery that makes EV’s economical and feasible. So whether that is going to be IBM’s air battery, Singapores’s membrane battery, or any number of other developing technologies under development, all it takes is one good idea to change the world.

Source: The New Scientist

Keystone XL in the 'National Interest?' No Way.

2012-01-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL in the 'National Interest?' No Way.: 21, he has to decide whether the 1700-mile Keystone XL pipeline -- which would deliver dirty tar sands oil from Canada to Texas -- is in the "national interest." That phrase is at the heart of his decision because it's an international project that's ...
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Fuel Fix » Texas leads U.S. in greenhouse gas emissions

2012-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Texas leads U.S. in greenhouse gas emissions:

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Fuel Fix » Cnooc, ConocoPhillips sued by fishermen for $34 million over spill

2012-01-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Cnooc, ConocoPhillips sued by fishermen for $34 million over spill:

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Volvo CEO: Plug-in Hybrids Will Be Bigger Than Pure Electric Cars

2012-01-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

Volvo CEO: Plug-in Hybrids Will Be Bigger Than Pure Electric Cars:

Volvo XC60 plug-in hybrid concept

Volvo has been slow to jump onto the vehicle electrification bandwagon, but that is about to end. The Swedish automaker is showing a plug-in hybrid electric concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that is “likely to be the pinnacle expression of how we come to market with electrification strategy,” John Maloney, president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, told Plugincars.com.

The XC60 PHEV concept is an SUV that allows the driver to choose which mode—pure electric, hybrid, or all gas—to drive in. It is a preview of a gasoline-powered PHEV planned for the US and China markets. Maloney wouldn’t say when we might see one here. But the V60, a diesel-electric PHEV station wagon using the same technology, will go on sale in Europe later this year.

Oil industry gives $12 million to pro-Keystone legislators

2012-01-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

Oil industry gives $12 million to pro-Keystone legislators: by Jess Zimmerman An independent research group has analyzed oil industry contributions to Congress, and figures that President Obama is staring down a $12 million barrel of political opposition on Keystone XL. Some of that is going out in huge chunks ...
See all stories on this topic »

Wireless recharging coming to electric cars

2012-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Wireless recharging coming to electric cars: Imagine driving your electric car in your garage and never having to plug it in. It just charged up wirelessly on its own.

New Zealand Braces For Another Oil Slick From Wrecked Ship

2012-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

New Zealand Braces For Another Oil Slick From Wrecked Ship:

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The year in smart metering - A look back - FierceEnergy

2012-01-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

The year in smart metering - A look back - FierceEnergy:

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Oil lobby's financial pressure on Obama over Keystone XL pipeline revealed

2012-01-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Oil lobby's financial pressure on Obama over Keystone XL pipeline revealed: New analysis of oil industry contributions to members of Congress has revealed the level of the oil lobby's financial firepower that Barack Obama can expect to face in the November elections if he refuses to approve the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. ...
See all stories on this topic »

Toilets Designed For The Water Crisis Ahead

2012-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

Toilets Designed For The Water Crisis Ahead: The toilet of tomorrow will be a self-regulating and mindful machine, eminently cognizant of the water crisis ahead.

BBC News - Nigeria fuel strike brings country to a halt

2012-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

BBC News - Nigeria fuel strike brings country to a halt:

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Fuel Fix » Transocean’s CFO steps down

2012-01-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Transocean’s CFO steps down:

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2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid debuts with projected 45 mpg combined rating

2012-01-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid debuts with projected 45 mpg combined rating:

Filed under: Hybrid, Volkswagen

The lithium-ion battery in the new Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid may be small (just 1.1 kWh), but it can pack a punch big enough to move the gas-electric to speeds up to 44 miles per hour using nothing but electrons. Throw in a combined estimated fuel efficiency rating of 45 miles per gallon and a class-leading 0-60 time of 9.0 seconds, and you've got a green Jetta that should prove to be fun out on the highway.

Of course, with only a kilowatt hour in the battery pack, you won't get very far on battery power (just 1.2 miles, VW says) and all of those electrons will come from energy that was originally gasoline (there is no plug involved here), but it's still enough of an electric powertrain for VW to call the Jetta Hybrid the "most fuel-efficient Jetta in the lineup." And it is quite a line-up, since there are now a total of five powertrains available for the Jetta, offering "a German engineered compact sedan for everyone."

The Hybrid pairs up a four-cylinder, 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine with a 20-kW (27 hp) electric motor. The gas engine produces 150 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque between 1400 rpm and 3500 rpm. The Jetta Hybrid will become available in North America in 2012 and will be "competitively priced with other compact hybrids," VW claims. This is VW's second hybrid, following the Touareg Hybrid SUV, but the Volkswagen AG has experience with gas-electrics. The Jetta Hybrid may be the first hybrid to use a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, but the way the clutch decouples the engine from the drivetrain when the car is using just the battery for power or coasting is similar to how the Porsche hybrids do it.

As for visual changes, look for minor outside changes that improve the car's aero, like "a new front airdam, a rear diffuser, and an integrated rear spoiler."

Continue reading 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid debuts with projected 45 mpg combined rating

2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid debuts with projected 45 mpg combined rating originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuel Fix » Exxon, government settle dispute over Gulf leases

2012-01-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Exxon, government settle dispute over Gulf leases:

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Locals call BP's feel-good Gulf ads 'propaganda'

2012-01-08T13:47:00.000-08:00

Locals call BP's feel-good Gulf ads 'propaganda': Nearly 20 months after its massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill BP is pushing a slick nationwide public relations campaign to persuade Americans that the Gulf region has recovered.

China Targets 1,000 GW Wind by 2050, Even With ‘Slowdown’

2012-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

China Targets 1,000 GW Wind by 2050, Even With ‘Slowdown’:

The Chinese government’s latest five-year roadmap for renewable energy shows continued growth in the wind sector, with 100 GW of projects likely to be developed through 2015 — the amount of capacity developed world-wide in 2008.

And that’s during a “slowdown.” Compared to the breathtaking growth in installations between 2007 and 2009 in China, the 38% growth in 2010 was a noticeable change. With Project developers in the country still facing quality control problems and grid interconnection roadblocks, and manufacturers seeing declining profits in a crowded market, there are plenty of on-the-ground challenges in China.

But strong government targets and a hunger for any energy sources available are pushing a steady increase in installations, making China a continued leader in the global wind market. The Chinese government projects that by 2050, the market will reach 1,000 GW of installed capacity and be worth $1.9 trillion. That would meet roughly 20% of electricity demand in the country.

That’s a staggering amount of wind development. China and the U.S., the number one and number two wind markets in the world respectively, both have installed capacity in the mid 40-GW range. But while the U.S. has only state-level targets that run through the mid-2020′s, China is looking 25 years further and projecting an installation of more than 20 times that amount.

And by 2020, Chinese officials say wind will be competitive with coal there — an economic cross-over of absolute necessity, considering the baffling amount of coal being consumed in China.

In addition to wind, China may see up to 5 GW of solar-photovoltaic installations through 2015, and 20 GW of installs through 2020.

Video: 30,000 Chinese ‘Occupy’ Highway to Protest Polluting Coal Plants

Interactive Graphic: China’s Explosive Consumption of Coal

China’s New Plan for Solar Power Supremacy

TransCanada Inspector: Keystone XL Pipeline Not Safe

2012-01-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

TransCanada Inspector: Keystone XL Pipeline Not Safe: Mike Klink, former inspector for TransCanada is seeking whistleblower protection from the U.S. Department of Labor. Klink writes, 'What did I see? Cheap foreign ...
readersupportednews.org/.../9246-transcanada-inspector-keyst...

Solar-powered Kindle cover dropping at CES

2012-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

Solar-powered Kindle cover dropping at CES: SolarKindle cover turns Amazon's e-reader into an on-the-go eco-reader.

Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says - Bloomberg

2012-01-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Iran, Russia Replace Dollar With Rial, Ruble in Trade, Fars Says - Bloomberg:

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GM Reinforces Volt Battery as Customer Service Gesture

2012-01-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

GM Reinforces Volt Battery as Customer Service Gesture:

By Jeff Cobb

On Thursday GM announced it had engineered an expedient but effective solution to post-crash-test battery fires reported by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and will ask Chevrolet Volt drivers to return to their dealers for the one-day reinforcing procedure.

Despite ongoing distortions of facts by critics including one Fox News pundit who suggested the vehicle might “blow up,” federal authorities have repeated that the Volt is safe and GM says its voluntary measure is intended to keep showing why the Volt is rated #1 in customer satisfaction.

Navien Tankless Water Heater Recall 2012 - Tankless Water Heaters - The Daily Green

2012-01-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Navien Tankless Water Heater Recall 2012 - Tankless Water Heaters - The Daily Green:

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Keystone XL claims slammed in report

2012-01-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL claims slammed in report:

The report says that despite claims that 20000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs will be created with Keystone XL, "The project will create no more than 2500-4650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years, according to TransCanada's own ...
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FFWD (blog)

Keystone XL Pipeline Obama-Cheney Secret Phonecall Revealed! Just a New Yorker's Opinion - International Business Times

2012-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL Pipeline Obama-Cheney Secret Phonecall Revealed! Just a New Yorker's Opinion - International Business Times:

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Lucky guys and gals at Google get first spin at new 2012 Ford Focus Electric

2012-01-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Lucky guys and gals at Google get first spin at new 2012 Ford Focus Electric:

While an all new zero emissions, all-electric Focus is certainly an achievement in its own right, what truly impresses about the Focus is its speedy charging time. The new Ford EV is exclusively powered by a 23 kwh high-voltage lithium-ion battery and ...
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Digitaltrends.com

Fuel Fix » Enterprise to build pipeline from Pennsylvania to Texas

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Enterprise to build pipeline from Pennsylvania to Texas:

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Energy-Efficient Times Square Ball Rings in the New Lighting Standards | Alliance to Save Energy

2012-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Energy-Efficient Times Square Ball Rings in the New Lighting Standards | Alliance to Save Energy:

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Ford paves its way forward with EcoBoost, intelligent Hybrids and EV

2012-01-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Ford paves its way forward with EcoBoost, intelligent Hybrids and EV:

Much to its credit, CEO Alan Mullaly shook things up by revamping its Taurus brand, introducing the Fusion, brought in the Focus and Fiesta, and my favorite, the Transit Connect. Yet the real paradigm was in the strategy. EcoBoost was to pave the way ...
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Torque News

Watch the Ford Focus Electric Roll Down the Assembly Line

2012-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Watch the Ford Focus Electric Roll Down the Assembly Line:

With a handful of 2012 Ford Focus Electric sales officially logged in December, 2011, Ford's $39,995 electric hatchback has finally entered the plug-in vehicle scene. Whether or not Ford's choice to convert an existing vehicle—the gasoline-powered 2012 Ford Focus—will make sense in the long run remains to be scene. Regardless, the Blue Oval automaker is playing up its use of existing US assembly lines to produce the the Focus Electric.

Simplified production is key to keeping costs in check on the Focus Electric, according to Ford. All of the electrified Focus compacts roll down the assembly lines at Ford's Wayne, Mich. factory and only a handful of production steps differ from those of the Focus Electric's conventional, gas-fueled counterpart.

The Focus Electric gets a modified floorpan stamping to accommodate the electric vehicle components and a lithium-ion battery pack is placed where gasoline tanks are installed on conventional Focuses.

EV Charger Doubles as Street Light, Bench

2012-01-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

EV Charger Doubles as Street Light, Bench: Lotus is a solar-powered electric vehicle charger that goes beyond charging.

Revving Up Electric Cars in 2012 and Beyond: #evworld

2012-01-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Revving Up Electric Cars in 2012 and Beyond: #evworld:

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Oil Price Would Skyrocket if Iran Closed the Strait of Hormuz

2012-01-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

Oil Price Would Skyrocket if Iran Closed the Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz would have an immediate impact, energy analysts say, with the price of oil potentially rising 50 percent within days.

Ford to demonstrate MyFord Mobile app for the Focus Electric at CES 2012

2012-01-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ford to demonstrate MyFord Mobile app for the Focus Electric at CES 2012:

Ford is combining its new Focus Electric, social networking, and hypermiling trends with the MyFord Mobile.

(Credit:
Ford)

Ford will demonstrate beta versions of the MyFord Mobile app for the Focus Electric at CES 2012, Jan. 10 through 13, in Las Vegas.

The new app will use MapQuest to identify the best EV charge points, and plan the most efficient routes. The app also incorporates social sharing components, such as updates to Facebook and Twitter, to the driving experience, Ford said.

Focus Electric drivers can compete against each other and earn achievements based on how far they drive and how much CO2 they save by not using gas. Leaderboards will help MyFord Mobile users track their driving results against other Focus Electric drivers.

"The MyFord Mobile app and the Focus Electric work together to coach drivers to be more efficient and maximize the benefits of the electric vehicle experience," said Kelly Zechel, MyFord Mobile product manager, in a press release. "We wanted to help drivers get more miles out of every charge and have some fun along the way."

Ford reveals MyFord Mobile app for the Focus Electric (photos)

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Help Chevron come up with its next excuse | Chevron Thinks We're Stupid

2012-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

Help Chevron come up with its next excuse | Chevron Thinks We're Stupid:

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7 Steps to Increasing Your Fuel Efficiency

2012-01-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

7 Steps to Increasing Your Fuel Efficiency: When gas prices are high and reliance on fossil fuels becomes increasingly problematic from a variety of perspectives, taking control of your own pocketbook and saving fuel have added allure.

Oil and gas 'fracking' wastewater caused 11 earthquakes in Ohio: seismologist - NY Daily News

2012-01-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

Oil and gas 'fracking' wastewater caused 11 earthquakes in Ohio: seismologist - NY Daily News:

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$100 Oil Will Eventually Hurt The U.S. Economy Again

2012-01-03T07:35:00.000-08:00

$100 Oil Will Eventually Hurt The U.S. Economy Again:

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What is Global Warming? - National Geographic

2012-01-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

What is Global Warming? - National Geographic: Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. It's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives. Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years.

We call the result global warming.

Slick ad campaign adds fuel to pipeline debate | Canada | News | London Free Press

2012-01-02T19:11:00.000-08:00

Slick ad campaign adds fuel to pipeline debate | Canada | News | London Free Press:

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Going beyond hybrids, plug-in hybrid cars coming in 2012

2012-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Going beyond hybrids, plug-in hybrid cars coming in 2012: ... or Ford Focus Electric), and the full hybrid cars (like the Toyota Prius). ... battery pack for longer EV-only range and the privilege of plugging in. ...

2012-01-02T12:51:00.001-08:00

Mike Klink: Keystone XL pipeline not safe

2012-01-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

Mike Klink: Keystone XL pipeline not safe:

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Fuel Fix » Oil price ending 2011 near $100 a barrel

2012-01-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » Oil price ending 2011 near $100 a barrel:

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Fuel Fix » In a first, gasoline and other fuels are top U.S. export

2012-01-01T09:35:00.000-08:00

Fuel Fix » In a first, gasoline and other fuels are top U.S. export:

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10 Green New Year's Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

10 Green New Year's Resolutions for 2012:
Happy 2012! Now that the champagne toasts are made and the ball dropped, it's time to start thinking ahead: What's your green resolution for this year? We asked you to submit yours, from big (solar panels on the house!) to small (not driving to the supermarket that's embarrassingly close to home). Here are ten of our favorites:

"Going red meat free. I am not quite ready to take the next step into full-on vegetarianism just yet, but this is a big start. The beef industry, while very important to my state (Kansas) is a lead producer of waste, greenhouse gases, and more. Plus, the stuff they put IN beef these days is really not good for the human body. As a cancer survivor at 32, I'd really like to avoid having to go through it again." -Christina A.

"Ride bicycle or walk to work more often (commute is 4.2 miles)." -Daniel B.

"Last year, my chickens ate my garden, so we will be building a chicken coop instead of letting them free, although they did a great job: I did not see one grasshopper or earwig all summer." -Melissa S.

"Convince husband to try Meatless Mondays." -Miranda S.

"Buying paper books hurts the environment and my wallet. This year, I'm going to hit my local library. I can even borrow e-books from it." -Elizabeth R.

"Buying everything except food and TP second-hand." -Wendy W.

"I want to reduce the amount of food I waste by buying smaller quantities and finding creative ways to use ingredients I already have on hand." -Ilana G.

"Hook up the rain barrel that has been in my garage since I moved a year ago." -Tasia M.

"Saving money early in the year so I can do u-pick berries and such over the summer and freeze massive quantities for use in the winter. " -Megan H.

"Moving to a town with a high walkability score & shared commuting options for work! My car will be happily neglected." -Abby A.

Keystone XL oil sands myths and half-truths | Marketplace from ...

2011-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Keystone XL oil sands myths and half-truths | Marketplace from ...: As a White House decision looms in February, analysts fact-check the Keystone XL pipeline debate.
www.marketplace.org/.../keystone-xl-oil-sands-myths-and-half...

South Pole 'miracle': Record heat and snow on Christmas

2011-12-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

South Pole 'miracle': Record heat and snow on Christmas: It's being called a Christmas miracle: the South Pole, where temperatures this time of year (the southern hemisphere's summer) tend to be around minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, set a record high on Christmas Day with a whopping 9.9F -- that's right, 9.9, not 99.

The Debunking Handbook Part 5: Filling the Gap With an Alternative Explanation

2011-12-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Debunking Handbook Part 5: Filling the Gap With an Alternative Explanation:

The Debunking Handbook is a guide to debunking myths, by John Cook and Stephan Lewandowsky.

This is part five of a five-part series originally published at Skeptical Science.

Assuming you successfully negotiate the various backfire effects, what is the most effective way to debunk a myth? The challenge is that once misinformation gets into a person’s mind, it’s very difficult to remove. This is the case even when people remember and accept a correction.

This was demonstrated in an experiment in which people read a fictitious account of a warehouse fire.^1,2,3 Mention was made of paint and gas cans along with explosions. Later in the story, it was clarified that paint and cans were not present at the fire. Even when people remembered and accepted this correction, they still cited the paint or cans when asked questions about the fire. When asked, “Why do you think there was so much smoke?”, people routinely invoked the oil paint despite having just acknowledged it as not being present.

When people hear misinformation, they build a mental model, with the myth providing an explanation. When the myth is debunked, a gap is left in their mental model. To deal with this dilemma, people prefer an incorrect model over an incomplete model. In the absence of a better explanation, they opt for the wrong explanation.⁴

In the warehouse fire experiment, when an alternative explanation involving lighter fluid and accelerant was provided, people were less likely to cite the paint and gas cans when queried about the fire. The most effective way to reduce the effect of misinformation is to provide an alternative explanation for the events covered by the misinformation.

This strategy is illustrated particularly clearly in fictional murder trials. Accusing an alternative suspect greatly reduced the number of guilty verdicts from participants who acted as jurors, compared to defences that merely explained why the defendant wasn’t guilty.⁵

For the alternative to be accepted, it must be plausible and explain all observed features of the event.^6,1 When you debunk a myth, you create a gap in the person’s mind. To be effective, your debunking must fill that gap.

One gap that may require filling is explaining why the myth is wrong. This can be achieved by exposing the rhetorical techniques used to misinform. A handy reference of techniques common to many movements that deny a scientific consensus is found in Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond?⁷ The techniques include cherry picking, conspiracy theories and fake experts.

Another alternative narrative might be to explain why the misinformer promoted the myth. Arousing suspicion of the source of misinformation has been shown to further reduce the influence of misinformation.^8,9

Another key element to effective rebuttal is using an explicit warning (“watch out, you might be misled”) before mentioning the myth. Experimentation with different rebuttal structures found the most effective combination included an alternative explanation and an explicit warning.⁴

Graphics are also an important part of the debunker’s toolbox and are significantly more effective than text in reducing misconceptions. When people read a refutation that conflicts with their beliefs, they seize on ambiguities to construct an alternative interpretation. Graphics provide more clarity and less opportunity for misinterpretation. When self-identified Republicans were surveyed about their global warming beliefs, a significantly greater number accepted global warming when shown a graph of temperature trends compared to those who were given a written description.¹⁰

Another survey found that when shown data points representing surface temperature, people correctly judged a warming trend irrespective of their views towards global warming.¹¹ If your content can be expressed visually, always opt for a graphic in your debunking.

The Debunking Handbook, a guide to debunking misinformation, is now freely available to download. Although there is a great deal of psychological research on misinformation, there’s no summary of the literature that offers practical guidelines on the most effective ways of reducing the influence of myths. The Debunking Handbook boils the research down into a short, simple summary, intended as a guide for communicators in all areas (not just climate) who encounter misinformation.

References

Seifert, C. M. (2002). The continued influence of misinformation in memory: What makes a correction effective? The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 41, 265-292.

Wilkes, A. L.; Leatherbarrow, M. (1988). Editing episodic memory following the identification of error, The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology A: Human Experimental Psychology, 40A, 361-387.

Johnson, H. M., & Seifert, C. M. (1994). Sources of the continued influence effect: When discredited information in memory affects later inferences. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20 (6), 1420-1436.

Ecker, U. K., Lewandowsky, S., & Tang, D. T. (2011). Explicit warnings reduce but do not eliminate the continued influence of misinformation. Memory & Cognition, 38, 1087-1100.

Tenney, E. R., Cleary, H. M., & Spellman, B. A. (2009). Unpacking the doubt in “Beyond a reasonable doubt:” Plausible alternative stories increase not guilty verdicts. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 31, 1-8.

Rapp, D. N., & Kendeou, P. (2007). Revising what readers know: Updating text representations during narrative comprehension. Memory & Cognition, 35, 2019-2032.

Diethelm, P., & McKee, M. (2009). Denialism: what is it and how should scientists respond? European Journal of Public Health, 19, 2-4.

Lewandowsky, S., Stritzke, W. G., Oberauer, K., & Morales, M. (2005). Memory for fact, fiction and misinformation: The Iraq War 2003. Psychological Science, 16, 190-195.

Lewandowsky, S., & Stritzke, W. G. K., Oberauer, K., & Morales, M. (2009). Misinformation and the ‘War on Terror’: When memory turns fiction into fact. In W. G. K. Stritzke, S. Lewandowsky, D. Denemark, J. Clare, & F. Morgan (Eds.), Terrorism and torture: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 179-203). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Nyhan, B., & Reifler, J. (2011). Opening the Political Mind? The effects of self-affirmation and graphical information on factual misperceptions. In press.

Lewandowsky, S. (2011). Popular consensus: Climate change set to continue. Psychological Science, 22, 460-463.