Energy and Environment News Roundup – 7.24.12

This post was originally published on Marcacci Communications, a clean energy public relations company, which provides a daily roundup of energy and climate news and opinion. Inclusion of articles does not mean endorsement. Client relationships are disclosed where applicable.

OIL 

Western Gulf leases hit auction block in November (via Houston Chronicle)

ENVIRONMENT 

US drought could trigger repeat of global food crisis, experts warn (via The Guardian)

Global water issues fuel tensions in regions with shared river systems (via Huffington Post/Reuters)

Satellite image shows how the US drought is stressing crops (via Climate Progress)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING 

Russia’ Gazprom skeptical of US-led shale gas boom (via Platts)

Experts: some fracking critics use bad science (via Google/AP)

Fracking company paid Texas professor behind water contamination study (via StateImpact Texas)

Some university fracking studies funded by industry groups, report says (via Yale e360)

Wisconsin frack sand mining sites double (via Wisconsin Watch)

RENEWABLES 

China’s top officials want 50GW of solar installed by 2020 (via Recharge)

The Saudis are going green (via Platts)

Over 750,000 homes in Australia now have rooftop solar (via Renew Economy)

Quebec expected to approve 700MW in new wind tenders (via Recharge)

Japan taps into promising geothermal potential (via Renewable Energy World)

States’ renewable energy mandates offer hope to US industry (via Recharge)

Citing drought, livestock groups push bill to let EPA limit ethanol production (via The Hill)

Gov. Christie signs New Jersey’s solar “resurrection bill” (via Greentech Media)

San Antonio utility seals ‘largest’ US municipal solar deal at 400MW (via Recharge)

Clear skies for offshore wind turbines off Atlantic City shore (via Newark Star-Ledger)

Solar PV close to .50 cents a watt (via CleanTechnica)

TAR SANDS 

Enbridge US pipeline has valve failure during test (via Reuters)

British Columbia wants more benefits from new pipelines (via Reuters)

TRANSPORTATION 

US Capitol could finally get first plug-in charging stations (via Autoblog Green)

GREEN BUSINESS 

Shareholders force Apple and Intel to boost sustainability efforts (via BusinessGreen)

How Facebook could change the game for sustainability (via Earth2Tech)

The greenest commercial building on Earth rises in Seattle (via Crosscut)

CLIMATE/EMISSIONS 

UK launches competition for climate adaptation ideas (via BusinessGreen)

Pakistan rejects foreign aid for combating climate change (via Inhabitat)

Vancouver plans to face climate change head-on (via Vancouver Sun)

Alaska’s governor claims cleaner air will hurt economy (via Revmodo)

GRID 

Is the US building transmission fast enough or too fast? (via Greentech Media)

Smart grid VA funding has been “extremely weak” (via Earth2Tech)

Landis+Gyr lands 280,000 smart meters in Texas (via Greentech Media)

Microgrid powers California jail (via Revmodo)

NUCLEAR 

Japanese government panel: Tepco nuclear plant operator still stumbling (via San Francisco Chronicle)

OPINION 

Will Cape Wind be the next Solyndra? (via Mother Jones)

The next opportunity for growing renewable energy in New England: going big by going regional (via Conservation Law Foundation)

The mad, mad world of merchant power (via Platts)

Like working in a refinery: fracking’s new chemical hazards for workers (via StateImpact Texas)

OTHER NEWS

An additional roundup of energy and climate news is posted at Climate Progress