New Life for Undergraduate Energy Education
February 8, 2012 | Chronicle of Higher Education
“Today, for the most part, higher education for students interested in energy lacks the cross-disciplinary curriculum that they critically need, and so we propose the adoption of energy departments on college campuses, departments that would tie seemingly disconnected fields of the sector together.” Quoted from the article. |
 |
Natural Gas Funding for the Sierra Club
February 6, 2012 | Time.com
Between 2007 and 2010 the Sierra Club accepted over $25 million in donations from the gas industry but declined recent offers of $30 million. |
|
|
|
|
Progress on Emissions and Acid Rain
January 27, 2012 |
“Since the establishment of the Acid Rain Program, of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, there have been substantial reductions in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions from power plants that use fossil fuels, which are known to be the primary causes of acid rain. As of 2009, emissions of SO2 and NOx declined by about two-thirds relative to levels in the 1990s.” Quoted from the USGS press release. |
|
Huge Coal Database Available
January 23, 2012 | USGS
USGS has recently published: “Shallow Coal Exploration Drill-Hole Data—Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas”. Data is available by state in MS Excel files. |
|
Leading Coal Exporters
December 28, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
Australia is the world’s leading exporter of coal but exports from Indonesia are growing rapidly. Both of these countries are positioned to serve the rising coal demands of China.
|
|
Demand for Coal in Asia is Growing Rapidly
December 28, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
Global coal demand has almost doubled since 1980. Demand in most parts of the world is flat to declining but the use of coal in Asia is growing rapidly.
|
|
ExxonMobile: 2012 Outlook for Energy
December 9, 2011 | ExxonMobil
ExxonMobile has release their 2012 Outlook for Energy. This annual publication always presents the company’s forward-looking ideas for world energy supplies and company opportunities and challenges. They believe that fossil fuels will continue to supply most of the world’s energy and in 2040 they will supply 80%. |
|
Global Energy Demand Growth
December 8, 2011 | ExxonMobile
The ExxonMobile 2012 Outlook for Energy has a chart that compares current demand for energy sources with the forecast demand in 2040. Demand for all sources of energy increases. Although wind and solar demand grows rapidly, in 2040 their total use is still dwarfed by the demand for oil, gas and coal. |
|
Sources of Energy in the United States
November 29, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
The Energy Information Administration has an article that explores the sources of primary energy in the United States. Primary energy includes petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear fuel, and renewable energy. |
|
Energy Consumption in India
November 21, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
The Energy Information Administration has release a country analysis brief for energy production and consumption in India. The chart below shows total energy consumption by type for 2009. The “combustible renewables and waste” category includes firewood and dengue, which are used by more than 800 million Indian households for cooking. Coal continues as the country’s major energy source.
|
|
Future Global Electric Generating Sources
November 14, 2011 |
As part of their International Energy Outlook, The Energy Information Administration has released a chart showing the projected sources for electricity generation. Renewable sources are expected to move into the lead and the use of coal, natural gas and nuclear will continue an uninterrupted rise. Petroleum liquids is the only source expected to decline.
|
|
Mining Under Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania
November 7, 2011 | Pittsburgh Live
An article on the Pittsburgh Live website explains how about half of the community of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania is undermined and has a subsidence risk.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources has a collection of .pdf municipality maps that show the geographic extent of underground coal mining.
|
|
Wisconsin Power Plant Landslide
November 6, 2011 | The Landslide Blog
Dave Petley has posted an update with before and after photos for the recent landslide that occurred at a power plant near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The slide sent an estimated 2500 cubic yards of ash into the waters of Lake Michigan. |
|
Coal Ash Landslide Along Lake Michigan
November 3, 2011 | Associated Press @ Google
A landslide near Milwaukee, Wisconsin sent an estimated 2500 cubic yards of power plant ash into the waters of Lake Michigan. |
|
Australia Energy Report
October 31, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
The Energy Information Administration has published a new country analysis brief for Australia. The country is the largest exporter of coal and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas. |
|
Arizona Produces 10.5% of the US Non-Fuel Minerals
October 29, 2011 | Arizona Geological Survey
During 2010, Arizona’s non-fuel mineral production totaled $6.7 billion – about 10.5% of the USA production. Principal commodities mined were copper, molybdenum, sand and gravel, cement and crushed stone. Arizona also produced $273 million of coal bringing the total mined value to nearly $7 billion. |
|
Colorado Survey Investigates Coal Mine Subsidence
October 28, 2011 | Denver Post
An article in the Denver Post describes what the Colorado Geological Survey is doing to investigate mine subsidence problems in the Weld County area – where collapsing mines are damaging buildings, roads, utilities and more. |
|
Subsidence Problems: Rock Springs, Wyoming
October 26, 2011 | Trib.com
An article on the Trib.com website explores subsidence problems near Rock Springs, Wyoming that have already cost $160 million to repair but with no end in sight. |
|
South Korea: Coal, Oil and Natural Gas Report
October 13, 2011 | Energy Information Administration
“South Korea was the world’s tenth largest energy consumer in 2008, and with its lack of domestic reserves, Korea is one of the top energy importers in the world. The country is the fifth largest importer of crude oil, the third largest importer of coal, and the second largest importer of liquefied natural gas.” Quoted from the Energy Information Administration Country Analysis Report. |
|
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Case Could Overturn Lots of Natural Gas Leases
October 12, 2011 | Business Week
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is considering a case on how mineral rights are defined that could overturn lots of natural gas leases that have been signed over the past century. |
|
|
|
|
