Hurricane Michael, the most powerful storm to hit the Florida panhandle on record, caused loss of life and rampant destruction, flattening entire towns and leaving more than 1.3 million people without power across five southeastern states. Rising temperatures and warmer waters are making this and other recent mega hurricanes like Florence stronger and more devastatingfor coastal states like… Keep reading →
With the impacts of Hurricane Irma still to be seen, today’s energy infrastructure network, innovations, technology and knowledge appear to have gained from past big-weather events allow some cautious optimism. That’s the conclusion of a pair of energy experts who briefed reporters during a conference call designed to provide context to the efforts of industry and communities… Keep reading →
On December 3, 2015, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to approve the continuation of the state’s investor-owned utilities’ (IOUs) natural gas financial hedging activities. The decision is a setback for consumer groups, which requested that hedging be abandoned in view of prolonged periods of losses. Florida’s natural gas hedging programs have cost ratepayers… Keep reading →
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said the Iran deal addresses every way the country could possibly get a nuclear weapon and gives the international community unprecedented transparency to Iran’s nuclear program. “There is a fair amount of concern about the deal – which would scale back Iran’s nuclear facilities in exchange for long-term sanctions relief from the… Keep reading →
Republican Congressmen have opened up a new line of attack on the EPA’s Clean Power Plan by drawing attention to the threat the plan could cause to manatees who enjoy the warm water discharged from one of Florida’s biggest coal fired power plants. Manatees, Florida’s state marine mammal, are gentle, slow-moving, herbivorous creatures commonly called… Keep reading →
The state of Florida has quietly banned the use of the words “climate change” and “global warming” from all official correspondence. First reported in an article by Tristram Korten, officials at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the same agency who is tasked to study the climate and prepare for natural disasters were told that… Keep reading →
A U.S.-backed effort in Florida to explore the energy-producing potential of ocean currents has reeled in a private player – the Swedish startup Minesto, which uses a winged, turbine-tipped device that gathers energy by darting around underwater, kite-like, in a figure-eight pattern. Is there any real hope for it? There might be – but it… Keep reading →
EPA encourages contingency plans as Southwest, Lower Mississippi Basin, and Florida appear to be on unsustainable water use trajectories. EPA has issued a new report on the Importance of Water to the U.S. Economy with the aim of (1) raising awareness of water’s importance to U.S. economic welfare and (2) assembling critical information to sustainably… Keep reading →
Most people find it tough to get excited about regulators. But President Obama’s nomination of Ron Binz to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is reason to sit up and take notice. FERC oversees the nation’s electricity and natural gas networks, and the grid is badly in need of upgrades—up to $2 trillion worth by… Keep reading →
