12.13.2013
Oil Spill
Ex-BP engineer on trial in oil spill case unlikely to testify
The Associated Press
December 12, 2013 at 2:07 PM
A former BP drilling engineer isn't expected to testify at his trial on
charges he deleted text messages about the company's response to its
massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/12/ex-bp_engineer_on_trial_in_oil.html
State
Southern Miss president touts energy research at USM
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -In the wake of Gov. Phil Bryant's energy summit
last week, Southern Miss President Dr. Rodney Bennett is taking time to
tout some of what he calls the "life-changing" energy research going on at
USM.
http://www.wdam.com/story/24198216/southern-miss-president-touts-energy-research-at-usm
National
NOAA: Arctic sea-ice melt linked to extreme summer weather
BY SEAN COCKERHAM
McClatchy Washington BureauDecember 12, 2013
WASHINGTON — A growing body of evidence demonstrates a link between the
melting of Arctic sea ice and worsening summer heat waves and other extreme
weather in the United States and elsewhere in the world, leading scientists
said Thursday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/12/12/5190517/noaa-arctic-sea-ice-melt-linked.html
NASA says ozone hole stabilizing but won't fully recover until 2070
LA Times
By Tony Barboza
December 12, 2013, 3:32 p.m.
The hole in the ozone layer is stabilizing but will take until about 2070
to fully recover, according to new research by NASA scientists.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ozone-hole-recovery-nasa-20131212,0,2385709.story#ixzz2nKGkMY19
Bipartisan push imperils ethanol mandate
The Hill
By Ben Goad
A group of eight senators unveiled legislation Thursday to repeal the
federal Renewable Fuel Standard's contentious ethanol mandate, saying
regulations are pushing up corn prices and threatening the oil-and-gas
industry.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energy-environment/192978-bipartisan-push-imperils-ethanol-mandate
Experts Eye Oil and Gas Industry as Quakes Shake Oklahoma
NY Times
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
OKLAHOMA CITY — Mary Catherine Sexton has been rattled enough.
This fall her neighborhood in the northeastern part of this city has been
shaken by dozens of minor earthquakes. "We would just have little trembles
all the time," she said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/science/earth/as-quakes-shake-oklahoma-scientists-eye-oil-and-gas-industry.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
GOP gangs up on endangered species law
The Hill
By Julian Hattem
House Republicans are charging the Obama administration with using
"political science" to justify adding new plants and animals to the
endangered species list.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energy-environment/192965-gop-gangs-up-on-endangered-species-law
Press Releases
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| USDA and DOE Fund 7 Research Projects to Develop Plant Feedstocks for |
| Bioenergy |
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|WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2013 - The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and |
|Energy (DOE) today announced $8 million in research grants to develop |
|non-food feedstocks that can be used for bioenergy. The grants are part of a|
|broader effort by the Obama administration to develop domestic renewable |
|energy and advanced biofuels, providing a more secure future for America's |
|energy needs and enhancing rural economies. |
| |
| |
|"Today's investments are a critical piece of President Obama's strategy to |
|create a clean source of energy and advance the sustainable use of natural |
|resources," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Innovative research |
|plays a vital role in boosting rural economies and creating jobs in rural |
|America, and the benefits this type of research may offer is another |
|pressing reason we need a new Food, Farm and Jobs bill passed." |
| |
| |
|Overall, the USDA and DOE projects are designed to improve biomass to be |
|grown for biofuels-including selected trees and grasses-by increasing their |
|yield, quality and ability to adapt to extreme environments. Researchers |
|will rely on the most advanced techniques of modern genomics to develop |
|breeding and other strategies to improve the crops. The research will be |
|conducted on switchgrass, poplar and pine, among other plants. |
| |
| |
|The potential benefits of this research range from decreasing oil imports to|
|increasing options for American farmers. Because these non-food crops will |
|be optimized to tolerate conditions such as drought and poor soils, they can|
|be grown on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops, thereby avoiding |
|competition with food production. Farmers will have the option to grow |
|bioenergy crops in addition to other existing crop choices. |
| |
| |
|Fiscal Year 2013 awardees include: |
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|USDA-NIFA-funded |
| |
| |
| · University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $1,000,000 |
| |
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| · Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $1,000,000 |
| |
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|DOE-funded |
| |
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| · Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo., $1,385,763 |
| |
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| · University of Georgia, Athens, Ga., $1,314,235 |
| |
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| · University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill., $998,564 |
| |
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| · Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $863,576 |
| |
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| · University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., $1,543,490 |
| |
| |
|Project descriptions can be found online at: |
|http://genomicscience.energy.gov/research/DOEUSDA/#page=news. |
| |
| |
|The joint USDA and DOE funding program was begun in 2006. DOE's Office of |
|Science will provide $6.1 million in funding for five projects, while USDA's|
|National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will award $2 million to |
|fund two projects. Initial funding will support research projects for up to |
|three years. |
| |
| |
|For more information on the joint DOE-USDA Plant Feedstocks Genomics for |
|Bioenergy research program, visit: |
|http://genomicscience.energy.gov/research/DOEUSDA/index.shtml. |
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