News and Articles


San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Edison to Propose Seismic Studies for San Onofre Station

The studies would include a tsunami hazard analysis as well as reprocessing and reanalyzing existing data using more modern digital and numerical computer processes.

CAA Settlement Requires TVA to Invest Up to $5.3B

EPA says state-of-the-art pollution controls and clean energy technology in many of the corporate agency's coal-fired power plants should provide up to $27 billion in annual health benefits.

Fridge Icemakers Devour Kilowatts: NIST

The amount of energy they use and what most of that energy is not used for are surprising. Refrigerators account for 8 percent of total energy use by 111 million U.S. households, according to DOE, which helped to fund this research.

Google Investing in World's Largest Solar Power Tower Plant (With Video)

When completed, Brightsource’s Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System (ISEGS), located in the Mojave Desert in California, will generate 392 gross megawatts of solar energy.

Gulf Coast Fishermen, Residents Denied Entry to BP Shareholder Meeting in London

Gulf Coast fishermen and residents have been denied entry to the meeting, despite having proxies and all necessary credentials to attend.

First Company to Track, Rate Energy Efficiency of NYC Residential Buildings

The first of its kind, this initiative comprehensively monitors and analyzes energy consumption in residential cooperative and condominium high rise buildings, enabling owners and associations to quickly see how efficient their building is compared to others.

LEED for Healthcare Debuts at CleanMed Conference

The new rating system distinguishes construction of high-performance healthcare facilities, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

LANL Improves Path to Producing Uranium Compounds

Starting materials developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory may be candidates for advanced nuclear fuels.

Algae Could Replace 17 Percent of U.S. Oil Imports (With Video)

High oil prices and environmental and economic security concerns have triggered interest in using algae-derived oils as an alternative to fossil fuels. But growing algae – or any other biofuel source – can require a lot of water.

State Grant to Fund Turbine Installation at UNT Stadium

Community-scale turbines should be installed on the campus by the end of 2011.

Louisiana, Florida Residents Differ on Views of Long-term Effects of Oil Spill

One year after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion on the Gulf Coast, new research shows that despite the roughly equivalent economic compensation, Louisiana and Florida residents differ in perceptions about the current and long-term effects of the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history.

Report: Current Biofuels Policies are Unethical

Policies such as the European Renewable Energy Directive are particularly weak when it comes to protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding human rights violations in developing countries.

Working in the environment can have its own rewards.

A Little Good News in the Job Sector

Environmental Protection's 2010 Salary Survey results leave the impression that professionals are holding their own in a still-uncertain economy.

Western Leaders Consider Water Sharing Recommendations

The Colorado Water Institute has studied what has been working in water transfers and offered some ground rules.

Scientists Develop Solution to Remove Radioactive Contaminants from Drinking Water

A combination of forest byproducts and crustacean shells may be the key to removing radioactive materials from drinking water, researchers from North Carolina State University have found.

New website helps the public understand what chemicals are being used in hydrofracturing.

Council and Compact Launch Fracfocus.org for Chemical Data

The Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission unveiled the nation’s first single-source website disclosing additives used in hydraulic fracturing on a well-by-well basis.

Villanova Students Develop a 'Greener' Soap

Using glycerol from a used cooking oil-to-biodiesel fuel conversion, engineering students developed a soap that is used to clean campus lab equipment and wash hands.

Georgia Tech assistant professor Kostas Konstantinidis (left) and biology graduate student Chengwei Luo have identified E. coli strains that might not indicate an environmental hazard. Image by Georgia Tech/Gary Meek

Georgia Tech Finds E. Coli Strains Adapted to Life Outside Waste

The results of the study suggest the need to develop a new culture-independent, genome-based coliform test to ensure water quality.

EPA Funds Reduced 16% in Budget Compromise

Lawmakers have delineated cuts in environmental and energy initiatives across the board in their latest budget proposal.

Agency Asks for Comments on Watershed Approach Draft

The draft technical document includes an overview of key concepts, examples of assessments of healthy watershed components, and an integrated assessment framework for identifying healthy watersheds.