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Most Recent NewsFollowing Record-Breaking Drought and Heat Waves, New Report Says Global Warming to Bring More Extreme Weather 9/08/2010On the heels of Hurricane Earl and a summer that saw many parts of the state hit by record heat, severe storms, and damaging floods, a new Environment North Carolina report documents how global warming could lead to extreme weather events becoming even more common in the future. After Yet Another Gulf Rig Explosion President Obama Should Permanently Ban New Drilling 9/02/2010This morning, around 10:30 Eastern, another rig exploded into in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Coast Guard reports, the accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on the Vermilion rig 380, which is owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy. Thirteen workers were on the rig at the time and all are reported to be safe. Governor Signs Bill to Protect North Carolina's Coast 8/04/2010In the wake of the Gulf spill, Gov. Bev Perdue signed a bill this week that will make it harder for oil companies like BP to obtain leases to drill off the Outer Banks. If oil companies clear the new hurdles in the law—such as proving they could contain or prevent an oil spill before it harmed the North Carolina coast—they would be fully liable for any damage if an accident did occur. Most Recent ReportsGlobal Warming and Extreme Weather: The Science, the Forecast, and the Impacts on America 9/08/2010Patterns of extreme weather are changing in the United States, and climate science predicts that further changes are in store. Extreme weather events lead to billions of dollars in economic damage and loss of life each year. Scientists project that global warming could affect the frequency, timing, location and severity of many types of extreme weather in the decades to come. The Nuclear Bailout 6/16/2010In February 2010, the Obama administration announced that it would help finance two new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power station in Georgia, offering an $8.33 billion loan guarantee to Georgia Power (a subsidiary of Southern Company) and two other companies invested in the project. President Obama claimed that the investment was necessary to create clean energy jobs, stimulate our economy to export homegrown technology instead of importing foreign oil, and secure the future of our planet and our civilization by fighting the growing threat of global warming. However, this loan is an expensive gamble on a technology with a long history of bankrupting utilities and soaking ratepayers. Working with the Sun: How Solar Power Can Protect North Carolina's Environment and Create New Jobs 5/26/2010Solar power can curb pollution, protecting public health and North Carolina’s environment. It can also drive North Carolina’s economy forward – creating jobs that can’t be outsourced, and launching new companies to manufacture and install solar power equipment. Our Issues in the NewsDuke considers closing old coal plants 9/02/2010Duke Energy said Wednesday it might close seven coal-fired units at its Carolinas power plants within five years as environmental regulations intensify Study ranks N.C. 8th on jobs potential from energy efficiency 9/01/2010North Carolina ranks eighth among states with the greatest potential for economic development through energy-efficiency policies, according to a report by a national think tank and an energy-investment firm. Vanishing ice caps have experts worried 8/23/2010When Lonnie Thompson returned to a research spot on a Peruvian ice cap in 2007, he was surprised by what he didn't see. A lake that had developed in the 1980s and was there in 2006 was gone. |
