Energy & Fuel

"SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing the development of coal-export terminals in Washington state after raising concerns about increased train traffic and potential harm to health and the environment.

The vote came as the federal government is reviewing the first of at least six port facilities proposed in Washington and Oregon to ship coal from the Powder River basin of Montana and Wyoming to hungry markets in Asia.

"Job growth in the nation's coal fields has taken a hit amid tough market conditions for U.S. coal and competition from natural gas, according to a review of federal employment statistics."

"The Bureau of Land Management is advancing what could become the world's largest solar power project in a region of the Southern California desert where environmental groups and American Indian tribes have filed multiple federal lawsuits to stop already approved, large-scale renewables projects."

President Obama's preoccupation with Shell's proposal to drill for oil in the offshore Arctic -- even after the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico -- appears to signal that it will be inevitable, barring a major legal challenge.

"BEIJING --  China’s Commerce Ministry accused the United States government on Thursday of violating free-trade rules through support for six renewable energy projects, but did not identify the projects or the trade rules that had allegedly been violated. It was the latest volley in a widening conflict between the two countries over clean power.

The United States and China, the world’s two biggest energy users, have pledged to work together to develop renewable sources. But they accuse each other of improperly subsidizing or protecting their manufacturers.

"Earlier this month, the State University of New York at Buffalo released a report concluding that fracking is getting safer, as both industry and regulators are doing a better job. The study got plenty of coverage--the Associated Press, Forbes, WGRZ, Buffalo News--but in the week since it was released, it's been attacked for a number of flaws."

"HOUSTON -- As the Memorial Day weekend and the summer driving season approach, gasoline prices are easing. But most drivers will find prices only modestly lower than a year ago."

"COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Doctors given new access to the proprietary chemical recipes that oil and gas drillers use to crack into Ohio shale would be prohibited from sharing the information with the public under an energy proposal moving through the Ohio House."

"WASHINGTON, DC -- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) signed an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday to raise awareness of environmentally-friendly products and solutions."