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"FBI Comes Knocking After Federally Backed Solyndra Fails"

"SAN JOSE, Calif. — Federal agents searched Solyndra Inc.'s Fremont, Calif., headquarters Thursday, just days after the high-profile solar manufacturer filed for bankruptcy protection and a week before its top executives are expected to testify before Congress.

Solyndra, which manufactured tubular-shaped solar panels for commercial rooftops, stunned the clean-tech community when it abruptly announced last week that fierce competition from China had forced it to suspend operations and immediately lay off 1,100 employees.

Source: McClatchy, 09/12/2011

"Pipeline Spills Put Safeguards Under Scrutiny"

"The little-known federal agency charged with monitoring the system and enforcing safety measures — the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration — is chronically short of inspectors and lacks the resources needed to hire more, leaving too much of the regulatory control in the hands of pipeline operators themselves, according to federal reports, an examination of agency data and interviews with safety experts."

Source: NY Times, 09/12/2011

"Texas Was Warned About Risk of Building in Backcountry"

"The series of fires that broke out in the Bastrop area last weekend and killed two people, destroyed 1,400 homes and upended the lives of countless residents may have been unexpected in scope and in their ferocity. Yet to anyone who has been paying attention, the potential of a massive fire such as Austin-area residents have witnessed billowing to the east could hardly be called a surprise."

Source: Austin American-Statesman, 09/12/2011

"Obama Skips Clean Energy to Avoid a Political Battle on Jobs"

"President Obama gave Congress a jobs package that was boiled down to practical provisions -- and clean energy didn't make the cut. ...

He didn't mention the word "energy" once. The bipartisan topic of energy efficiency was also absent in the speech."

Evan Lehmann and Saqib Rahim report for ClimateWire September 9, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

Source: ClimateWire, 09/12/2011

"A Decade After 9/11, Are Chemical Plants Still Vulnerable?"

After the 9/11 attacks, government and industry warned that chemical plants were a prime terrorist target that could kill thousands of Americans. They moved quickly to make it harder for the public to know how large a threat the plants posed to nearby communities. But a decade later, the nation has yet to adopt a comprehensive anti-terrorism program for chemical plants.

Source: Charleston Gazette, 09/12/2011

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