Benjamin Ashford|Today’s Climate: August 11, 2010

Storm Delays BP Relief Well by 2-3 Days (Reuters)

An approaching storm in the Gulf will delay by two to three days BP’s work on Benjamin Ashforda relief well, the final step in permanently killing the source of the world’s worst offshore oil spill, the top U.S. spill official said on Tuesday.

Louisiana Declares Emergency as Gulf Storm Builds (Bloomberg)

Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency for Louisiana after a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico was forecast to strengthen into a bigger storm and slam into the southern state tomorrow.

Boom Makers Say BP Left Them Adrift (Wall Street Journal)

Containment-boom makers and their vendors that ramped up supply for BP after the Gulf spill say the company suddenly stopped accepting deliveries weeks ago, leaving them with millions of dollars in unused product.

Regulator Rejects Enbridge Pipeline Restart Plan (Reuters)

A U.S. regulator on Tuesday rejected Enbridge Inc’s plan to restart a pipeline that spilled oil into a Michigan river system, adding further uncertainty about how soon it will resume service.

Huge Ice Island Could Pose Threat to Oil, Shipping (AP)

An island of ice more than four times the size of Manhattan is drifting across the Arctic Ocean after breaking off from a glacier in Greenland. Potentially in its path are oil platforms and shipping lanes — and any collision could do untold damage.

House Vote Deals Another Blow To Renewable-Energy Cos (Dow Jones)

Pres. Obama on Tuesday signed into law a bill that slashes federal renewable-energy subsidies, to help finance instead a $26 billion emergency aid package for state and local governments.

8,000 People? E.P.A. Defers Hearing on Fracking (Green)

EPA announced on Tuesday that it was canceling a hearing that had been scheduled for Thursday in New York on hydraulic fracturing, after officials expressed concern that they had not been given enough time to prepare security in anticipation of rallies and protests.

Google & Khosla: If AB32 Dies, So Goes CA’s Greentech Market (Earth2Tech)

If California’s climate bill AB32 is repealed, its greentech markets will be seriously jeopardized, said venture capitalist Vinod Khosla and Google Green Energy Czar Bill Weihl at an event at Google HQ on Tuesday morning.

Report: Prop. 23 Supporters are Major Polluters (AP)

The Texas-based oil companies that are the primary backers of a November ballot effort to suspend California’s global warming law are among the state’s biggest polluters, according to a report issued Tuesday by two groups advocating for inner-city residents.

OMB Reviewing Regulations on Underground CO2 Storage (Greenwire)

The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposed rule from the EPA that would require carbon storage facilities to report their emissions, ensuring they are keeping the CO2 they inject out of the atmosphere.

Methane Prompts Massey Mine Evacuation (Wall Street Journal)

Elevated levels of methane forced federal and state mine safety officials to evacuate the Massey Energy coal mine Tuesday during their investigation of the April explosion that killed 29 miners.

Russian Fires Raise Fears of Radioactivity (New York Times)

There is growing alarm in Russia that fires in regions coated with fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 24 years ago could now be emitting plumes of radioactive smoke.

Oil Reserves are Plentiful, Says Aramco Chief (International Business Times)

The head of Saudi Aramco has brushed aside ‘peak oil’ concerns, saying the world has plentiful supply of oil and gas, with a vast quantity of known reserves yet to be tapped and additional resources still to be discovered.

China Says Still No.2 Energy User (Reuters)

China reiterated on Wednesday that it remained the world’s No.2 energy user with last year’s consumption more than 200 million tons of standard oil equivalent below that of the U.S., the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Consensus on New Energy Policy Eludes German Leader (New York Times)

Angela Merkel has made combating climate change one of her priorities. But she is having difficulty finding consensus even within her own government on a new energy policy, especially on the the future of Germany’s nuclear plants.

Greenpeace Hangs Banner on Polish Ministry (AP)

Greenpeace activists have hung a huge banner from the roof of Poland’s Environment Ministry demanding the preservation of a primeval forest they say is under threat.

Built-In Solar Struggles with Costs, Efficiency (Reuters)

The market for solar modules that are designed to be integrated into buildings in the form of shingles or windows faces a tough challenge given their higher costs and lower efficiency than competing products.