01/31/12 10:12am

Article By: energyNOW News Roundup

energyNOW! publishes a daily roundup of top news and opinion on energy and the environment. Inclusion of articles does not mean endorsement.

RENEWABLES

Commerce Dept, siding with Solar World, finds “massive surge” of Chinese solar panel shipments ahead of potential US tariffs (via The Oregonian)

Tariffs on China solar gear threatens 60,000 jobs, report says (via Bloomberg)

Weighing tariffs on Chinese solar panels (via New York Times)

Renewable energy deals hit record high in 2011-PwC (via Reuters)

Outdated solar panels considered e-waste by EU parliament (via Triple Pundit)

North Dakota’s other (smaller) energy boom (via SmartPlanet)

Wind resource does not necessarily mean wind power (via AOL Energy)

Group seeking more renewable energy in Maine misses 2012 deadline (via Bangor Daily News)

Wind purchases, deal-making to decline this year after big 2011 (via Bloomberg)

ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE/EMISSIONS

Davos climate project uncovers carbon accounting flaws (via AOL Energy)

Texas heat and drought caused by global warming, NASA’s Hansen says (via Inside Climate News)

Wheat will age prematurely in a warmer world (via The New Scientist)

Bad feedback loop: climate change diminishing Canadian forest’s carbon sink (via Mongabay)

EU confirms tougher emissions cuts will be less costly than predicted (via BusinessGreen)

GREEN BUILDING

Study: energy efficiency in apartments could save $3.4 billion (via Forbes)

Burbank unveils a $40M-overhaul of a “greener” utility campus (via Burbank Leader)

LEED for the outdoors? Landscapes get their own green certification standards (via Good)

OIL

Saudi Arabia says it can cover any oil shortages (via Reuters)

Texas ain’t the oil king that it used to be (via Houston Chronicle)

An oil minister, plugging renewables? (via New York Times)

TRANSPORTATION

Highway bill an unlikely vehicle for partisan energy fights (via Houston Chronicle)

State commissioners ask EPA for stricter vehicle and fuel standards (via Stateline)

US plug-in vehicle sales will jump fivefold this year to 100,000 units, report says (via Autoblog Green)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

Idaho gas drillers and counties reach controversial agreement (via Huffington Post/Associated Press)

Salazar: Interior closing in on gas “fracking” rules (via The Hill)

CLEAN TECH

Rare metal shortage threatens high-tech innovation (via Mother Nature Network)

Financing green tech in the post-ARRA era (via Greentech Media)

NUCLEAR

Japan cabinet OKs bills capping nuclear reactors at 40 years, merging safety agencies (via Washington Post/Associated Press)

GREEN BUSINESS

Green corporate spending to soar by recession-busting 16 percent a year (via BusinessGreen)

POLITICS

Senate GOP floats bill to bypass Obama and approve Keystone (via The Hill)

OPINION

The US obsession with energy imports and why Europe doesn’t sweat it (via Platts)

Is President Obama a fracking wonk? (via StateImpact Pennsylvania)

Could North America be a new energy hub? (via Calgary Herald)

A misguided effort to aid Maryland wind projects (via Washington Post)

Obama’s energy plan: the winners, and the winners (via CNN Money)

What’s the deal with the “rebound effect?” (via Grist)

Note: energyNOW!'s initial support comes from the American Clean Skies Foundation, which is funded in part by Chesapeake Energy. energyNOW! is editorially independent – neither the foundation nor its backers control what we say or do.

These are just some of the stories we're following today. Be sure to check our Twitter & Facebook feeds for any breaking news or stories that aren't on this list.