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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The EPA has set its pollution controls on CO2 for new power plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Existing and approved plants are grandfathered in and not subject to the regulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The limit of 1,000 pounds of CO2 produced per megawatt will allow new natural gas plants but not new conventional coal plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Natural gas leaked in production and transit is not represented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-to-impose-first-greenhouse-gas-limits-on-power-plants/2012/03/26/gIQAiJTscS_story.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-to-impose-first-greenhouse-gas-limits-on-power-plants/2012/03/26/gIQAiJTscS_story.html</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A second set of regulations meant for existing power plants is due, but perhaps not until after the election.</font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Parts of the Scottish coast have been evacuated following a massive leak of natural gas from an abandoned platform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Hydrogen sulfide is mixed with the natural gas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The leak is expected to go on for months and to become even worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/27/us-total-gasleak-idUSBRE82Q0G720120327?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/27/us-total-gasleak-idUSBRE82Q0G720120327?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">3.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A new solar tower design uses heated air to drive its turbine and can be as small as 100 kilowatts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>We shall avert our eyes from the natural gas hybrid arrangement, which could be replaced by power storage or another renewable source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/a-smaller-route-to-solar-success/"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/26/a-smaller-route-to-solar-success/</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Scientists at a conference in London warn that this is likely to be our last decade to achieve an energy transition and have a chance of avoiding runaway warming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/us-climate-thresholds-idUSBRE82P0UJ20120326"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/us-climate-thresholds-idUSBRE82P0UJ20120326</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The general state of the world report from the Planet Under Pressure conference noted some good news in fertility rates and food production along with calls for immediate action (which most thought us unlikely to take—no choice but to act, I say).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17513660"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17513660</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>A new IPCC report warns of increasingly disastrous weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/ipcc-special-report_2012-03-28"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/ipcc-special-report_2012-03-28</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Evidence from coral 14,000 years ago reported in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">
Nature</i> shows that the collapse of Antarctic ice sheets resulted in sea level rise at a rate of over 40 mm per year, more than ten time the current rate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The result would be on the order of Jim Hansen’s estimate of 5 meters of rise by 2100 if such a rise were to begin now (not that the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Nature</i> article predicts such a thing).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-sea-level-ice-idUSBRE82R13E20120329?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/29/us-sea-level-ice-idUSBRE82R13E20120329?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Calibri"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The article:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></font></font><a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7391/full/nature10902.html"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v483/n7391/full/nature10902.html</font></a></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><font size="3" face="Calibri"> </font></o:p></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Calibri">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>“Why Generators Are Terrified of Solar” shows that 25 gigawatts of installed solar in Germany has greatly lowered the price of power at peak times, and provides a good general discussion of the price of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span></font></font><a href="http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/why-generators-are-terrified-of-solar-44279"><font color="#0000ff" size="3" face="Calibri">http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/why-generators-are-terrified-of-solar-44279</font></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><font size="3" face="Calibri">
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