Greenwire

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today approved a request from grid operators in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic to temporarily let their generators exceed a long-standing $1,000-per-megawatt-hour price limit for electricity sold into the market.

JANE LEW, W.Va. -- Wetlands were early casualties of the Marcellus Shale boom. Beginning in 2007, oil and gas drillers in West Virginia built well pads, roads, compressor stations and pipelines through streams and wetlands at nearly 50 sites without Clean Water Act permits, according to a Greenwire review of U.S. EPA compliance orders for drilling in the state. As the drilling spread, concerns about potential wetland violations were eclipsed by questions from regulators and the public about the drilling technique -- hydraulic fracturing, or fracking -- and its possible impact on drinking water quality and public health.

The Obama administration's nomination of Norman Bay to become chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is ushering in a new round of analysis of the commission and its future. Is Bay the safe choice or the best choice to lead the agency? During today's OnPoint, Marc Spitzer, a former FERC commissioner and now a partner at Steptoe & Johnson, discusses the prospects for Bay's confirmation and the future role of acting Chairwoman Cheryl LaFleur on the commission.

A Russian court sentenced an environmental activist to three years in prison over what authorities say was his role in spray-painting a fence but what activists suspect is payback for his work.

In a controversial move, European affairs ministers from the European Union's member states approved a new variety of genetically modified corn.

The Chinese government today announced plans to establish a billion-dollar fund to help reduce air pollution in the latest initiative of an aggressive campaign the state is using to help appease an increasingly frustrated and agitated population.

Alabama's Senate passed a law yesterday that would make it a misdemeanor to intentionally use a drone to harass someone who is legally hunting or fishing, a response to what its author said were reports of new tactics from animal rights groups.

The Oregon House of Representatives yesterday cleared a compromise measure that would make it cheaper for small utilities to comply with Oregon's renewable energy mandates and possibly allow larger utilities to sell renewable power under a special green tariff.

A recent survey from a conservation nonprofit found the number of Louisianans who support restoring coastal wetlands increased over the last decade.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching three studies examining the causes of a mysterious ailment affecting thousands of sugar cane workers, but the effort is drawing criticism for the way it's being funded: by $1.7 million in contributions from the sugar industry.

Ford Motor Co.'s new F-150 pickup, which uses an aluminum body, has prompted a rush among automakers to secure supplies of the light metal.

Fast food chain Chick-fil-A will start to serve antibiotic-free chicken, the company said.

Dow Chemical Co. has rebuffed calls by an investor to split the company in two, arguing the proposal wouldn't help the company's financial picture.

Minnesota's mining regulators attempted to calm fears from legislators about a proposed $650 million copper mine during a meeting yesterday.

Patriot Coal Corp. says levels of MCHM, a key chemical of concern, were likely low at yesterday's coal slurry spill in West Virginia.

New methods and mediums for cooling supercomputers and data centers could help slash the carbon footprint of increasingly power-hungry digital processors.

Firefighters responded to a fire at a Connecticut power plant where a 2010 blast killed six people and injured dozens more.

A natural gas pipeline ruptured and exploded in rural North Dakota late Monday, but authorities said no one was injured in the blast.

Leading U.S. arms maker Lockheed Martin Corp. has struck an agreement to develop ocean-wave-generated electricity off the coast of Australia, the company announced yesterday.

A Chevron Corp.-owned Marcellus Shale gas well caught fire yesterday morning, injuring one worker and causing another to go missing.

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