Progressive Field’s concessions adopt a system that converts food waste to energy. Original link Original author: DIANE

May 1, 2015 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Alaska Department of Revenue's Permanent Fund Dividend Division Note: Dividend values reflect calendar year, and permanent fund values reflect fiscal year. The Alaska Permanent Fund, established using revenues paid to the state by oil and natural gas producers, provides Alaska residents with an annual cash dividend, which is unique among natural resource permanent funds in the United States . In 2014, the annual dividend was $1,884 per resident, more than double the 2013 dividend and the highest since 2008. All Alaska residents receive an annual cash dividend from the permanent fund. The fund was established by voters in 1976, as the extent of Alaska's oil and natural gas resources began to emerge, and retains at least 25% of the royalties that oil and natural gas producers pay to produce on leased state lands. Those royalties have provided $800 million or more...

A look at where Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont stands on key issues as he seeks the Democratic presidential nomination. Original link Original author: GERRY

April 30, 2015 Source: State Treasurer's Office reports for each state as of December 31, 2014 Note: * West Virginia's fund is too new to show a measurable balance. Taxation of coal, crude oil, and natural gas production presents opportunities for states to collect revenue as nonrenewable resources are produced. Natural resource permanent funds are revenues earned from taxing the extraction of energy resources and are set aside by national, state, and local governments for strategic or long-term use. Similar to an endowment, states typically only spend the earnings and investment gains from these funds, as expenditure of principal is usually prohibited unless authorized by legislative approval or constitutional amendments. Eight states have permanent funds primarily funded by oil, coal, or natural gas tax revenues. Many of these funds also include funding from royalties and leases on public lands granted to a state by the federal government at the...

Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order sharply increasing the state’s already ambitious program to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Original link Original author: ADAM

April 29, 2015 U.S. energy consumption has slowed recently and is not anticipated to return to growth levels seen in the second half of the 20th century. EIA's Reference case projections in the Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015) show that domestic consumption is expected to grow at a modest 0.3% per year through 2040, less than half the rate of population growth. Energy used in homes is essentially flat, and transportation consumption will decline slightly, meaning that energy consumption growth will be concentrated in U.S. businesses and industries. Near-zero growth in energy consumption is a recent phenomenon, and there is substantial uncertainty about the main drivers of consumption as the United States continues to recover from the latest economic recession and resumes more normal economic growth. EIA's analysis in the AEO2015 includes several cases with various assumptions about macroeconomic growth, world oil prices, and domestic energy resource availability. Increases in energy...

A Vatican gathering pushes the moral case for sustaining a livable climate while alleviating poverty. Original link Original author: ANDREW

The Energy Department today announced $10.5 million in available funding to support the design and operation of innovative marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) systems through survivability and reliability-related testing of these systems. Such advances will help these devices harness even more sustainable energy from the enormous potential of the nation's oceans and rivers .  As part of its MHK technology research and development efforts , the Department is working to harness this largely untapped renewable energy resource that could provide clean, affordable energy to homes and businesses across the country's coastal regions. The approximately six projects selected for funding will address the challenges that the ocean environment poses for MHK energy systems, which must operate in often harsh and unpredictable conditions for years. The "Next-Generation Marine Energy Systems—Durability and Survivability" funding opportunity will focus on reducing the costs of MHK systems in the early stages of the development cycle—improving the likelihood of...

April 28, 2015 Republished April 28, 2015, 11:00 a.m., to correct an error in the text. In its recently released Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015), EIA expects the United States to be a net natural gas exporter by 2017. After 2017, natural gas trade is driven largely by the availability of natural gas resources and by world energy prices. Increased availability of domestic gas or higher world energy prices each increase the gap between the cost of U.S. natural gas and world prices that encourages exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and, to a lesser extent, greater exports by pipeline to Mexico. The AEO2015 examines alternate cases with higher and lower world oil price assumptions, which serve as a proxy for broader world energy prices given oil-indexed contracts, as well as with higher assumed U.S. oil and natural gas resources. These assumptions significantly affect projected growth in annual net LNG exports...

The prominent environmentalist Ma Jun describes big changes in the public’s concerns over the environment and his own efforts to increase transparency about the sources of pollution. Original link Original author: AUSTIN