Methane Hydrates Could Be Next Big Energy Source; Enviros Concerned Methane hydrates deep under the ocean floor and the Alaskan permafrost may represent the world's next big energy source, if they can be extracted safely. Some 10 trillion tons of carbon are trapped in the strange ice-like compounds, which form when flammable methane gas is subjected to cold, high-pressure conditions. When perturbed, they can explode violently or release massive amounts of methane -- a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide -- into the atmosphere. Currently, extracting and processing them is six times more expensive than traditional oil …

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) is facing off against the Department of Interior and its Bureau of Land Management over a plan to allow oil and gas drilling on his state's pristine Otero Mesa -- an expanse of desert grassland which the governor, with a touch of dramatic flair, has called "the West's ANWR." Don't mesa 'round with New Mexico. Photo: Nathan Newcomer, NMWild.org. On Monday, Richardson -- whose name frequently pops up on lists of possible Democratic vice presidential nominees -- released an official state report [PDF] slamming the BLM's plan as "inconsistent with numerous state laws, rules, …

Nu River Dam Threatens Unique Chinese Ecosystem A massive dam project planned for the Nu River in southwestern China threatens to wreak havoc on a region that contains one of the world's least-disturbed temperate ecosystems. The area, designated by the U.N. as a World Heritage Site, contains old-growth forests, 7,000 species of plants, and 80 rare or endangered animal species -- all told, a fourth of China's indigenous plant species and half of its native animal species. While no one expects to be able to stop the project, it has become a focus of China's nascent environmental movement, with private …

It's a gas, gas, gas. U.S. oil prices jumped to their highest levels since the Iraq war this week, hitting $37.51 a barrel, for an average of about $1.74 a gallon -- unwelcome news for those feeling the pinch at the pump, but great news for supporters of the newly overhauled but still-stalled energy bill. "They've been waiting for something like this -- a blackout, a spike in gas prices, a terrorist attack -- anything to convince a majority in the Senate that they have no choice but to steamroll this energy bill through," said a staffer at the Senate …

New Mexico Passes Renewable-Energy Bills New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) yesterday celebrated the passage of a remarkable package of progressive energy bills, with the vocal support of a broad coalition including utilities, environmentalists, ranchers, and consumers. The centerpiece is a new law stating that all investor-owned electrical utilities in the state must generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2011. New Mexico is uniquely positioned to lead the country as the "Saudi Arabia of renewable energy," said Dan Reicher, a former U.S. Department of Energy official: "You've got great sun, great wind, you've got biomass, you've …

Basically, the Army Corps has flipped us the bird -- at a time when it's supposed to be saving the birds." Hello, Big Muddy. Photo: FWS. That's how Eric Eckl, spokesperson for American Rivers, sums up the Army Corps of Engineers' new plan to manage the Missouri River, released on Friday to blistering protest and threats of a new round of lawsuits from the environmental community. The plan disregards more than a decade of calls to restore the natural flows of the beloved "Big Muddy" -- calls from scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Academy …

U.K. Military Accused of Thwarting Wind-Power Development The U.K. Ministry of Defense is blocking efforts to expand wind energy in the country, said a group of top scientists today. The MoD objected to 48 percent of applications to build land-based wind turbine farms in 2003 because it doesn't want turbines within 46 miles of air defense radar installations. While the MoD claims that the turbines interfere with radar, only one other European country, Germany, has a similar prohibition, and that with a much smaller three-mile limit. A government report on Friday said that the U.K. is falling off course in …

Shareholders Call on Companies to Address Global Warming A group of pension-fund managers representing public employees announced yesterday that they had filed shareholder resolutions with 10 North American oil and gas companies, calling on them to report to investors how they plan to deal with the problem of global warming and, more to the point, restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions that many expect to come into force within a few years. The resolutions -- coordinated by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility -- are part of a growing trend by shareholder activists to …

New Coal-Fired Power Plants on the Horizon Coal, for decades the reviled stepchild of the U.S. energy family, is about to become the prodigal son. Stoked by easy availability, the rising costs of other fuels, and a growing desire to reduce dependence on foreign oil and gas, coal is roaring back: Plans are in the works to build some 94 new coal-fired power plants in 36 states. Because most plants are still in the private planning phase, not yet open for public comment, the impending coal rush has thus far come in under the radar of most environmental groups and …

OK, Umbra, I live in a building in Brooklyn where, in typical Brooklyn style, we do not control our own heat. That is, there is no thermostat in our apartment. Thus, our only options for regulating the temperature in the winter are turning off the radiators or opening the windows. Obviously the latter is an absurd waste of energy; I don't want my poor radiator trying to heat all of the outer boroughs of New York City. Trouble with the former option is that turning my radiator on and off causes it to leak, resulting in a steady wintertime river …