AP Ethanol Investigation Finds Corn Ethanol A Major Cause of Water Pollution--43% of Corn Used For Ethanol; 2 Billion Tons Of Extra Fertilizer

Sometimes the best of intentions go wrong.

The AP has done a major investigation of corn ethanol and its damage to water resources and land.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57611891/making-corn-based-ethanol-badly-hurting-environment-ap/.

Here are some of the key facts in the AP report: This year 43% of the corn crop will be used to make ethanol and 45% for animal feed. The AP estimates that the ethanol boom has caused 2 billion tons of extra nitrogen fertilizer to be spread on corn fields, with substantial amounts of it ending up in groundwater, rivers, and the Gulf of Mexico.

In some cases, the large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers have caused nitrate levels in river water to exceed human health standards, making the water unsafe for drinking, without treatment. But the problems caused by large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer go beyond fouling drinking water.

Nitrogen pollution contributes to dead zones in oceans around the world, including the Gulf Of Mexico. Indeed, the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is as big as Connecticut.

Unfortunately, at this point, nitrogen runoff is among America's largest water polluters, and corn ethanol is one of the main causes.

German Carbon Emissions Are Rising Again--Up 2% In 2013 After Also Increasing In 2012

Virtually no country has done more to reduce carbon emissions than Germany. But Germany's immediate closure of 8 nuclear plants following the Fukushima disaster is another obstacle to reducing carbon emissions. And so far it is an obstacle that the Germans have not successfully overcome.

German carbon emissions rose in 2012 and are on track to rise again in 2013. The likely increase in 2012 will be between 2% to 3%, as more coal and oil burning drive up emissions in Germany.
http://world.einnews.com/article/175418047/gJz_YlHrwGYzi7Zl.

Ford Tops Electric Vehicle Sales In October--Beating GM, Nissan, & Toyota

Move over GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Tesla.  Ford is moving forward.

October saw Ford, for the first time, be the top seller of electric cars, with sales of 2,294 vehicles.
http://evobsession.com/electric-car-sales-grow-361-2013-ytd/.

Total electric car sales in October were approximately 9,500 or more than 100,000 on an annualized basis. And in this strong month for electric vehicle sales, Ford's surge to the top spot underlines how competitive and diverse the electric car market already is.

But more competition is on the way. Volkswagen, BMW, and other car manufacturers are joining the electric car revolution.

Powerful Fact: Haiyan Three Times More Powerful Than Katrina With Tornado Strength Winds

Tropical storms are increasing in strength. And Haiyan may well have been the strongest storm since modern measurements of storm strength have been made.  Here are some of the stunning facts about the strength of Haiyan that are emerging.

Haiyan was at the top of the Category 5 storm classification system, while Katrina was a Category 3.  Yet, Haiyan was three times more powerful than Katrina that devastated New Orleans!
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/massive-typhoon-surges-caught-philippines-by-surprise.

Katrina was a strong storm but not unusually so. It caused devastation mainly because of the topography of New Orleans, erosion of natural protection by development over decades, and completely inadequate storm barriers around the city.

Compared to Katrina, Haiyan is off the charts. Haiyan had sustained winds of at least 175 mph, with the US military saying its sustained maximum winds were up to 195 mph. Haiyan's gusts were over 200 mph. The winds themselves were like a tornado and destroyed strong structures.

While Haiyan's winds were catastrophic, Haiyan also produced a 20 foot storm surge that acted like a tsunami. This wall of water swept away all before it and killed probably many thousands. Haiyan was like no storm before now. But it may be an example of what lies ahead.

Why are tropical storms on average increasing in strength? Seas are warming!

Stunning Fact: Duke Energy Closes 7 of 14 Coal Plants In North Carolina This Year

Around the country, 2013 has seen coal-fired generation rebound but not in North Carolina. EIA data shows that North Carolina is one of just 9 states where coal-fired generation has fallen during 2013.

Coal's decline in North Carolina continues, because Duke Energy is closing 7 of 14 coal plants.
http://www.energycentral.com/generationstorage/fossilandbiomass/news/en/30529365/Duke-Energy-s-Riverbend-power-plant-to-come-down-in-2016?utm_source=2013_11_05&utm_medium=eNL&utm_content=%%merge%20ECMemberID_%%&utm_campaign=GENERATION.

Among the closed coal plants is a plant that opened in 1929 or 84 years ago. That's a reminder that most of the closing plants are at least 40 years old and are inefficient to operate.

Massachusetts Named Most Energy Efficient State--California Ranked Second

Which state is the fairest one of all in terms of energy efficiency?

California is going to have to try harder, because it ranks as the second most energy efficient state. Massachusetts took top honors in the annual rankings of states calculated by ACEEE.
http://aceee.org/state-policy/scorecard.

New York, Oregon, and Connecticut round out the top 5.  States that use energy efficiently have a significant competitive advantage, in addition to reducing air, water, and climate pollution in there states.

Microsoft Makes First Green Power Purchase & It's Big: 110 Megawatts Of Wind

Tech giants like Apple and Google have been among the earliest and biggest purchasers of renewable energy. But Microsoft had demurred to buy green power. That is until now.

Microsoft is buying the full output from a 110 megawatt wind farm in Texas for a 20-year period!
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/25330.

While the large declines in solar costs has drawn lots of attention, big drops in the cost of wind power over the last 5 years has not attracted much ink. Yet, the decline in wind power costs is real and means that wind power now often brings immediate savings to consumers as well as providing a fixed long-term electricity price.

Microsoft's plunge into wind is one more demonstration of wind power's attractive economics!