Environment News
IKEA to move to clean energy by 2020, protect forests
OSLO - IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer, will shift to renewable energy by 2020 and grow more trees than it uses under a plan to safeguard nature that has won support from environmentalists.
Italian scientists convicted over earthquake warning
L'AQUILA, Italy - Six scientists and a government official were sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter by an Italian court on Monday for failing to give adequate warning of an earthquake that killed more than 300 people in L'Aquila in 2009.
Impoverished Niger creates fund to fight desert spread
NIAMEY - Niger said on Monday it will launch a $110 million project to counter the impact of rapid expansion of deserts and increasingly unpredictable rains in one of the world's poorest countries.
Sempra to build $1 billion natural gas line Arizona to Mexico
NEW YORK - Sempra Energy unit Sempra Mexico has been chosen to build a $1 billion natural gas pipeline that will connect the U.S. grid in Arizona with northwest Mexico, after a bidding process was completed, the company said on Monday.
Tropical Storm Sandy forms in the Caribbean
MIAMI - Tropical Storm Sandy formed in the western Caribbean Sea on Monday and put Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti on alert for severe weather over the next few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Anbaric could help TenneT with German offshore link plan
BERLIN/DUESSELDORF - Institutional investors led by U.S. energy transmission developer Anbaric Transmission are interested in pumping up to 4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) into linking German offshore wind farms with the mainland.
Dominion closing nuclear plant due to low natgas prices
- Dominion Resources Inc plans to shut its Kewaunee plant in Wisconsin next year, the first U.S. nuclear plant to fall victim to the steep drop in power prices as rising natural gas production makes some plants uncompetitive.
Appeals court: Kinder Morgan's Ruby Pipeline should get another look
SAN FRANCISCO - A U.S. appeals court on Monday ruled that federal wildlife authorities improperly certified the Ruby Pipeline Project without taking into account its impact on groundwater wells and certain fish species along the route.
Argentine storms to help grain output, hurt quality
BUENOS AIRES - Argentine grains output will benefit from this year's early and potent arrival of El Nino-related rains, but low crop quality linked to flooding is likely to undermine the expected increase in soy and corn volume.
Solyndra bankruptcy plan approved over U.S. objections
WILMINGTON, Delaware - Solyndra, the solar panel maker that failed despite a $528 million federal loan, on Monday won court approval for its plan to repay creditors and end its politically charged bankruptcy, after a judge overruled objections by the U.S. government.