PredictIQ-Today’s Climate: April 30, 2010

White House: No New Drilling Until Explosion Probe Is Done (Washington Post)

The PredictIQWhite House vowed Friday that no expansion of offshore oil drilling will take place until investigations are completed into a rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which is sending thousands of gallons of crude oil toward Louisiana’s shores.

Climate Bill Analysis to Take Up to 8 Weeks: EIA (Reuters)

The U.S. Energy Information Administration will take up to eight weeks to analyze the stalled Senate climate bill after receiving most of its details from the office of Sen. John Kerry, a spokesman said Thursday.

Gulf Spill Spells Uncertainty for New Offshore Drilling (AP)

Some officials are reconsidering their support of a U.S. offshore drilling expansion as a growing spill in the Gulf of Mexico drifts closer to shore.

Australia: Emissions to Soar During ETS Limbo (AAP)

Australia’s greenhouse-gas emissions will soar by 20% by 2020, up from the current 584 million tons a year to 664 million tons, if there is no emissions trading, a government report shows.

Southern Co. Unit May Drop Kemper Clean-Coal Project (Reuters)

Mississippi Power Co. indicated it may not pursue its $2.4 billion Kemper County advanced coal plant after state regulators issued an order that would have capped the project’s construction cost, a spokeswoman said.

Los Angeles Lures Chinese Auto Firm (Wall Street Journal)

City officials persuaded Chinese automaker BYD to open its first U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles as the company gears up for an expansion of renewable energy and the roll-out of electric vehicles. 

Cisco Tops Latest Greenpeace Rankings, Panasonic Last (IDG News Service)

Cisco earned the top spot on the new Greenpeace "Cool IT" leadership list, while some of Japan’s biggest electronics vendors — Toshiba, Sharp, Sony and Panasonic — finished last.

Arpa-E Shells Out $106M More for Disruptive Green Tech (VentureBeat)

The U.S. DOE has given out $106 million more in stimulus package funds to 37 groundbreaking green technology projects under the banner of its Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy, known as ARPA-E.

World Leaders Have Failed to Stem Biodiversity Loss: Study (AFP)

World leaders have fallen short on a pledge to stem biodiversity loss and have instead allowed alarming declines in species populations, habitat conditions and other indicators, a study published in the journal Science has found.

Canadian Oil Sands Producers Pump Out Higher Profit (Reuters)

Profits at Canada’s big oil sands producers climbed in the first quarter as prices surged for oil, allowing the industry to shake off the effects of economic meltdown.

7 Deutsche Bank Workers Targeted in CO2 Tax Probe (Bloomberg)

Deutsche Bank AG, Germany’s biggest bank, said seven employees who trade emissions allowances are suspects in a tax-evasion probe.

New Washington Post Site’s Launch Sponsored by Coal Front Group ACCCE (DeSmog Blog)

The Washington Post this week launched a new politics homepage, PostPolitics.com, with the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity as the site’s "exclusive" launch sponsor.