In today’s edition, company news, including CF Partners Starts Voluntary Carbon Unit, Competing on Price from
Bloomberg and SEC says Chicago firm misled investors on Energy Dept loan from Reuters. Also, China Creates Carbon Calculator to Show Effect of Energy Policy, says Bloomberg.
Quote of the Day:
“I will bet a six-pack that it is going to happen.”
–Canada’s U.S. Ambassador Gary Doer in The Hill’s “Canadian ambassador will bet beer on Keystone pipeline approval”
Lead Stories
Financial Futures and Environmental Markets pioneer Dr. Richard Sandor to receive 2012 WFE Award for Excellence
Press Release
The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) announced today that the recipient of the WFE Award for Excellence this year will be Dr. Richard Sandor, chairman and CEO of Environmental Financial Products LLC (EFP). Dr. Sandor was selected for this Award in recognition of his work at the epicenter of environmental and financial markets for more than four decades. The WFE Award for Excellence is presented annually in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the advancement of regulated exchange markets. The Award salutes innovation and improvement in the exchange industry’s operations, which leads to greater understanding and better usage of the world’s capital markets.
http://jlne.ws/SZ9f2G
CF Partners Starts Voluntary Carbon Unit, Competing on Price
Bloomberg
CF Partners (U.K.) LLP, the London investment manager, is expanding beyond mandatory carbon trading to offer voluntary emission reduction products and services to boost sales.
http://jlne.ws/PoKZCl
SEC says Chicago firm misled investors on Energy Dept loan
Reuters
A Chicago-based investment firm will pay $1 million to settle civil allegations that it misled investors in private equity offerings about an alternative energy company’s finances and loan application to the U.S. Department of Energy.
http://jlne.ws/QlQQdm
What is the state of international climate talks?
Guardian
Despite near-collapse at each of the last three annual conferences of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international negotiations always seem to pull back from the brink. Why? Because no country is willing to abandon the goal of an international regime which will effectively combat dangerous climate change. So the search for international agreement continues.
http://jlne.ws/PFxcWj
**RKB – Article written by Michael Jacobs of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE in collaboration with the Guardian.
EU to Present Proposal to Curb CO2 Emissions From Shipping
Bloomberg
The European Union will present in the coming months a proposal to curb emissions from ships in the absence of an international solution, a European Commission official said.
http://jlne.ws/OClA5n
Global climate revenues fall 5 pct in 2011-HSBC
Reuters
Global climate revenues fell 5 percent in 2011 to $539 billion from an all-time high the previous year, mainly dragged down by the weak performance of low-carbon energy companies hit by the global economic slowdown, a report by HSBC said on Tuesday.
http://jlne.ws/PoNqEW
Econ 101: What you need to know about carbon taxes and cap-and-trade
Macleans
I didn’t think it was possible for the climate change policy debate to drift even further from reality than it already had. But a series of posts by Maclean’s Aaron Wherry—most recently here and summarised here—has proven me wrong. The politics of climate change has always required a certain suspension of disbelief. But the Conservatives’ attempt to portray the NDP’s climate change policy as the equivalent of a carbon tax and the NDP’s indignant rebuttal to the effect that their policy is in fact a cap-and-trade model have advanced the transformation of the file into a form of kabuki.
http://jlne.ws/S68mCO
As climate change worries rise, campaigns stay quiet
McClatchy
It was just six words, but when President Barack Obama gave a shout-out to global warming in his acceptance speech this month, he reintroduced an issue that had all but disappeared from the political debate.
http://jlne.ws/T1qksU
Former EPA Administrator Russell Train dies
AP
Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Russell Train, a leading American conservationist who helped craft some of the nation’s enduring environmental laws, died Monday at age 92.
http://jlne.ws/OCeFcs
Events
GreenGov Symposium
ACCO & White House Council on Environmental Quality
September 24-25, 2012
http://jlne.ws/OfOB9D
Carbon Forum North America
October 1-2, 2012
Washington, DC
http://jlne.ws/zDe43B
Sustainability Summit – Innovation Challenge
October 9, 2012
New York
http://jlne.ws/wKbX7U
EMA 2012 Fall Meeting
**Keynote speaker is Richard Sandor
October 24 – October 26, 2012
Santa Monica, CA
http://jlne.ws/NIFCwM
Carbon
Cement players taste emerging Chinese carbon market
Global Cement
Four cement producers in China’s Guangdong province have bought 1.3 million CO2 permits from the local government at US$9.50/unit, well above expected price levels. The manufacturers, China Resources Cement, Sinoma, Taipai and Yangchun Hailuo, bought the permits in a bid to hedge their carbon exposure as they plan to expand cement production capacity by 25Mt/yr over the coming years.
http://jlne.ws/VaxrMY
China Creates Carbon Calculator to Show Effect of Energy Policy
Bloomberg
China is creating an online carbon calculator to help power consumers gauge how the nation’s energy choices affect its ability to cut pollution and ensure supply.
http://jlne.ws/ODibZQ
Gold Standard Acquires CarbonFix In Bid To Reshape Forest Carbon Landscape
Ecosystem Marketplace
Ever since their inception, the Gold Standard for carbon offsets has focused on projects that deliver energy-efficient technology while the CarbonFix standard has focused on projects that plant trees. Today, however, the Gold Standard made a bold move beyond its traditional role as an energy-only carbon offset standard – announcing that it has acquired CarbonFix to integrate into a (literally) greener Gold Standard version 3.0.
http://jlne.ws/S3M7Js
Natural Gas/Coal
UK shale gas could create 4,200 jobs a year, say engineers
Business Green
Developing the UK’s shale gas reserves could create thousands of skilled jobs, but is not a “silver bullet” to solve the country’s energy problems, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) said yesterday.
http://jlne.ws/PR7Nwl
Canadian ambassador will bet beer on Keystone pipeline approval
The Hill’s E2 Wire
Gary Doer, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, is confident enough that the U.S. will approve the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline that he’s willing to bet beer on it.
http://jlne.ws/PFvMuG
COLUMN-Russian gas market power is eroding: Gerard Wynn
Reuters
The European Commission’s antitrust case against Gazprom will force the Russian company to divest shares in gas infrastructure and shift towards shorter term supply contracts, precedent from European energy companies suggests.
http://jlne.ws/PETOGn
Romney and Obama fight for coal vote
McClatchy
Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have wholeheartedly embraced coal on the campaign trail, despite past statements from Romney and Vice President Joe Biden that pollution from coal-fired power plants kills people.
http://jlne.ws/OD1rwc
Climate change and extreme weather weren’t the only reason to oppose Keystone XL and tar sands expansion this summer
NRDC blog
This summer has shown that public opposition to tar sands pipelines and expansion projects continues to grow – and for good reason. As climate change caused damaging extreme weather events across the country, environmental groups submitted comments to the State Department presenting a strong case for a broad and rigorous review of TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline, including the impacts on climate change of the expansion of tar sands oil extraction that Keystone XL will drive.
http://jlne.ws/NAHESa
Power
Germany Backs Its Wind Industry in Move Toward Asia, U.S. Growth
Bloomberg
Germany is backing domestic wind- power producers as they seek to expand in markets including the U.S., Japan and Mexico.
http://jlne.ws/S3Ax6A
Water
Shell Unveils British Columbia Water Treatment Facility
Bloomberg
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) opened a reclaimed water facility in British Columbia, part of a plan with Dawson Creek to eliminate Shell’s need to draw on local freshwater to help operate its Groundbirch natural gas venture.
http://jlne.ws/QA3we7
Romanian Utility Apa Canal Seeks Bids for Water Upgrades
Bloomberg
Apa Canal SA, a Romanian water utility, is seeking bids to upgrade sewage and water systems in Brasov and Sibiu counties for about 92 million lei ($27 million).
http://jlne.ws/OCj3IB
Reports
CDP Global 500 Climate Change Report (Posted Sept. 11, 2012)
Carbon Disclosure Project
Beyond the bluster: Why wind power is an effective technology (Posted Aug. 30, 2012)
IPPR
http://jlne.ws/UeZB9b
Carbon Tax Revenue and the Budget Deficit: A Win-Win Solution? (Posted Aug. 27, 2012)
MIT
http://jlne.ws/Ri3So8
The 21st Century Corporation: The Ceres Roadmap for Sustainability (Posted Aug. 21, 2012)
Ceres
http://jlne.ws/ONwe8M
EPA REGULATIONS AND ELECTRICITY (Posted Aug. 16, 2012)
GAO
http://jlne.ws/NHwlos
European Power & Renewables Deals: Quarterly M&A outlook (Posted August 15, 2012)
Pricewaterhousecoopers
http://jlne.ws/TFZjaV
Advancing Technology for America’s Transportation Future (Posted August 6, 2012)
http://jlne.ws/MA2U6I
Benchmarking Air Emissions Of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in the United States (Posted July 31, 2012)
http://jlne.ws/QbRr0J
Per capita CO2 emissions in China reached European level (July 18, 2012)
http://jlne.ws/NAjBQQ
The Interim Regulation of Voluntary Greenhouse Gases Emission Trading in China (Posted July 10, 2012)
The Climate Group
http://jlne.ws/Mhv62s
Measure for Management: C40 Cities (July 9, 2012)
Carbon Disclosure Project
http://jlne.ws/L9LC37
