Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning expressed optimism Monday the utility giant will reach "constructive solutions" with the Environmental Protection Agency to rein in greenhouse gases. But he argued lawmakers, and not regulators, should be setting the policy.
"The conversation continues. I think we'll reach a successful conclusion as we have with virtually every regulation being put out by EPA and other policy makers," Fanning told reporters at a luncheon.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he's seen no outward sign that North Korea will follow through soon on its plan to conduct a third nuclear test.
BEIJING (AP) — A utility company says it has started building China's first new nuclear power plant since Beijing lifted a construction moratorium imposed on the industry to review safety following Japan's Fukushima disaster.
The facility in the eastern coastal city of Rongcheng will incorporate Chinese-developed safety features and is due to start operation by the end of 2017, according to the state-owned Huaneng Shandong Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Co.
The possible role of faulty pressure relief vents in the Fukushima meltdown are causing some experts to push for improvements to American reactors, The New York Times reports.
Experts believe that the explosives found near Sweden's largest nuclear power plant may have come from terrorists trying to test the plant's security system, Homeland Security News Wire reports.
TOKYO (AP) — If the Ohi nuclear reactors plunged into a Fukushima-style meltdown, the only route for escaping or for sending help would be a winding, cliff-hugging road often closed by snow in winter or clogged by beachgoers in summer.
Radioactivity from such an accident at the plant in western Japan could contaminate the country's biggest freshwater source, Lake Biwa, which serves more than 14 million people.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California utility regulators are delaying a decision on whether to launch an investigation into the troubled San Onofre nuclear plant.
The twin reactor plant between Los Angeles and San Diego has been shut down for nearly five months after the discovery of excessive wear on tubing that carries radioactive water.
TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the Japanese nuclear plant devastated by last year's tsunami issued a final report on the disaster Wednesday, outlining organizational and communication problems that have not yet been resolved.
The report by Tokyo Electric Power Co. comes as Japan prepares to restart its first nuclear reactors since the March 11, 2011, disaster led to a prolonged shutdown of all of the country's atomic generating plants. While many Japanese remain deeply concerned about the safety of nuclear power, the restart raises operators' hopes that more reactors can resume operations.
After two days of unproductive talks in Moscow, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator hopes to further discuss Tehran's atomic program with world powers. The six powers want Tehran to decrease its uranium enrichment levels, while Iran seeks an end to economic sanctions and an acknowledgement of its right to enrich uranium, Reuters reports.
A top Japanese government spokesman said Tuesday that officials failed to provide fleeing residents with information the government had about radiation spreading from a damaged nuclear plant last year, leaving people to go in the same direction as the radioactive fallout, Reuters reports.
The American Petroleum Institute said the EPA ignored federal law by shortening the public comment period for its regulation to cut sulfur content in fuel, The Hill reports.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., apologized for referencing the Oklahoma tornadoes while criticizing Republicans on climate change during his weekly Senate speech, Fox News reports.
Harold Brooks, a researcher at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, said powerful tornadoes can't be blamed on climate change without more data, Bloomberg reports.
Despite successful tornado warnings in Oklahoma, Congress currently plans to let furloughs for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters take effect, Politico reports.
Tesla Motors' plan to repay its Energy Department loan as early as today offers President Obama a major victory after two years of criticism for his clean-energy plans, Bloomberg reports.
A poll from Yale and George Mason universities found a majority believe national leaders should put priority on combatting global warming and developing clean energy, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The European Union's probe into possible energy price manipulation has brought focus to oil companies' trading desks, units that sometimes take more risks than Wall Street firms, Reuters reports.
Indonesian authorities arrested Chevron executive Bachtiar Abdul on corruption charges despite a 2012 court order clearing him of wrongdoing, Reuters reports.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said his country and Pakistan should expand cooperation on power generation to help alleviate Pakistan's energy crisis, Reuters reports.
