July 24 News: Top U.S. Energy Regulator Encourages States To Stay The Course On Renewables

A round-up of the top climate and energy news.

The price of renewable energy technologies will continue to drop, while the price of natural gas will rise, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member John Norris said Sunday, telling state regulators and others that FERC’s goal is to aid states in staying the course on renewables. [Platts]

The League of Conservation Voters will launch a $1.5 million campaign Tuesday targeting five House Republicans who question the connection between human activity and climate change, in an effort to test whether the issue can sway voters. [Washington Post]

Former Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), who is trying to build support for a carbon tax, said the facts on global warming will “overwhelm” GOP resistance to climate change action and alter the party’s stance. [The Hill]

Today the Alaska Highway faces challenges that could not have been predicted when it was built. By far the biggest is permafrost, the permanently frozen ground that underlies much of the road. [New York Times]

America’s drought threatens a recurrence of the 2008 global food crisis, when soaring prices set off riots and unrest to parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, food experts warn. [Guardian]

Oil companies are experimenting with technologies that could unlock even more reserves from what is some of the world’s heaviest and stickiest petroleum. The new technologies could also drive down the cost of producing oil in Canada. [Wall Street Journal]

New research from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen indicates that, contrary to previous opinion, the rise in temperature and the rise in the atmospheric CO₂ follow each other closely in terms of time. [Science Daily]