Guardian: Biggest U.S. Coal Company Funded Dozens of Groups Questioning Climate Change

Peabody Energy, America’s biggest coal mining company, has funded at least two dozen groups that cast doubt on manmade climate change and oppose environment regulations, analysis by the Guardian reveals.

The funding spanned trade associations, corporate lobby groups, and industry front groups as well as conservative think tanks and was exposed in court filings last month.

The coal company also gave to political organizations, funding twice as many Republican groups as Democratic ones.

NY Times Sunday Review: Dear Conservatives, You Can Go Green Again

Not long ago I wrote an essay on how to talk about environmental issues with conservatives. Talk persuasively, that is, not confrontationally. A conservative promptly replied that I was afflicted with “fundamental ignorance,” and possibly worse. The gist of it was that conservatives are already environmentalists, and the rest of us are just too stupid to recognize it. I put on my cheerfully positive face and suggested that he amplify his point by listing 10 pro-environment actions by conservatives in this century. (OK, maybe that was my passive-aggressive face, given that George W. Bush was president for eight of those 16 years.) He replied with more name-calling.

This is a shame, because conservatives used to be almost by definition conservationists, focused on preserving our shared heritage from destructive influences.

Wired: The Lonely Transatlantic Journey of a Self-Sailing Solar Ship

Nearly 400 miles off the Massachusetts coast, a self-sailing, solar-powered boat is bobbing along all alone. Looking like a very lonely, very miniature cargo ship, it’s at the start of a voyage that will hopefully take it more than 3,000 miles across the Atlantic and into the record books.

Solar Voyager launched from Gloucester, Massachusetts at the beginning of the month, and is headed, very slowly, toward Portugal. If it survives, it will be the world’s first autonomous surface vessel to cross the ocean, and the first to do it on solar power. It’s not the first to attempt the crossing, however, and the others have not fared well.

TechCrunch: Tesla's Weird Week

It’s been a weird few days for Tesla.

In a span of just 72 hours, the Model S was accused of having major suspension issues, the NHTSA supposedly got involved, Tesla explained there is nothing wrong and the NHTSA isn’t actually investigating the issue, and Elon Musk tweeted that the whole thing was a giant conspiracy.

Whoa. OK, let’s take a step back and dissect this.

Forbes: America's Smartest Power Grid Still Seems Pretty Stupid

If Maine has one the most technologically sophisticated electric systems in the United States, why aren’t utility customers experiencing bigger benefits? The problem does not appear to be the technology, but rather how the good people of Maine, including myself and my local utility company, have been using it. For my part, I only decided to get serious about monitoring my electricity consumption after I received a $1,000 electric bill from my local utility, Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of a subsidiary of the Spanish power company Iberdrola.