Post Carbon: Energy efficiency could transform the South - Juliet Eilperin

Post Carbon: Energy efficiency could transform the South - Juliet Eilperin: "The Georgia Tech-Duke analysis, released Monday, says 'aggressive energy-efficiency initiatives' could keep energy
consumption in the South's residential, commercial and industrial facilities 'from growing over the next twenty years.' That could lead to the retirement of 25 gigawatts of older power plants, and render unnecessary the construction of 49 gigawatts of new power plants.The study also estimates that such measures would generate $2.25 in jobs and economic activity for every $1 spent on making residential, commercial and industrial facilities more energy efficient."

Questions for Banks That Put Together Complex Deals - NYTimes.com

Questions for Banks That Put Together Complex Deals - NYTimes.com: "But Wall Street, as it is wont to do, took the concept to another level, creating securities that allowed investors to make side bets on the housing market. Known as synthetic C.D.O.’s, they did not raise money for home loans or serve any other broad economic purpose.
Instead, like a casino offering blackjack along with slot machines and Texas hold ’em, they were just one more way to bet against the housing market.
Now, the question in Washington is whether other banks, in addition to Goldman, might face legal action stemming from their role in this market. Bank analysts on Wall Street, too, are trying to figure out who might have done deals similar to Goldman’s, exposing them to potential liabilities."

Robert S. Eshelman: World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth Kicks Off in Bolivia.

Robert S. Eshelman: World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth Kicks Off in Bolivia.: "As the Bolivian conference gets underway, another conference is coming to a close. The U.S. State Department, this week convened a two-day meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, a group comprised of the 17 leading global economies. The U.S. is seeking to link any commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to other leading economies' commitments to do the same, particularly China, India, and Brazil. This is a significant departure from the historic burden placed upon rich nations under the Kyoto Protocol to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, while developing nations need only reduce the carbon intensity of their economies."

Technology Review: Blogs: Potential Energy: Natural Gas May Be Worse for the Planet than Coal

Technology Review: Blogs: Potential Energy: Natural Gas May Be Worse for the Planet than Coal: "But experts are warning that natural gas might not be as clean as it seems.
In fact, using natural gas rather than diesel in vehicles could actually increase climate change, says Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. 'You're aggravating global warming more if you switch,' he says."

Technology Review: Blogs: Potential Energy: Iceland Volcano Won't Cool the Planet

Technology Review: Blogs: Potential Energy: Iceland Volcano Won't Cool the Planet: "The eruptions of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano, while impressive and large enough to shut down air traffic in Europe, don't fit the bill."

With Goldman Case, S.E.C. Signals Renewed Toughness - NYTimes.com

With Goldman Case, S.E.C. Signals Renewed Toughness - NYTimes.com: "But with its latest lawsuit against Goldman Sachs, the most powerful, most feared and most envied firm on Wall Street, the S.E.C. is sending a signal that it is back on the beat and that it is going after very big targets.
In interviews this weekend, Mary L. Schapiro, the commission’s chairwoman, and Robert Khuzami, its new director of enforcement, said the agency was stepping up both its rule-making and its investigations in the wake of the financial crisis."

Albuquerque Journal - On the Mesa, Open Space, but No Electricity or Running Water - NYTimes.com

Albuquerque Journal - On the Mesa, Open Space, but No Electricity or Running Water - NYTimes.com: "On a Dusty Mesa, No Water or Electricity, but Boundless Space"

Senior Executives at Goldman Had a Role in Mortgage Unit

As the bank deals with a fraud suit from the S.E.C., former workers say that in 2006, executives sided with traders who thought home prices would decline.