Blackouts in USA as blizzard Juno hits

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Why didn’t we have two days to fracking talk? MPs ask

MPs kicked up a fuss yesterday at the “inadequate” length of time pencilled in to debate new laws for fracking. The government decides the amount of time allocated for debating bills and a window of less than three hours was scheduled for hydraulic fracturing yesterday, before MPs voted against a fracking ban. Chris Bryant, Labour MP for Rhondda complained: […]

Energy IT crowd fret over security of ‘Internet of Things’

A third of IT experts working in the energy sector “lack confidence” in the security of a new smart data trend known as the ‘Internet of Things’. The ‘Internet of Things’ is a new buzzword used for the growing network of ‘smart’ consumer objects in the home and office such as phones and printers meant […]

No ban on fracking in chaotic MPs vote

MPs rejected a ban on fracking yesterday after an at times confusing debate, with MPs complaining there was little time to thrash over key issues. They voted against an amendment to the government’s Infrastructure Bill which would ban the practice of hydraulic fracturing in the UK outright. The government won with a majority of 256 votes […]

Turtles help Thomson owner hit energy managing heights

The owner of Thomson Airways is flying high after achieving an international standard for energy management. Travel group TUI UK & Ireland bagged the ISO 50001 award from the British Standards Institution (BSI). It slashed carbon emissions from UK operations by a fifth (19%) in just one year from October 2013 to September 2014. A […]

Osborne’s letter to speed fracking attracts criticism

A leaked letter penned by Chancellor George Osborne asking colleagues to speed up fracking in the UK was condemned today. In the letter dated 24 September 2014, the Chancellor wrote he expects “to see rapid progress on the following recommendations… a clear time table to implement the development of 3-4 exemplar drilling sites to prove […]

DECC begs to differ on shale gas ban

The Department of Energy and Climate Change “disagrees” with a ban on fracking. MPs on parliament’s environmental committee, the EAC, published a report today calling for a ban, claiming the UK can only use a “fraction” of the gas wells to stay within our targets to cut carbon emissions. The government rebutted this, in a statement saying UK shale development […]

MPs want British fracking put on hold

A group of MPs said fracking should be put on hold in Britain today – as they tabled changes to a law which would let oil companies drill under people’s homes without permission. Four years ago MPs dismissed the need for a moratorium on fracking but nembers of the cross-party Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) have […]

PM repeats claim the UK has enough wind

The Prime Minister has repeated his belief the UK has “enough” land-based wind farms. Before Christmas, David Cameron told MPs he thought “enough is enough” and suggested the UK didn’t need more onshore wind turbines. Coming from the man who pledged to lead the “greenest government ever”, it raised eyebrows among some renewable energy campaigners. […]

Retailers squish packaging waste – slightly

High-street shops have touted their progress in cutting the amount of packaging they used in 2013 by 16,000 tonnes (16 kilo tonnes). That’s a drop of 0.6% from 2012 according to new figures released this week by waste prevention body WRAP. They cover the efforts of roughly 50 retailers such as Asda and Waitrose which are signed up to the Courtauld […]