Today’s Climate: May 8-9, 2010

BP Oil: Collection Chamber Clogs, Removed From Leaking Gulf Well (Bloomberg)

BP’s latest effort to prevent oil leaks from damaging wildlife and tourism on the U.S. coast are being stymied as cold and pressure a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico formed ice that clogged a containment device.

Federal Regulators Haven’t Kept Up with Oil Drilling Expansion (Los Angeles Times)

While oil and gas companies have pushed the frontiers of offshore drilling into deeper waters over the last decade, government watchdogs failed to plan for new hazards, according to federal documents and interviews with government officials and outside auditors.

White House Says Time Right for Climate Bill (Reuters)

The White House said on Friday the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico showed the need for climate and energy legislation, dismissing calls from a Republican backer of the bill to hold off.

Gulf Spill Changes Few Senators’ Minds on Offshore Drilling (Greenwire)

None of the coastal Republicans and centrist Democrats considered swing votes on climate and energy legislation have changed their positions on offshore drilling since the BP oil rig exploded two weeks ago.

China Says New Global Climate Deal Still Far Away (Reuters)

China’s top climate negotiator said on Saturday that although progress had been made in negotiations for a new global warming accord, there was still some distance to go before a binding deal could be secured.

Bolivian Movement Pushes for Role in Climate Talks (AP)

Bolivia’s president pressed for a greater role Friday for developing nations in global climate talks and deep cuts in rich nations’ greenhouse gases, presenting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with an alternative climate declaration.

‘Alarmist’ Home Ministry Straining Post-Copenhagen Ties with China: Jairam (The Hindu)

Minister of State for Environment Jairam Ramesh said "alarmist" and "paranoid" policies of the Home Ministry towards Chinese projects in India were threatening to derail the post-Copenhagen warming of ties between the neighbors.

NOAA: US Experienced Above-Normal Temperatures in April (Green Car Congress)

NOAA’s "State of the Climate" report shows the April 2010 average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 2.3 °F above the long-term average, making it the 14th warmest April on record.

U-Va. Urged to Fight Subpoena of Climate Scientist’s Documents (Washington Post)

Academics from across the country are rallying against a subpoena issued by Virginia AG Ken Cuccinelli seeking documents related to the work of a former University of Virginia climate scientist, even as the university says it is preparing to comply with the request.

Majority of Arkansans Believe Global Warming Unproven, Poll Finds (Arkansas News)

Two-thirds of Arkansans say the science of global warming is unproven and more than half oppose a clean energy bill currently before Congress, according to a new poll.

EPA Backed Off ‘Hazardous’ Label for Coal Ash After White House Review (Greenwire)

U.S. EPA’s proposed regulation of coal ash as a hazardous waste was changed at the White House to give equal standing to an alternative favored by the coal industry and coal-burning electric utilities.

Cape Wind Finds Buyer for Offshore Wind Power (CNet News)

Utility National Grid said that it has agreed to buy half of the electricity produced by Cape Wind, the offshore wind project planned for Cape Cod, at a price that will add about $1.59 to the monthly electricity bills of its customers in Massachusetts.

DOE Picks eSolar, Abengoa, Others for $62M in Solar Funds (Earth2Tech)

Abengoa Solar, eSolar, Infinia and SkyFuel are among the companies selected to benefit from a new round of DOE investments into concentrating solar power.

Bill Gates Pays for ‘Artificial’ Clouds to Beat Greenhouse Gases (The Times)

Bill Gates is funding research into geoengineering machines that would suck up ten tons of seawater every second and spray it upwards to reflect the the Sun’s rays away from Earth.

Bangladesh to Use CFL Bulbs to Save Electricity (Reuters)

Bangladesh will distribute CFL bulbs among consumers next month in exchange for incandescent bulbs to save up to 400 MW of electricity a day, a power ministry official said on Saturday.