WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of
Representatives passed legislation on Thursday that would stop
the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating emissions
of gases blamed for warming the planet, a day after the Senate
rejected similar legislation.

The bill passed by a vote of 255 to 172 in the
Republican-controlled chamber. The victory was largely
symbolic, however, since the Senate voted down four amendments
on Wednesday that would stop or delay implementation of the EPA
rules, which began rolling out in January. [ID:nN06270263]

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate rejected a
measure on Wednesday to kill Environmental Protection Agency
regulations of emissions blamed for warming the planet, handing
a victory to President Barack Obama.

The EPA’s rules to fight emissions, which it began rolling
out early this year, are one of Obama’s top strategies to
reduce dependence on fossil fuels, generate more alternative
energy and protect the health of old and young people.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States fell one spot to third place in clean-energy investment last year as the lack of a national energy policy hurt purchases in wind and solar power and other technologies, a report said on Tuesday.

China came in first and Germany second, according to the report “Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race” by the Pew Charitable Trusts, an independent, nonprofit group.

WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) – The disaster at a Japanese nuclear power plant is a chilling reminder that the U.S. nuclear energy industry has failed to solve a big problem — where and how to store millions of highly reactive spent fuel rods.

For decades, power companies and regulators have put the issue in the “too hard” basket while the rods, which stay radioactive for many years, pile up around the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors. The danger is that even the crisis at the Fukushima plant won’t be enough to spur any major change.

WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) – The disaster at a Japanese nuclear power plant is a chilling reminder that the U.S. nuclear energy industry has failed to solve a big problem — where and how to store millions of highly reactive spent fuel rods.

For decades, power companies and regulators have put the issue in the “too hard” basket while the rods, which stay radioactive for many years, pile up around the nation’s 104 nuclear reactors. The danger is that even the crisis at the Fukushima plant won’t be enough to spur any major change.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – At first glance Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s career highlights read like a dream candidate’s resume for the job of managing a backlash against nuclear power following the crisis in Japan:

* Winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics.

* Head of a major U.S. energy research lab for five years.

* Top problem solver during the BP oil spill.

He’s arguably better placed to address the technical issues facing the industry than anyone who has ever held the post, which, for instance, under President Ronald Reagan included a former dentist.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. nuclear regulators are launching additional inspections and considering a 90-day review of the country’s 104 nuclear reactors in the wake of Japan’s nuclear crisis, officials said on Monday.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met on Monday to discuss how to respond to the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which was crippled by a powerful March 11 earthquake.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Environmental regulators proposed rules on Wednesday that would force aging coal-fired power plants to choose between installing costly anti-pollution technology or shutting, which could ensure reliance nuclear power and natural gas.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the proposed rules, once fully implemented, will prevent 91 percent of mercury in coal from being released into the air. Power plants would have four years to meet the standards.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) – The United States said on
Monday it will push ahead with nuclear power as a vital part of
its energy mix even as other nations balk at the sight of Japan
battling to prevent quake-crippled reactors from melting down.

“We view nuclear energy as a very important component to
the overall portfolio we’re trying to build for a clean-energy
future,” U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman told
reporters at the White House.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama appears one price-spike away from tapping crude from the U.S. emergency reserves, as political pressure drives him to assure Americans he will keep gasoline costs under control.

Obama reiterated comments from a host of his top officials on Friday, saying a plan to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was “teed up” and vowing to move quickly should conditions worsen.