Today's Climate: July 29, 2010

Crews Work to Keep Oil Spill from Lake Michigan (AP)

Federal officials believe an oil spill that has contaminated a major Michigan river was larger than first estimated, and the governor is warning of a "tragedy of historic proportions" should the oil reach Lake Michigan some 80 miles away.

Landrieu Pushes Oil Spill Liability Compromise (The Hill)

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is urging Senate leaders to back a compromise that raises oil companies' liability for offshore spills but scales back a Democratic leadership proposal that would allow unlimited payments for damages from the individual company responsible.

BP: Removed Storm Plug From Relief Well at Spill Site (Dow Jones)

BP said Wednesday that one of its drilling rigs successfully removed a storm plug placed on a relief well at the Deepwater Horizon spill site, and it is preparing to run drill pipe into the well.

Macondo Relief Well on Schedule (Upstream)

BP remains on schedule to intercept the Macondo blowout in the U.S. Gulf in about two weeks, the head of the U.S. response told reporters.

Sen. Lautenberg Proposes Overhaul of Oil Dispersant Rules (Greenwire)

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) today proposed a broad overhaul of rules for the use of oil dispersants, requiring U.S. EPA to set minimum toxicity standards for the products, publicly release their ingredients, and balance their health consequences against their effectiveness.

AK Pipeline Operator Lists Causes of May Oil Spill (AP)

The operator of the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline system says an internal review has found that a power failure and lack of "situational awareness" contributed to a roughly 4,500-barrel contained oil spill in May.

U.S. Wind Power Installations Drop in First Half of 2010 (Reuters)

The amount of new wind power installed in the U.S. fell by 71% in the first half of 2010 from a year ago as government support for the renewable energy source waned, the U.S. wind industry umbrella group said on Tuesday.

Coal Execs Hope to Spend Big to Defeat Congressional Nominees in KY (Lexington)

Several major coal companies hope to use newly loosened campaign finance laws to pool their money and defeat Democratic congressional candidates they consider "anti-coal," including Senate nominee Jack Conway and Rep. Ben Chandler in Kentucky.

West Virginia Mine to Resume Operations Soon (Washington Post)

Massey Energy plans to build a new entrance and resume extracting coal from the Upper Big Branch mine within months, despite the continuing investigation of the April explosion that killed 29 men.

Scientists Warn of Global Warming Threat to Marine Food Chain (Guardian)