The Detroit News -- The state Department of Natural Resources leased $1.4 million for oil and natural gas exploration on 36,970 acres of public land Thursday while hydraulic fracturing opponents protested.

Although exploration firms bought five-year leases on more than 98 percent of the land available at auction, 11 acres south of Rochester in Oakland County didn't attract any bids. Lease rates averaged $36.66 per acre, DNR spokesman Ed Golder said.

Opponents of hydraulic fracturing gathered outside a meeting room where the auction was held in the Lansing Center.

"We believe hydraulic fracturing should be banned and stopped in Michigan," said Charlevoix resident Ellis Boal, an attorney involved in a petition-circulation drive that aims to bring the oil and gas extraction method, also known as "fracking,"..  (read more)

WAOW -- WAUSAU (WAOW) - We're heading into the summer travel season and gas prices in the area are rising.

According to Gasbuddy.com, prices have jumped 20 cents in central Wisconsin just in the past month.

Travel experts say the same storms that slammed western Wisconsin and Minnesota also hit refineries to the south, causing unscheduled problems.

"So what that did was just lowered the amount of fuel in the Midwest, causing the Midwest, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois all those states to go up in price," said Brent Dabler, AAA agent. "While the rest of the United States, were going down in price."

In fact, most of the country is seeing better than average prices.

"This week and in the whole month of April as well, were the lowest prices in over three years," said Dabler.

Experts say t  (read more)

Motoramic -- How many times have you cursed at drivers crawling along in the fast lane, way below the posted speed limit? It must be one of the most frustrating circumstances you can encounter when driving, not to mention the innate dangers it presents. If there’s ever a situation that could provoke road rage, it’s being held up by an ignorant motorist, pointlessly blocking the passing lane. But if you live in Florida, this issue could potentially be solved, as the Florida House and Senate have passed a bill that would make it illegal to drive slowly in the fast lane.

The so-called “road rage” bill is reportedly years in the making, and it was pushed through, in part, by Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg: “I think it’s going to make us a little bit safer,” Brandes predicts.

The bill proposes that  (read more)

Grist -- Vineyards won’t be the only things flourishing when the sun shines on the fertile city of Sebastopol, Calif., in Sonoma wine country. The liberal stronghold of fewer than 8,000 residents this week became California’s second city to require that new homes be outfitted with panels to produce solar energy.

A vote by the City Council on Tuesday evening came less than two months after a similar program was approved in Lancaster, Calif., a conservative desert city with 150,000 residents nearly 400 miles away.

Sebastopol’s ordinance would require new residential and commercial buildings — as well as major additions and remodelings — to include a photovoltaic energy-generation system.

The system would have to provide 2 watts of power per square foot of insulated building area or ...  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- We're not kidding. Lindsay Chappell of Crain's Automotive News says Nissan's latest move is all about jockeying for better position in Internet shopping sites. To that end Nissan has cut the manufacturer's suggested retail prices on seven key models.

The price cuts range from a $580 reduction on the brand's volume leader, the Altima, which was redesigned for 2013 and was the best-selling car in the nation in March, to $4,400 off of the Armada full-sized SUV.

Overall, the price adjustments affect vehicles that represent two-thirds of Nissan's U.S. sales volume.

Jose Munoz, senior vice president for sales and marketing for the Americas, said that the cuts are intended to improve the results of the various models...  (read more)

The Tribune -- Those scratch-and-sniff cards the energy company sends to customers to teach them to recognize the artificial smell added to natural gas? Turns out they work pretty well.

Energy West general manager Nick Bohr tells the Great Falls Tribune (http://gftrib.com/18u3gYG ) that workers recently discarded several boxes of expired scratch-and-sniff cards in Great Falls. But when the garbage truck picked them up and compressed the load Bohr says "it was the same as if they had scratched them."

The resulting odor prompted numerous false alarms and building evacuations as the garbage truck traveled through downtown Great Falls on Wednesday morning, leaving the smell in its trail.

Bohr says the company apologizes for the disruption.
 (read more)

The Christian Science Monitor -- A nuclear plant in Wisconsin closed Tuesday, after nearly four decades of power generation. Earlier this year, owners of a plant in Florida opted for retirement over rehabilitation. The fate of the San Onofre nuclear plant in California hangs in the balance.

Differing factors play a role these plants' demise – age, regulations, leaks, and regional market conditions, to name a few. But one unifying pressure on these nuclear plants and others is the abundance of cheap, American natural gas.

Low-cost, low-emission natural gas has already been blamed for shuttering coal plants and weighing on wind and solar financing. Now, it seems, nuclear is also falling victim to the natural gas glut.

It partly explains Tuesday's closing of the Wisconsin-based 556-megawatt Kewaunee Power Station.  (read more)

The Week via Yahoo News -- Take note: The machine does not always know where it's going

"The machine knows where it's going!" yells Michael Scott in an episode of The Office, before driving his car directly into a lake.

If his blind dedication to GPS rings a little too true, fear not, dear driver, you are not alone. Next time the mechanical voice tells you to hang a right where none exists, trust your own two eyes instead of making these mistakes:
 (read more)

Herald-Tribune -- More good news on the gasoline front: the Energy Information Administration has lowered its forecast for summer 2013 gasoline prices.

U.S. consumers will pay an average 16 cents per gallon less for gasoline this summer than a year ago, the statistical arm of the Energy Department said this week in its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook.

That was a 10-cent improvement from the EIA's April forecast, which predicted prices would average 6 cents per gallon less than in 2012.

The agency expects regular-grade gasoline will average $3.53 per gallon from April through September, down from the April estimate of $3.63 per gallon. Diesel fuel will average $3.88 per gallon, less than the prior forecast of 3.94.

"U.S. drivers will get a break at the pump this summer," Adam Sieminski, the EIA's...  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- The Energy Information Administration released its weekly report on the status of petroleum inventories in the United States today.

Here are some highlights:

CRUDE INVENTORIES:
Crude oil inventories increased by 0.2 million barrels to a total of 395.5 million barrels. At 395.5 million barrels, inventories are 16.0 million barrels above last year (4.2%) and are well above the upper limit of the average range.

GASOLINE INVENTORIES:
Gasoline inventories decreased by 0.9 million barrels to 215.1 million barrels. At 215.1 million barrels, inventories are up 8.0 million barrels, or 3.8% more than last year. Here's how individual regions and their gasoline inventory fared last week: East Coast (-0.2mb); Midwest...  (read more)

latimes.com -- Oil buried in sediments in the shallow waters of the Gulf is triggering genetic reactions in the gills and livers of local populations of killifish, a ubiquitous prey for marine species vital to the region's economy, according to a study published this week in the review Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers linked those genetic changes to cardiovascular problems, reproductive failures and weakened and listless offspring.

“The animals are simply not hatching,” said Fernando Galvez, an environmental toxicologist from Louisiana State University, who led the study. “The ones that go on to hatch are smaller and have very little vigor.”

..“All of those fish we like to eat, eat the killifish,” said Andrew Whitehead, an environmental toxicologist from UC Davis, and a co-author of the  (read more)

time.com (AP) -- A natural gas tanker truck lost control, hit a center divider and exploded on a highway lined by homes in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec early Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring nearly three dozen, authorities said.

Officials at the Citizen Safety Department of Mexico State, which surrounds the capital, did not rule out the possibility the death toll could rise. Fifteen people remained hospitalized late Tuesday, seven of them in critical condition.

The department’s spokesman, Cesar Diaz, said emergency workers would continue searching through the night in the charred remains of vehicles and homes built near the highway on the northern edge of the metropolis.

Residents pitched in to rescue people from the wreckage of the 5:30 a.m. explosion, crushed and burned cars and  (read more)

USA Today -- Motor vehicle crashes involving cellphones are "vastly underreported" in national statistics on fatal automobile crashes, according to a new study by the National Safety Council.

Researchers for the Itasca, Ill., -based non-profit organization reviewed 180 fatal crashes from 2009 to 2011 that resulted in one or more deaths. It independently confirmed that those crashes were cellphone-related through means such as the driver admitting it, a caller or texter on the other end during the crash reporting cellphone use, a passenger reporting the driver's cellphone use or police finding an unfinished message on the phone at the crash site.

..

The safety council estimates that 25% of all motor vehicle crashes involve cellphone use.  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- When it comes to your auto insurance, are you looking to change companies? Maybe find the same or better coverage at a lower rate?

J.D. Power and Associates says the number of us who are shopping is at a record low; just 23 percent of the 16,900 respondents in their U.S. Insurance Shopping Study say they're serious shoppers...

But of those who say they were looking for a better deal some time during the past 12 months, 45 percent of those ended up switching insurers.

Apparently a little bit of research, often online, is yielding positive results and savings for many consumers. This industry has witnessed fewer customers shopping, but those who are shopping are serious about switching insurers,” Jeremy Bowler...  (read more)

LA Times -- General Motors announced Monday it’s recalling more than 38,000 Chevrolet and Buick eAssist light hybrid cars for a potential fire issue.

The automaker said circuit boards in the trunk can potentially overheat, causing the cars’ 12-volt battery to drain and one of several indicator lights to turn on. If owners ignore the warning lights, the engine could stall and a fire could occur in the trunk, GM said.

The issue is not related to the cars’ rechargable lithium-ion battery that is part of the eAssist hybrid system.

The recall affects 38,197 Chevrolet Malibu Eco and Buick LaCrosse and Regal sedans from the 2012 and 2013 model year. Most of the incidents have occurred within the first 1,000 miles of operation, GM said.

The issue came to GM’s attention in October 2012, according to spokes  (read more)

CBC/Radio-Canada -- A workshop offered in Kent County over the weekend discussed how to peacefully oppose shale gas exploration and development in the province.

Philippe Duhamel, a member of a group called Our Environment, Our Choice, travelled from Quebec City to lead the workshop in St. Charles.

He said he was impressed with how proactive people in New Brunswick are when it comes to fighting the shale gas industry.

"New Brunswickers are ahead of Quebecers because it took us 31 shale gas wells before we woke up and got mobilized and got organized and here people are getting organized and getting ready even before exploration starts," Duhamel said.

He described New Brunswickers as "well-informed" and said that will serve the province well moving forward.

"Civil disobedience is something that requires...  (read more)

Los Angeles Times -- Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric should pay a record $2.25-billion penalty for a 2010 natural gas explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people and devastated a neighborhood, regulators recommended Monday.

If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, it would be by far the largest penalty ever levied by the agency. The PUC's largest fine up to now was $38 million, charged against PG&E for a 2008 natural gas explosion in Rancho Cordova.

A report released Monday by the Commission's Safety and Enforcement Division said its investigators found more than 100 violations by the company, some dating back decades.

"Imposing a fine for each violation ... would result in tens of billions of dollars of fines, which is more than PG&E's net worth," the report said.  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- With last week's news about the record-setting level of crude oil inventory coupled with weak employment data from the Dept. of Labor it was reasonable to expect those factors to help keep gas prices from rising...

But for consumers in the northeast there's more news that should be a positive influence where retail gas prices are concerned.

Back in March we reported on the crude from Western Canada reaching many new markets by rail, specifically, California, via the BNSF Railroad... Now we can tell you it's making its way east too, all the way up through the New England region!

How is it getting there? PBF Energy signed an agreement on April 10 with Continental Resources Inc. to supply PBF refineries with...  (read more)

Yahoo News / AP -- In less than a year, many of the towering cargo ships loading and unloading goods at California ports won't just tie up at dock — they'll also plug in.

In January, the state will become the first government body in the world to require container fleets docking at its major ports to shut off their diesel engines and use electricity for 50% of their visits — or face crippling fines.

The regulations by the CARB mark a sea change in the industry that has ports, shippers and terminal owners who do business in some of the busiest port complexes in the U.S. scrambling to meet the deadline and navigate new technological challenges.

The ports are not responsible, however, for retrofitting the ships or for the electricity used at dock — will cost between $500,000 and $1 million per vessel, said  (read more)

Design News -- Front-seat television technology is beginning to creep into the worldwide automotive market, but regulators, automakers, and suppliers say it’s unlikely to take hold in the US.

The growing trend -- said to be more popular in the Asian market than in North America or Europe -- involves the use of electronic kits that enable a vehicle’s navigation system to be converted for front-seat TV reception. Some Japanese suppliers sell the conversion kits into the automotive aftermarket, and service providers on three continents offer to install them. With such kits installed, drivers would potentially be able to view television shows while their cars are moving.

 (read more)

REUTERS -- Brent futures rose to the highest in nearly a month above $105 per barrel on Monday as an Israeli air strike on a Syrian military facility over the weekend stoked supply disruption worries from the Middle East.

Israeli officials said its second raid in days was aimed at stopping Lebanon's Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, from acquiring weapons that could be used to strike Tel Aviv if Israel follows through on threats to attack nuclear facilities. Iran denied its missiles were destined for Hezbollah called on the region to unite against Israel.

Brent crude touched $105.49 a barrel, the highest since April 11, and was up 84 cents at $105.03 at 0324 GMT. The contract extended Friday's gains that after better-than-expected job growth was reported in top oil consumer, the United States.  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- Gas stations are disappearing in Bethesda, MD. And there may be stations disappearing from many other suburbs too. The Washington Post says that in some suburbs of Washington DC, "gas stations are going the way of the drive-in movie."

Why would that be? There are more cars on the road than ever before.

But, experts say it's because of the economy, and specifically, commercial real estate and the value of vertical space. Are you seeing this where you live?

Increasing regulations and insurance requirements on gas stations have made it that much more difficult for small stations to make money, leaving owners more open to sell. According to the Washington Post, in one instance the owner of a BP station on Fairmont...  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- As Memorial Day quickly approaches, motorists may be noticing gasoline prices in much of the U.S. and Canada have started moving higher.

The national average is the last week is up "just" a penny per gallon, but some states have been harder hit than others: Wisconsin has seen average prices rise 4c/gal, Indiana is up 6c/gal, Illinois is up 3c/gal, Washington is up 5c/gal, Oregon is up 6c/gal. And the pain may get worse for motorists along the West Coast where gasoline supply remains very tight following an extensive period of refinery maintenance that has left gasoline inventories 11.2% below their year ago levels, according to the California Energy Commission.

The news isn't so grand for the next week either, as oil prices...  (read more)

TwinCities -- MORON, Venezuela—Only the filthy water from broken sewer pipes keeps the dust down in front of Ramon Boet's shop, which sells statues of saints and other religious objects.

In the distance, massive tankers pull up to a half-century-old refinery that processes much of the oil that earns Venezuela more than $100 billion a year.

"It doesn't help us at all," Boet, 58, says as a blackout snuffs the lights in his shop in this Caribbean coastal town. He closes before dusk. Too many robbers.

The oil flowing from the El Palito refinery sells for more than five times what it cost when President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999. Yet when Chavez died in March he left Venezuela's cash cow, its state-run oil company, in such dire straits that analysts say $100-a-barrel oil may no longer be enough t  (read more)

The Plain Dealer -- Previous attempts to ban traffic-enforcement cameras in Ohio were vetoed by the governor and nixed by two courts, but outrage over a speed trap in a tiny Southwest Ohio village has provided fresh fuel for an anti-camera law.

A bipartisan team headed by Cincinnati-area legislators is pushing a bill that would outlaw speed and red-light cameras in Ohio, trumping ordinances that allow the cameras in more than a dozen cities, including Cleveland, Akron, East Cleveland, Parma and Parma Heights. Last year alone, the cameras netted a total of more than $16 million for the communities that are the top camera revenue generators.
 (read more)