A daily roundup of the most important energy, environment, and climate news from around the world.

TRANSPORTATION

Pike Research: plug-in vehicle sales to hit 1.7 million annually by 2020 (via Plugin Cars)

China still plans to dominate electric cars, details to come later (via Green Car Reports)

China echoes 2009 stimulus with railway spending boost (via Bloomberg)

Coming someday: a Tesla electric pickup truck (via Earth2Tech)

RARE EARTHS

China cuts rare earth mining rights by half to aid consolidation (via Bloomberg)

RENEWABLES

UK delays crucial decision on renewable energy subsidies (via BusinessGreen)

In the darkness, Canadian solar industry sees some light (via Globe and Mail)

Stored PV to make debut on Australian wholesale electricity market (via Recharge)

The dawn of Japan’s offshore wind era (via Renewable Energy World)

2.2GW wind farm proposed for Irish Sea (via CleanTechnica)

World’s first solar-geothermal hybrid plant opens in Nevada desert (via Treehugger)

US biofuel producers find a lucrative new customer – the military (via Globe and Mail)

New biofuel process dramatically improves energy recovery (via Autoblog Green)

ENERGY INDUSTRY

India aims to add 88GW new power capacity by 2017 (via Reuters)

DOE releases cost and performance estimate database for electric generation, advanced vehicle and renewable fuel technologies (via Green Car Congress)

OIL/GASOLINE

Shell hits snags in path to Arctic drilling (via Houston Chronicle)

Brazil says Chevron oil spill fine unlikely to surpass $25 million (via Wall Street Journal)

Oil companies spring a leak, courtesy of Anonymous (via Wired)

Professors challenge claims that ethanol production decreased gasoline prices in 2010 and 2011 (via Green Car Congress)

The gas-price crisis that wasn’t (via Politico)

CLIMATE

Charts: GenXers say “meh” to climate change (via Mother Jones)

Chart: the state of the science on extreme weather (via Mother Jones)

Merkel warns of accelerated global warming if no climate accord (via Reuters)

Geoengineering could backfire, make climate change worse (via Wired)

COAL

After coal export surge, Europe slowdown could act as a brake (via Hampton Roads Daily Press)

Sector snap: coal companies fall on weak demand (via CBS News)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Report: UK government policies “will fail” to deliver bulk of energy efficiency potential (via BusinessGreen)

Could the US cut household electricity use by two-thirds? (via CleanTechnica)

NUCLEAR

More than 100,000 protest nuclear power in Tokyo (via Reuters)

How broken is the San Onofre nuclear plant? (via Greentech Media)

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

How states are regulating fracking, in maps (via Washington Post)

Gas drilling a boom for drug traffickers, too (via Houston Chronicle)

Natgas drillers’ water use cut due to Pennsylvania drought (via Reuters)

GREEN BUSINESS

Green hospital of the future opens in San Diego (via Sustainable Business)

To ban or to tax? The question for plastic bag legislation (via GreenBiz)

ENVIRONMENT

Drought in US reaches levels not seen in 50 years, pushes up crop prices (via Washington Post)

Russian wheat crop seen falling 20 percent this year (via Bloomberg)

Forecast shows US drought will get worse, not better (via Huffington Post/Reuters)

Low water levels on Mississippi River from drought a major threat to commerce (via Climate Progress)

KEYSTONE XL

Scientists tell State Department excluding climate impacts in Keystone XL review ‘neither wise nor credible” (via DeSmogBlog)

GRID

CapX 2020 transmission project enters final stretch (via Midwest Energy News)

Utilities embracing smart thermostats to help manage grids (via Earth2Tech)

POLITICS

Wind lobby increases giving to GOP (via Politico)

OTHER NEWS

An additional roundup of energy and climate news is posted at Climate Progress