Today’s Climate: September 2, 2010

Developed Nations Arrange $10 Billion Financing in 2010 for Climate Fight (Bloomberg)

Developed nations have identified sources for $10 billion in "fast track" climate financing for poorer nations this year and almost $30 billion through 2012, the UN’s chief climate negotiator said.

Greenpeace Activists Arrested After Abandoning Occupation of Arctic Oil Rig (Guardian)

Four Greenpeace activists who halted drilling by a British-owned oil exploration rig off Greenland have been arrested after they abandoned their occupation because of severe weather.

Judge Says Drilling Lease Lawsuit Too Late (AP)

A U.S. federal judge ruled Wednesday that a lawsuit brought by energy producers challenging the cancellation of 77 oil and gas drilling leases was filed too late.

BP to Remove Equipment at Gulf Well by Sunday (Reuters)

BP expects to remove a failed blowout preventer atop its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well by Saturday or Sunday and later plug the leak for good, the top U.S. official overseeing the spill response said on Wednesday.

BP Spent $94M on Ads During Spill (Politico)

BP spent $93.4 million on advertising over four months as oil from its well gushed into the Gulf, according to data provided to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

NOAA Reopens More than 4,000 Square Miles of Closed Gulf Fishing Area (NOAA)

NOAA has reopened 4,281 square miles of Gulf waters off western Louisiana to commercial and recreational fishing.

Environmentalists Stunned by Failures of Key Measures in Calif. Legislature (Los Angeles Times)

Activists had worked for passage of expanded use of renewable resources to power California homes and businesses, among other initiatives. But the proposals they saw as a springboard to nationwide environmental efforts collapsed in the face of aggressive industry opposition.

Texas Fines Pipeline Firm For Gas Blast (Wall Street Journal)

Texas regulators found that pipeline operator Enterprise Products Partners violated state safety rules, contributing to a massive natural gas explosion that killed one worker and injured eight others in June.

EPA Rejects Texas Approach to Setting New Plant Emissions ( Houston Chronicle)

Federal environmental regulators took aim at Texas’ rules for air pollution for the third time in five months Tuesday, saying some aspects violate the Clean Air Act.

Alexander Asks EPA to Hold Coal Ash Hearing in Roane County (Knoxville News Sentinel)

Sen. Lamar Alexander has asked the EPA to hold an extra public hearing in Roane County on coal ash disposal so that federal officials can hear firsthand how a massive ash spill there damaged property and disrupted lives.

Australian Greens Announce Agreement to Support Gillard’s Labor Party (Bloomberg)

Australia’s Green Party signed an accord with the Labor Party ensuring their support for PM Julia Gillard should she form the next government in exchange for the creation of a climate change committee to establish a price on carbon.

Greenpeace Wants Facebook Center Off Coal Fuel (AP)

Greenpeace said about 500,000 Facebook users have urged the world’s largest online social network to abandon plans to buy electricity from a coal-based energy company for its new data center in the U.S.

Software Developers Urged to Help Out with Climate Models (BusinessGreen)

A study by a computer scientist at the University of Toronto suggests the computer models used to predict climate change could be improved if climate scientists had a better understanding of software engineering.

Climate Change Puts China Harvests at Risk (AFP)

Climate change could reduce key harvests in China by a fifth if the gloomiest scenarios prove true, according to a study on Wednesday.