New York Times: Cuomo Confirms Deal to Close Indian Point Nuclear Plant
The Indian Point nuclear power plant north of New York City has been supplying low-cost electricity to the metropolitan area for more than 50 years. But to hear Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo tell it, New Yorkers will hardly miss Indian Point.
Mr. Cuomo announced on Monday that the state had reached an agreement with the plant’s operator, Entergy, to shut it down by April 2021. He minimized the effects the closure would have on the power grid, electric bills, workers and the regional economy.
In his State of the State address in Lower Manhattan, Mr. Cuomo characterized the deal as a hard bargain he had driven to rid the region of a “ticking time bomb” less than 30 miles from Midtown. He said the state would bear no costs in the shutdown or decommissioning of the plant’s two operating nuclear reactors.
Washington Examiner: 600 Companies Plead With Trump to Uphold Paris Climate Agreement
More than 600 U.S. companies are urging President-elect Trump to uphold the Paris climate agreement once he takes office, and are calling for the continuance of low-carbon initiatives as a way to ensure a slower rise of the global temperature.
"All parts of society have a role to play in tackling climate change, but policy and business leadership is crucial," Lars Petersson, president of Ikea U.S., said in a statement. "The Paris Agreement was a bold step toward a cleaner, brighter future, and must be protected."
MarketWatch: A 2-Year Streak of U.S. Oil Output Declines Is 'Likely Over'
The U.S. Energy Information Administration warned Tuesday that the nearly two-year streak of overall declines in U.S. oil production may be over, raising its forecast on production for this year and predicting a year-on-year output climb for 2018.
The EIA forecasts domestic oil production of 9 million barrels a day this year, up from the December forecast of 8.78 million and an estimated 2016 output level of 8.89 million, according to the government’s latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook Report. For 2018, its initial forecast stands at 9.3 million barrels a day.
MIT Technology Review: Why Some Autonomous Cars Are Going to Avoid the Internet
Self-driving cars are essentially large computers on wheels. No surprise, then, that some of them will be kept offline in the name of security.
John Krafcik, the CEO of Alphabet’s self-driving car company, Waymo, explained to the Financial Times that its vehicles only occasionally connect to the internet. “Our cars communicate with the outside world only when they need to, so there isn’t a continuous line that’s able to be hacked, going into the car,” he told the newspaper.
Jalopnik: Here's What Happened With Faraday Future's Failed Self-Driving Demo
Faraday Future’s car failed to park itself on stage at its big debut at CES last week. Oddly, at the same event, the much-anticipated FF 91 successfully parked itself outside the event building. As it turns out, the car inside was up to something different, as explained by the car’s engineers.
Those engineers said the car inside was running on its own specific programming, different from the normal-functioning self-driving prototype outside -- though the two shared software and hardware. FF does have a solid and functioning self-driving, self-parking system, but that’s not what was used during the big indoor demo, and it all kind of served to undermine the car’s abilities.