Energetics Cliff Notes - Tuesday Edition

A note to my readers: some of you may have noticed my recent contributions to WattHead - Energy News and Commentary and the Americans for Energy Leadership Blog. For those interested, be sure to follow my future posts on these excellent new sites, and check out what other authors have to say. Now on to the news...

• Elizabeth McGowan thinks that GOP victories in November could actually benefit climate/energy policy, if a newly balanced Washington power structure moves past cap-and-trade.
• Despite global temperatures and increasing extreme weather, 2010 is a banner year for climate skepticism.
• The Solar on the White House campaign was officially defeated this week, with Secret Service concerns about rooftop installations trumping climate symbolism.
• PG&E's market capitalization fell by $1.2 billion following the San Bruno natural gas explosion.
• A new study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says offshore wind resources have the potential to quadruple US energy needs.
• Dan Froomkin presents a case of industry capture of federal inspectors by the oil industry.
• Dan Kammen, director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley, is joining the World Bank as its Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
• The AGs from Nebraska, Alabama, Texas and North Dakota are preparing lawsuits challenging California's AB 32 on the premise that it violates the Interstate Commerce stipulations of the U.S. Constitution.
• Today is the 40th anniversary of the Clean Air Act and the 50th anniversary of OPEC.
• This is one of the more ridiculous things I've seen lately.