Bizjournals Energy and the Environment

Noble Energy Inc. has likely emerged as the high bidder on 16 deepwater lease blocks in the Gulf of Mexico. (NBL)

Builders of the new 1800 Larimer office building in downtown Denver said Wednesday that they expect to get a LEED Platinum certification for the structure soon after it’s finished this spring. (XEL)

SunPower Corp. will design and build a 1-megawatt solar power system at the Yolo County Justice Center in Woodland. (SPWRA) (SPWRB)

Pennsylvania is among the best-positioned states when it comes to how vulnerable its drivers are to oil price swings, according to a new report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

ConocoPhillips and Penn State University’s Earth and Mineral Sciences Energy Institute on Wednesday unveiled the 2010 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize, the third iteration of the annual competition for innovative ways to develop and consume energy.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that a Sullivan, Mo., iron ore recovery business has agreed to pay a $138,016 civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to unpermitted dredging and discharges of pollutants into a stream in Washington County.

Kula Glass Co. Inc., which sells windows and glass products, has opened its second Hawaii office, on Sand Island in Honolulu. Headquartered in Wailuku on Maui, the company is expanding to Oahu to meet an increased demand for glass and glazing services on the island. While it provides mainly commercial glazing contracting services, the expansion will increase its offerings for the residential market, said Jody Boeringa, company president.

Sierra College in Rocklin has won a $205,000 grant geared toward developing energy-saving practices that manufacturers can adopt.

Should gas prices spike, as they did in the summer of 2008, Florida would be among the 10 least economically vulnerable states, according to a report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

If gasoline prices climb above $3 a gallon this spring, like some are predicting, Texas will be one of the states hit hardest, according to a white paper released Wednesday by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Even during a dismal economy, solar photovoltaic installations reached a record in 2009, according to SolarBuzz.

A unit of Arch Coal bid nearly $86 million to mine more than 500 million tons of coal in state-owned Otter Creek tracts in Montana, and the state's Department of Natural Resources has recommended that the bid be accepted. (ACI)

Maybe you can't trust rumors, but sometimes you can profit from them.

Catherine S. Hill, a lawyer with Whiteman Osterman & Hanna in Albany, N.Y., was elected to a one-year term on the board of directors of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium.

After receiving a pledge for $162,000 in job growth incentives from Miami-Dade County and Florida, U.S. Gas & Electric has decided to stay in South Florida and create 125 jobs in a new Doral office.

The new headquarters for ACCIÓN New Mexico • Arizona • Colorado will include solar panels and other environmental features to meet LEED certification standards.

Franklin County commissioners have signed off on a one-year extension on Arshot Investment Corp.’s plan to develop a motorsports and entertainment complex at the former Cooper Stadium site on Columbus’ west side.

Missouri’s second Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday will take place April 19-25.

In this week’s Good Works, find out what Clean Currents, EagleBank, ExecuSuites, Eagle Play Structures and Ford & Harrison did for the greater Washington community. Has your company done a Good Work? E-mail it to: washingtonbusinessleads@bizjournals.com.

J. Ray McDermott SA is tapping the Asia-Pacific market, winning its first project with a Vietnamese company. (MDR)