Five Energy Stories Worth Reading Today (10/2/13)

Here are five recommended reads for today (10/2/13).

1. Greentech Media presents "A Crash Course on How the Government Shutdown Could Impact Energy."
2. According to Grist: "...the U.S. Geological Survey, which studied aerial photographs of a handful of Pennsylvania counties where gas companies are using hydraulic fracturing to tap deposits in  the Marcellus Shale...revealed sweeping damage and forests fragmented by new well pads, roads, and pipelines."
3. Renewable Energy World writes about "Reenergizing Cities with Solar Energy" and asks, "Can solar energy save a city?"
4. According to TriCities.com, "After three years of legal wrangling, a handful of Southwest Virginia landowners have won the right to a class-action battle against energy companies for millions of dollars in natural gas royalties."
5. The Guardian reports: "Russian authorities have formally charged five Greenpeace activists with piracy, with a further 25 facing similar charges...The five were among 30 people from 18 different countries who were travelling on board the Arctic Sunrise, a Greenpeace ship that last month mounted a protest against the Prirazlomnaya oil rig."