OVERSIGHT: The Senate confirms two nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, bringing the commission back to a full five members. (The Hill)

ALSO: The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio begins the process of replacing former Chairman Sam Randazzo after he abruptly resigned last month following an FBI search of his home. (Cleveland.com)

TRANSPORTATION:
• President-elect Biden has multiple options, and car industry support, for reversing the Trump administration’s rollback of car emissions rules. (E&E News)
• One of Biden’s key economic advisers has said that gasoline prices fail to account for the harm caused by emissions. (E&E News, subscription)
• GM scales back a planned partnership with Nikola that includes scrapping plans to manufacture the EV startup’s battery powered pickup truck. (Bloomberg)
• Massachusetts’ energy secretary says the state is fully committed to a regional program to cut vehicle emissions, countering more cautious comments recently made by Gov. Charlie Baker. (CommonWealth Magazine)

CLIMATE: A new report says gender equity on energy company corporate boards correlates with better climate oversight and innovation. (Bloomberg New Energy Finance)

UTILITIES: A public advocacy group’s report says ComEd has dragged its feet on offering tools or programs to help Illinois customers unlock savings from smart meters. (Energy News Network)

CLEAN ENERGY: An Ohio bill would halt most large-scale solar and wind energy development for up to three years, which critics say reflects a continued hostility toward renewable energy among some state lawmakers. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR: The rapid growth of Virginia’s solar industry, coupled with its substantial need for open space, presents land-use challenges for local governments across the state. (Virginia Mercury)

WIND: Federal regulators reviewing the Vineyard Wind offshore wind proposed off Massachusetts say they need another month and will render a decision in mid-January. (WBUR) 

OIL & GAS: Bank of America says it will not finance Arctic oil and gas exploration projects, making it the sixth and final major U.S. bank to do so. (Bloomberg)

PIPELINES: A Minnesota agency approves the final permit needed for Enbridge to start construction on the Line 3 replacement and expansion in northern Minnesota. (Star Tribune)

ELECTRIFICATION: San Jose, California, is expected to vote today on banning natural gas in new commercial and high-rise residential buildings starting August 2021. (Mercury News) 

COMMENTARY:
• An economics writer notes that China has developed 80 times more transmission capacity in the past decade than the U.S. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
• Former California Gov. Jerry Brown says the U.S. must cooperate with China on climate change. (Los Angeles Times)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.