CLEAN ENERGY: The House passes a 900-page bill that will advance clean energy and establish tougher efficiency requirements, though a timeline for reconciliation with a Senate version is not yet clear. (The Hill)
ALSO:
• A series of reports finds that many large companies lack clear plans to achieve their publicly stated emissions goals. (E&E News)
• Michigan environmental justice advocates say the state’s 2050 carbon neutral plan doesn’t reduce carbon emissions fast enough. (Energy News Network)
• Southern Company’s net-zero emission plan is filled with loopholes that let it continue burning fossil fuels, a utility watchdog says. (Energy and Policy Institute)
• “Investors remain skeptical”: BP’s stock price falls to a 25-year low after the company announces plans to shift to renewable energy. (Bloomberg)
• Gulf Coast utility Entergy announces a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with hydrogen expected to play a significant role. (Greentech Media)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• High consumer demand for at-home deliveries during the coronavirus pandemic is helping accelerate major shipping companies’ transition to electric trucks. (E&E News, subscription)
• Experts say California’s push to phase out gasoline cars in favor of electric will change the amount of load on the grid, but “not in an earth-shaking way.” (Utility Dive)
• In an interview, California Gov. Gavin Newsom calls the shift to electric vehicles “an economic imperative” that will support automakers as well as reduce emissions. (NPR)
NUCLEAR:
• Ohio utility Energy Harbor won’t disclose whether its two nuclear plants set to receive a $1.3 billion public subsidy are profitable before the bailout. (Cleveland.com)
• Nuclear advocates say hydrogen production could help provide a lifeline for the industry. (Bloomberg)
OIL & GAS:
• Colorado oil and gas regulators unanimously support a 2,000 feet drilling setback from homes and schools during an informal vote. (Colorado Sun)
• Despite a surprise moratorium on offshore drilling in the South Atlantic, the Trump administration says it will move forward with permitting for seismic exploration in the region. (Coastal Review Online)
PIPELINES: Federal regulators give final approval for a contested Massachusetts compressor station to begin operation. (WBUR)
CLIMATE:
• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes a bill that would have required legislative approval for the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, saying it would “effectively deny that climate change is an urgent problem.” (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• A congressional report warns California could see 500,000 premature deaths and $4.5 trillion in economic damage over the next 50 years if climate change goes unchecked. (San Francisco Chronicle, subscription)
• Young conservative activists say they “are light years ahead of their elder counterparts” on climate change. (NPR)
EFFICIENCY: Pittsburgh releases data on building energy use that it began collecting under a 2016 ordinance. (Public Source)
COMMENTARY:
• Experts say carbon pricing in and of itself has been ineffective, calling for “a bolder approach that centers the politics of climate change.” (Boston Review)
• Michigan’s 2050 carbon neutral plan “must strive to place equity and the needs of impacted communities at the forefront,” an energy analyst writes. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• A columnist says California Gov. Gavin Newsom“isn’t being very radical at all” in pushing for electric cars, given the scope of the climate crisis. (Bloomberg)