EQUITY: President Biden is expected to issue executive orders today to prioritize environmental justice in the administration’s efforts to fight climate change. (Washington Post)
CLIMATE:
• The CEO of Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, warns companies to prepare for “transition to a net-zero economy” by 2050, and S&P says major oil companies could see credit ratings downgraded. (CBS News, Bloomberg)
• As President Biden makes aggressive steps on climate, he has backing from unexpected allies and faces opposition from within his own party. (New York Times)
• Experts examine how Biden will use “the full force of the federal government” to address climate change. (Vox)
• A new survey finds nearly 70% of people under 18 say climate change is a global emergency. (Reuters)
STATE POLICY:
• Massachusetts lawmakers expect to vote again tomorrow on a climate bill that was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this month. (State House News Service)
• Experts say a net-zero building code in the Massachusetts bill will not significantly impact housing affordability, a concern raised by Gov. Baker. (Energy News Network)
• After Arizona regulators approved a requirement for utilities to get 100% of their energy from carbon-free sources by 2050, Republicans lawmakers introduce a bill to block all regulatory changes made since June from taking effect. (Arizona Republic)
PIPELINES:
• A federal appeals court upholds an order calling for a full environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline but declines to shut the project down while the review is completed. (Associated Press)
• President Biden could move quickly to halt Dakota Access pipeline operations after the court refused to revive a key pipeline easement. (Bloomberg Law)
UTILITIES:
• Some major utilities push back on a recent Sierra Club report criticizing power companies’ emission targets while maintaining coal and building new natural gas plants. (Utility Dive)
• NextEra Energy reports a quarterly loss after writing off $1.2 billion from the value of its stake in the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and signals that it will invest even more in renewables. (Pittsburgh Business Times, Reuters)
OVERSIGHT: FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee calls on Congress to take a lead on energy policy, saying “legislative intransigence” has placed a burden on other agencies. (Utility Dive)
CLEAN ENERGY: Dominion Energy wins some praise from Virginia solar boosters for a new peak-shaving pilot program designed to incentivize customers to use more electricity during off-peak hours, when energy is more likely to come from renewable sources. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• A Minnesota oil refinery is reviewing bids from developers to build a 30 MW onsite solar project to help reduce its electricity costs. (Star Tribune)
• A wastewater authority in central Pennsylvania is helping finance private solar projects, arguing that solar panels can reduce nitrogen pollution and improve water quality. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• A western Virginia county approves a permit for the largest solar farm in the region, despite opposition over views and loss of farmland. (Roanoke Times)
PUBLIC LANDS:
• While Montana’s congressional delegation is loudly protesting the Biden administration’s plan to end new oil and gas leasing on public land, the state actually generates relatively little revenue from that activity. (Billings Gazette)
• A formal ban of new oil and gas leasing on public land could adversely impact Wyoming more than other states, as roughly 51% of oil there is drilled on public land, along with an overwhelming 92% of natural gas. (Casper Star-Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• “The voice of environmental justice, once lonely in the wilderness of systemic racism, is growling like a tiger and prowling like a panther in the halls of power,” a columnist writes. (Common Dreams)
• Florida must modernize its energy efficiency rules, which haven’t been significantly updated in three decades, writes a solar energy advocate. (Energy News Network)