TRANSPORTATION: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs an executive order requiring all new cars sold in the state to be zero-emissions by 2035, noting “this is a policy for other states to follow.” (Los Angeles Times)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Industry experts are skeptical about Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recently announced plan to extract lithium from clay deposits in Nevada. (Reuters)
• Five years after the Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal, the electric vehicle market has changed drastically and the company aims to be a leader. (E&E News, subscription)
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POLICY:
• House Democrats are realistic that their scaled-back energy bill “is not going to stop climate change,” while a Utah Repblican is reportedly holding back a Senate version for unspecified reasons. (E&E News)
• A coalition of labor unions joins negotiations over a new clean energy bill in Illinois, emphasizing well-paying jobs, a just transition for coal workers, and maintaining the state’s nuclear fleet. (Energy News Network)
EQUITY: President Trump signs an executive order banning agencies from conducting equity training for contractors; a former Obama official says the move will exacerbate existing problems with worker retention. (E&E News)
UTILITIES:
• Southern Company insists that it can reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while keeping natural gas as a central part of its business. (Greentech Media)
• Entergy partners with Mitsubishi Power to develop decarbonization projects at its utilities in four Southeast states. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
CLIMATE:
• The majors of New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh join eight other global cities in a pledge to divest from fossil fuel companies. (Utility Dive)
• New York financial regulators order insurance companies to begin developing plans for disclosing how climate change will affect their operations. (Politico)
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer takes executive action pledging to make the state carbon neutral by 2050. (Bridge Michigan)
POLITICS:
• As Pennsylvania emerges as a critical swing state, some state Democrats express frustration with Joe Biden’s nuanced stance on fracking as coal supporters confront President Trump’s failed promises to revive the industry. (Los Angeles Times, The Guardian)
• The EPA threatens to close its regional office in New York City following President Trump’s declaration that the city is an “anarchist jurisdiction.” (New York Times)
• Ohio’s attorney general files a civil lawsuit seeking to block Energy Harbor from receiving any of the $1.3 billion approved under the state’s power plant bailout law at the center of a corruption scandal. (Cleveland.com)
OIL & GAS: A Federal Reserve Bank poll of crude oil producers shows nearly two-thirds think U.S. oil production has already peaked. (Reuters)
STORAGE: The falling cost of lithium-ion batteries is making electric vehicles and renewables more competitive with fossil-fuel burning cars and power plants. (Houston Chronicle)
HYDROGEN: Hydrogen emerges as “the hottest thing in green energy” as a potential solution for fueling cars, trucks, and ships and heating buildings. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY:
• It’s time for states that grew rich from oil, gas and coal to figure out what’s next, write three scholars from fossil fuel-heavy states. (The Conversation)
• Partisan fault lines are getting fuzzier as more Republicans recognize the economic potential of clean energy, a Florida publisher writes. (Florida Politics)
• A journalist says much of the hype around carbon capture isn’t supported by reality. (The New Republic)