CLIMATE: Despite optimism over China’s clean energy plans, climate advocates around the world fear another presidential term of inaction in the U.S. will have catastrophic consequences. (InsideClimate News)
ALSO:
• California officials digress on how best to address climate change as wildfires this year have burned a record 4 million acres — an area the size of Connecticut. (San Francisco Chronicle, Associated Press)
• The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether a climate lawsuit by the City of Baltimore against oil companies should be heard in state or federal court. (Reuters)
• An Illinois scientist says the Trump administration appears to be delaying a call for researchers to contribute to the next National Climate Assessment. (E&E News, subscription)
• Exxon Mobil intends to significantly increase carbon emissions at a time when its rivals are committing to curb oil and zero-out emissions. (Bloomberg)
• The world’s largest renewable developer, Florida’s NextEra Energy, surpasses Exxon Mobil in stock market value. (E&E News, subscription)
***SPONSORED LINK: MnSEIA’s 7th annual Gateway to Solar conference is next week! Join us Oct. 12-13 for a SEIA State Chapter Roundtable, keynotes such as Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota State Legislators, D&I training for energy professionals, and much more.***
UTILITIES:
• An Ohio judge declines the state attorney general’s request to block FirstEnergy and other defendants named in an alleged bribery scheme from making political donations. (WOSU)
• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signs a bill from an emergency legislative session that gives consumers credits and reimburses them for lost food during extended electric utility outages. (The Advocate)
• A Colorado advocate says the state’s recently released climate plan doesn’t push utilities hard enough on cutting emissions. (Utility Dive)
PIPELINES: The Appalachian Trail Conservancy expected scrutiny for accepting a $19.5 million gift from the Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developer, but it believes time will eventually show it was the right decision. (Energy News Network)
WIND: Advocates in New Hampshire hope delays caused by COVID-19 gives the state a chance to catch up to its New England neighbors in developing offshore wind. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• Illinois regulators grant an emergency motion to solar advocates that maintains full net metering credits for Ameren customers while also requiring an audit of the utility’s net metering program. (Utility Dive)
• A recent study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory says combining hydropower facilities with floating solar panels could make both technologies cheaper and more reliable. (E&E News)
HYDROPOWER: Officials in New York and New England embrace Canadian hydropower as a more efficient path to low carbon emissions, but many environmentalists say it comes with unacceptable costs. (InsideClimateNews)
POLITICS: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is among politicians being targeted by a fossil fuel advocacy group with ties to President Trump’s reelection campaign. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Experts say California’s ambitious plan to sell only zero-emissions vehicles by 2035 is feasible despite challenges. (CNN)
• Electric truck maker Nikola says it is still on track to complete its Arizona manufacturing facility by 2023 despite its CEO’s departure. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY:
• If the world truly wants to mitigate climate change, the oil and gas industry must take the lead, a columnist writes. (Houston Chronicle)
• Ohio lawmakers’ stalling to repeal a power plant subsidy law is a “brazen defiance of public opinion,” an editorial board says. (Columbus Dispatch)
• Three energy advocates say it is past time for California’s grid to utilize predictive analytical tools to prevent power outages. (Energy News Network)