TRANSITION: President-elect Biden is expected to name former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary. (Politico)
ALSO:
• Biden has named former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy to oversee domestic climate policy, and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation. (The Hill, CNN)
• New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland is emerging as a top pick for Secretary of the Interior and would be the first Native American to lead the agency. (Reuters)
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CYBERSECURITY: A massive software hack this year that affected federal agencies may have also breached national energy labs and utilities. (Washington Post, E&E News)
CLIMATE:
• The Federal Reserve’s board votes unanimously to join a global network of central banks working to protect the financial system from climate change impacts. (New York Times)
• A new study outlines steps the U.S. will need to take to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. (Washington Post)
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s latest budget includes a new climate change package which includes a low-carbon fuel standard, equity requirements, and other provisions. (Seattle Times)
EFFICIENCY: The Energy Department rolls back efficiency standards for showerheads and creates a new class for washers and dryers, responding to years of complaints by President Trump. (The Hill)
OIL & GAS:
• The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to vote today on a new rule requiring oil and mining companies to disclose payments to foreign governments. (Houston Chronicle)
• A coalition of environmental and Indigenous groups petition a federal court to stop the Trump administration’s “headlong rush” to issue drilling leases in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. (E&E News)
• Wyoming officials release a report claiming a drilling ban on federal lands would cost eight Western states $8.1 billion in tax revenue over the next five years. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• Illinois incentives for small solar installations officially ran out this week, creating long-expected uncertainty for the industry as developers call on lawmakers for at least a short-term fix. (Energy News Network)
• An Alaska Native company is set to begin construction on a solar battery project in two Northwest Arctic communities next spring. (KTOO)
WIND: The Interior Department reverses a previous ruling to set a stricter standard for offshore wind development where it might interfere with other uses like fishing. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL: A new report warns that Dominion Energy and southwestern Virginia officials should prepare now for a likely early closure of an underperforming, 8-year-old hybrid coal plant or risk damaging the regional economy. (Energy News Network)
NUCLEAR: The former CEO of defunct South Carolina utility SCANA will plead guilty to federal conspiracy fraud charges involving the 2017 failure of a $9 billion nuclear project. (The State)
TRANSMISSION:
• “If you love renewables, you better love transmission,” a MISO executive says as the grid operator anticipates large-scale transmission projects in the coming years. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Outside groups have spent $3.7 million to continue the dispute over a Central Maine Power transmission line after a court ruled an anti-power line ballot referendum unconstitutional over the summer. (Bangor Daily News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Spokane, Washington’s city council president is pushing the city’s police department to adopt electric vehicles and faces resistance despite an analysis showing the change would save thousands of dollars. (Spokesman-Review)
COMMENTARY:
• A climate policy advocate outlines ways the Biden administration can overcome resistance to transmission upgrades needed to quickly advance renewable energy. (Forbes)
• The Blackjewel coal bankruptcy has reached a pivotal point that will determine the fate of communities and the company’s former employees, write two staffers of an environmental and community advocacy group. (Appalachian Voices)