CLIMATE: A new poll finds that climate change is now a top issue for voters, but Democrats and Republicans are increasingly polarized on the subject. (The Atlantic)
ALSO: The USDA announces plans to help the agricultural sector cut carbon emissions while still increasing productivity. (The Hill)
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TRANSPORTATION: Chicago has made strides to become a more bike-friendly city, but bicycling remains unsafe and impractical in many minority neighborhoods, bicycle riders and advocates say. (Energy News Network)
GRID:
• A new study says a Massachusetts law to encourage the use of clean energy technologies at times of peak demand may not be effective in lowering emissions. (Greentech Media)
• Federal regulators issue orders for the New York energy market that critics say will prop up fossil fuel generators at the expense of renewables. (Reuters)
WIND:
• New England utility Eversource tells analysts in an earnings call that it expects to have 1,714 MW of offshore wind operational by the end of 2024. (Platts)
• Oklahoma regulators agree to a plan that allows a utility to recover costs of adding 675 MW of wind power with no rate increase for customers. (KFOR)
SOLAR: Iowa utilities, clean energy advocates and agriculture groups reach a compromise that maintains net metering and calls for a value of solar study in seven years or when solar hits 5% of the state’s energy mix. (The Courier)
COAL:
• The CEO of an Indiana rural electric co-op says “coal is just too expensive right now to be a viable generating source.” (Indiana Public Media)
• Major coal companies are hoarding cash in anticipation of a market recovery. (Bloomberg)
• U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) tells Wyoming legislators that carbon capture will be significant for the future. (Wyoming News Now)
OIL & GAS:
• FERC delays voting on the controversial Jordan Cove liquified gas project in Oregon after the state rejects a key permit. (Associated Press)
• Louisiana’s governor announces plans to address sea level rise by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas industry, though he emphasized doing it in an industry-friendly way. (NOLA.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Oregon’s House passes a bill that will make it easier for utilities to recover costs for electric vehicle infrastructure. (Portland Business Journal)
• A rapid transition to electric cars and how it may affect supply chains “is going to be a really tough political issue” in Michigan, according to some experts. (Bridge)
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ACTIVISM:
• As advocates have turned to the states to push climate action since the 2016 election, the oil industry has also stepped in. (The Atlantic)
• Indigenous people say the Green New Deal and other climate efforts locally and nationally shut them out of discussions and policies to address the crisis. (ecoRI)
COMMENTARY: A journalist writes that the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline route runs through many news deserts, which has made it harder for citizens to take action or find information. (Columbia Journalism Review)