CLIMATE: A new report finds that most states with climate commitments are falling fall short of their emissions goals, in large part because of a lack of policy report. (The Hill)
ALSO:
• Analysts say utilities could face legal action for failing to plan for climate change. (Utility Dive)
• A new study finds that the Virginia’s sweeping Clean Economy Act will only cut emissions 26% by 2050, partly because it focuses only on the state’s largest electric utilities. (Greentech Media)
• A growing shift in Florida’s electorate to accept climate change and worry about its consequences may result in action even in an increasingly Republican state legislature. (WLRN)
• Advocates raise concerns that New York City “has taken its eye off the ball” following a report showing increased emissions in 2018 and 2019. (City Limits)
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TRANSITION:
A former EPA official says the Biden administration will need “a 55-gallon drum of smelling salts to bring the agency back to life” after the Trump administration’s efforts to hobble the agency. (E&E News)
• Former California regulator Mary Nichols, a top Biden pick to lead the EPA, could face a tough confirmation fight in the Senate from Republicans worried about the state’s “command and control culture.” (E&E News)
• In a departure from previous norms, the Trump administration is sending political loyalists to transition meetings to monitor conversations on climate change and other topics. (New York Times)
FINANCE: Michigan’s decade-old green bank that’s helped spur private investment in clean energy projects could be a model as the incoming Biden administration considers the financing option on a national scale. (Energy News Network)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Senators are still optimistic that a bipartisan energy bill could be passed this year. (Utility Dive)
• A court rules Montana regulators undercut the price developers of a $500 million wind farm would be paid for electricity, the third such ruling on a clean energy case this year. (Montana Standard)
• With revenue from fossil fuels declining, Montana Republicans consider raising taxes on wind and solar energy to make up the difference. (Billings Gazette)
BIOENERGY: Environmental advocates say the calculations used to project climate benefits from biogas captured at industrial feedlots are often misleading, overlooking the impacts of the livestock operations themselves. (Inside Climate News)
OIL & GAS: With only ten inspectors, New Mexico is falling behind on goals to monitor the state’s 52,000 oil and gas wells to help combat methane leaks. (Capital & Main)
NUCLEAR:
• A Republican state lawmaker says a law providing subsidies for two nuclear plants at the center of a bribery scandal should be repealed: “The fact is these plants are no longer needed.” (Toledo Blade)
• An Arizona public utility increases its share of a nuclear generating station along with purchasing some transmission assets and associated nuclear fuel inventory. (Associated Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk moves to Texas after fighting with California regulators over coronavirus restrictions that have kept the company’s Bay Area factory closed. (Associated Press)
• Green Mountain Power in Vermont is testing an electric vehicle charger that allows the company’s 2019 Nissan Leaf to act as a storage resource. (American Public Power Association)
COMMENTARY:
• Criminal convictions aren’t enough to settle the investigation into Ohio’s power plant bailout law; what’s needed is a broader effort at “rooting out corruption in state government,” an editorial board says. (Toledo Blade)
• An Iñupiaq activist discusses the impact that oil and gas development has on indigenous communities in the Arctic. (Sierra Club)