POLITICS: Sen. Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer signed a memo in July agreeing that Democrats’ reconciliation bill wouldn’t exceed $1.5 trillion and that clean energy tax policies would include natural gas, coal and carbon capture. (E&E News)
ALSO:
• Progressive House members suggest Democrats could trim their reconciliation bill by funding proposed programs for shorter periods but say climate spending is not negotiable. (Reuters)
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and lawmakers in both parties receive mixed reactions to a compromise on major energy legislation that eliminates gas and solar mandates, aims to cut power sector carbon emissions by 70% and allows multi-year ratemaking. (Energy News Network, Raleigh News & Observer)
OIL & GAS:
• As crews rush to contain a 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore pipeline off the Southern California coast, questions arise over officials’ slow response. (Los Angeles Times)
• Legal experts weigh in on whether fossil fuel companies could be tried for crimes against humanity over their contributions to climate change. (Gizmodo)
• Massachusetts climate and equity groups say they’re being ignored and marginalized by gas utilities during talks to develop a legally required roadmap for the industry’s future in the state. (Energy News Network)
CARBON CAPTURE: The White House and Democratic U.S. senators reportedly work out a deal to boost tax credits for carbon capture projects in heavy industry. (Reuters)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric truck manufacturer Rivian, which currently sources batteries from a South Korea supplier, plans to build battery cells in-house. (Reuters)
EMISSIONS: A House committee plans to hold the EPA accountable for relaxing environmental monitoring during the Trump administration even as it became clear that air pollution was tied to heightened COVID-19 death rates. (Grist)
WIND: Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ administration submits plans for a floating offshore wind farm with 12 turbines in federal waters roughly 45 miles from Portland. (Maine Public Radio)
EFFICIENCY: As Ohio lawmakers consider restoring energy efficiency programs gutted under HB 6, a new analysis shows ratepayers in multiple Midwestern states are missing out on major savings from recent efficiency rollbacks. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES: Public pressure and continued community activism helped prevent the PennEast pipeline from receiving key permits and led to the developer’s eventual decision to kill the project. (NJ Spotlight)
COAL: Federal regulators issued nearly 200 citations to West Virginia mines from March to December 2020 for unhygienic conditions that deepened dangers for miners working in tight quarters during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
GRID: Transmission capacity in the Upper Midwest is becoming strained as more renewable energy projects come online, while building a more robust system would be expensive and contentious among landowners. (Star Tribune)
COMMENTARY:
• This weekend’s major oil spill off California’s coast is further proof the U.S. needs to end coastal oil drilling, an editorial board writes. (Los Angeles Times)
• A Harvard physics professor argues that reversing human-caused global warming will require the use of carbon capture or solar engineering on top of stark emissions cuts. (New York Times)