CONGRESS: The Senate could vote this week on a sweeping energy package that includes funding for clean energy, though it’s expected to draw opposition from Democrats who want stronger climate requirements. (Greentech Media)
PIPELINES:
• Environmental groups worry a ruling in favor of the the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would open up more national parks to energy development. (Politico)
• Natural gas pipelines’ contracts insulate them from the emerging movement to prohibit new gas hookups, but long-term financial risks still loom. (S&P Global)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A Vermont city starts a pilot program to allow private owners of electric vehicle chargers to make them available to the public via an app. (Energy News Network)
• A Republican U.S. senator wants to place an income limit on federal electric vehicle tax credits and eliminate them for vehicles over $45,000. (The Hill)
• Massachusetts lawmakers try to balance the urgency of electrifying Boston’s transit system with allowing time to overcome logistical obstacles. (State House News Service)
TRANSPORTATION: The U.S. vehicle fleet set a record for fuel efficiency in 2018 with additional gains expected to be reported for 2019. (Reuters)
POLICY:
• Dominion Energy continues to wield political influence in Virginia despite Democrats’ new legislative majorities as a committee kills a bipartisan bill that would have subjected the utility’s rates to more scrutiny. (Washington Post)
• South Carolina is seen by some as a model for how bipartisan clean energy legislation can be accomplished in a conservative state. (Charleston Business)
EFFICIENCY: As more Minnesota cities consider energy benchmarking programs, evidence suggests that the state’s first such policy in Minneapolis is helping to nudge energy consumption lower. (Energy News Network)
MICROGRIDS: A microgrid research center in Minnesota allows other schools and companies to test systems and products there. (Finance & Commerce)
COAL:
• Montana’s largest utility says early coal plant closures raise the probability of blackouts. (Montana Public Radio)
• Coal deliveries to U.S. power plants declined 6.7% in 2019, according to federal data. (S&P Global)
CLEAN ENERGY: A clean energy partnership between Los Angeles and the Navajo Nation could be transformational for both parties. (Earther)
CLIMATE: An Oregon case weighs whether climate change is urgent enough to justify a crime — in this case, blocking access to an oil facility. (InsideClimate News)
BIOGAS: Officials will unveil Indiana’s largest renewable natural gas plant today, a $25 million project supplied by landfill methane gas. (Inside Indiana Business)
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EMISSIONS: Grid operator PJM “could be a bellwether of the speed and depth of decarbonization” due to its size, connectivity and planned power plant retirements. (McKinsey)
COMMENTARY:
• Oil spills are on the rise 10 years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a progressive think tank reports. (Center for American Progress)
• Bernie Sanders’ plan to nationalize electricity production isn’t as radical as it might seem and has historical precedent, a journalist writes. (New Republic)