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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Residents in poorer, predominantly white neighborhoods are less energy-cost burdened than people in predominantly minority neighborhoods of similar economic status due largely to federal housing policies, according to a recent study. (CityLab)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Environmental groups file a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to block 14 states from regulating their own vehicle emissions standards. (The Hill)
• Minnesota’s plan to spend Volkswagen settlement funds to reduce air pollution underscores the challenge of targeting transportation emissions. (MinnPost)
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SOLAR: Researchers find that political affiliation isn’t driving residential solar installations, though residents who install solar are more likely to vote in elections, potentially for clean energy policies. (Grist)
POWER PLANTS:
• The U.S. EPA estimates that easing regulations on pollutant discharges from power plants could save utilities more than $300 million, though critics say it would eliminate public health benefits. (Utility Dive)
• It’s unclear whether President Trump’s pick for Energy Secretary will be able to successfully advance plans to subsidize coal and nuclear plants after Rick Perry failed to do so. (E&E News, subscription)
PIPELINES: Police and local authorities prepare a coordinated response to an expected new wave of protests against the Keystone XL pipeline, referring to some demonstrators as potential “domestic terrorism” threats. (The Guardian)
OIL & GAS:
• More than 20 states and cities prepare to file a major lawsuit against the Trump administration’s effort to roll back methane regulations for the oil and gas sector. (E&E News, subscription)
• Environmentalists criticise the first report of New Mexico’s Climate Change Task Force, saying it contains no plan to move the third-largest oil producing state away from oil and gas production. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Pennsylvania will spend $3 million on two studies to examine the health effects of fracking after months of activism by residents affected by a rare form of cancer. (Associated Press)
BIOFUELS: The White House has reportedly asked for input from Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley to boost the ethanol market in 2020. (Reuters)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Connecticut officials consider strategies to make sure low-income communities aren’t left out of a plan to boost electric vehicle adoption in the state. (Energy News Network)
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company has received 200,000 orders for its recently unveiled electric truck. (Reuters)
CLIMATE:
• Former South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis is on a mission to convince fellow conservatives to support climate action. (Energy News Network)
• Climate protesters storm the field at a Yale-Harvard football game, disrupting the game for 40 minutes as they demand both schools divest from fossil fuel. (New Haven Register)
NUCLEAR: South Carolina lawmakers agreed to hire a consumer advocate to represent ratepayers on the abandoned V.C. Summer nuclear project — but 18 months later, the position isn’t filled. (Associated Press)
BIOGAS: Smithfield Foods and Dominion Energy form a partnership to expand their efforts to turn pig manure into renewable natural gas. (NPR)
UTILITIES: The city of Boulder, Colorado, offers almost $94 million to Xcel Energy for the company’s electric utility assets necessary to form a municipal utility. (Denver Post)
GRID: A report says the three grid operators managing the Northeast waste $1.4 billion annually paying for excess capacity. (Utility Dive)
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COAL: The next opportunity for Congress to vote on a bill to fund miners’ pensions and healthcare will be just before Christmas. (WOWK)
COMMENTARY:
• Federal corn ethanol mandates have been an environmental and social failure and may be worse for the climate than fossil fuels, says a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. (The Atlantic)
• A California fuel researcher says converting renewable electricity to hydrogen will play an important role in fighting climate change. (USA Today)