CLIMATE: A new study finds the Trump administration’s rollback of Obama-era climate rules will result in an additional 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions — equivalent to a year’s output from Russia — between now and 2035. (Politico)
ALSO:
• BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, discloses that it has been putting increasing pressure on companies that are failing to make progress in addressing climate change. (The Guardian)
• The Vermont House overrides Gov. Phil Scott’s veto of a climate bill with the state senate expected to follow suit in the coming days. (Seven Days)
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OVERSIGHT:
• Documents show that pressure from the White House influenced the EPA’s rulemaking process on methane emissions. (E&E News)
• At a hearing on Wednesday, senators questioned FERC nominees about California’s blackouts, climate change, and other issues. (Utility Dive)
UTILITIES:
• Ohio regulators will require FirstEnergy to show whether customers paid for political or charitable spending related to the state’s power plant bailout law but won’t require an independent audit. (Eye on Ohio/Energy News Network)
• A federal appeals court dismisses a case brought by Connecticut consumers who alleged the state’s utilities had withheld natural gas from the electric distribution system to raise prices. (CTPost)
GRID:
• Federal regulators issue an order granting distributed energy resources access to wholesale electricity markets. (Greentech Media)
• Google could shift the global market for energy storage thanks to its commitment to power all its offices and data centers with only carbon-free electricity. (Quartz)
WIND: The Ohio Power Siting Board reverses an earlier decision that would have likely doomed the first offshore wind project in Lake Erie by limiting when it could operate. (Cleveland.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford Motor Co. announces plans to build a $700 million Detroit plant that will produce electric F-150 trucks. (Detroit Free Press)
• Vermont regulators approve off-peak rates for electric vehicle charging that are 20% lower than residential costs and equivalent to $1 for a gallon of gas. (Burlington Free Press)
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OIL & GAS:
• Environmentalists want the Bureau of Land Management to suspend efforts to amend a New Mexico oil and gas development plan, citing concerns about Native American tribes and others who would be affected. (Associated Press)
• Colorado regulators could approve proposed rules aiming to require emissions and air quality monitoring from the start of construction of a well site and over the first six months of production. (Denver Post)
COMMENTARY:
• Two advocates say solving climate change may cost less than what we’re spending to fight COVID-19. (Washington Post)
• A former medical professor says the racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths due to pollution exposure should prompt us to more quickly electrify heavy-duty vehicles. (Baltimore Sun)
• An energy journalist explains why Google’s pledge to power all its offices and data centers with only carbon-free electricity by 2030 is not just a public relations move. (InsideClimate News)