CLEAN ENERGY: The share of electricity generated from wind and solar in the U.S. nearly quadrupled from 2011 to 2020, putting it on a pace to meet current power demand by 2035, a report finds. (Washington Post)
COP26:
• Six major automakers, including Ford and General Motors, pledge to phase out gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2040 worldwide, though the U.S. was not among the 30 countries that also joined the pledge. (New York Times)
• U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declares “America is back” as a climate leader at COP26, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests “we’re not just back, we’re different.” (New York Times, The Hill)
TRANSPORTATION:
• The U.S. Department of Transportation sets a goal of net-zero aviation sector emissions by 2050. (Reuters)
• A battery manufacturing plant being built near a shuttered GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio, embodies the shift to electric vehicles, though former auto workers fear they will be left behind. (Bloomberg)
• Shares in electric vehicle startup Rivian are set to be traded publicly today and offer a clearer picture into how interested investors are in the electric vehicle market. (Associated Press)
WIND: General Electric announces it will split into three companies, including an energy company that’s planning big wind power investments and a conversion of its gas turbine business to clean energy production. (E&E News)
CLIMATE: Global exposure to dangerous urban heat has more than tripled over the past 40 years, a study finds, with higher temperatures and humidity as well as growing populations largely to blame. (Washington Post)
CARBON CAPTURE: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is helping negotiate a multibillion-dollar expansion of the current tax incentive for carbon capture into Democrats’ federal spending package. (American Prospect)
UTILITIES: Clean energy groups say Kansas utility Evergy’s shifting long-term clean energy plans undermine faith in the state-required integrated resource planning process. (Energy News Network)
GRID: A Canadian bitcoin mining firm operating on the Navajo Nation consumes 7 MW of power each month while nearby residents lack electricity, drawing allegations of “financial colonialism.” (Vice)
SOLAR: Entergy Louisiana will buy 475 MW of solar energy from four facilities across the state. (KLPC)
PIPELINES: A White House official clarifies that the Biden administration is not contemplating shutting down the Line 5 pipeline as treaty negotiations with Canada continue. (Reuters)
OIL & GAS:
• The recently passed federal infrastructure bill requires the U.S. Department of Interior to develop a plan to plug orphaned and abandoned wells on public land. (Deseret News)
• Oklahoma Natural Gas floats a potential “exit fee” for customers who electrify their homes that would exceed $1,300 for a typical customer. (Oklahoman)
• A developer wants to build a dense residential development on a former coal- and oil-fired power plant site in New Haven, Connecticut, still undergoing environmental remediation. (New Haven Register)
MINING: The Biden administration removes uranium from the federal critical mineral list, hurting efforts to revive the Mountain West’s beleaguered mining industry. (E&E News)
COMMENTARY: Young people are right to distrust climate pledges by world leaders and fossil fuel companies, as a recent report shows many countries have badly underreported emissions, Bill McKibben writes. (New Yorker)