POLICY: Calling it a “historic breakthrough,” President Trump announces the rollback of Nixon-era regulations designed to give communities more of a voice in projects that will impact them. (E&E News, NPR)
ALSO:
• Trump used the announcement to criticize Joe Biden’s climate proposal, which has drawn praise from groups hoping to help communities transitioning from coal. (The Hill, Ohio Valley Resource)
• A FERC commissioner says 30 days is too short of a timeframe for the agency to respond to rehearing requests, referencing a recent court decision on pipeline projects. (Utility Dive)
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OIL & GAS:
• A federal judge blocks the Trump administration’s effort to roll back an Obama rule limiting methane emissions from oil operations on public land. (Reuters)
• A report finds that royalty rate reductions were granted to oil companies that have made large campaign donations or have ties to Interior Department officials. (E&E News, subscription)
• A new study finds that pregnant women living near natural gas flaring sites may have an elevated risk of giving birth prematurely. (E&E News, subscription)
• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is ready to sign a $670 million tax credit bill for the petrochemical industry that sailed through the legislature this week without public hearings. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• An open valve causes roughly 7,500 gallons of oil to spill at a well pad in western North Dakota. (Associated Press)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric vehicle sales have slumped in 2020 relative to conventional cars but could rebound next year as carmakers release new models. (Quartz)
• County commissioners in Austin, Texas, approve tax breaks worth at least $14 million over 10 years if Tesla decides to build a $1.1 billion electric vehicle factory there. (Austin American-Statesman)
SOLAR:
• A recent study by California’s three investor-owned utilities finds that solar backed by storage can achieve nearly 100% reliability, posing a challenge to gas-fired peaker plants. (Bloomberg)
• Solar installations are springing up across the Atlanta metro area, driven by high electricity prices and falling solar costs. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
STORAGE: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signs a bill that directs state regulators to explore ways to compensate utilities for incorporating energy storage. (Concord Monitor)
UTILITIES: Clean energy advocates are challenging incumbents in two Virginia utility co-op board elections this summer. (Energy News Network)
COAL:
• Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer, the nation’s largest emitter of greenhouse gas, will see one of its four coal-fired units close by Jan. 1, 2022. (Saporta Report)
• Minnesota regulators approve Xcel Energy’s plan to run two of its coal plants for just six months of the year as a way to cut emissions and costs for customers. (Forum News Service)
• The Federal Trade Commission says competition should be maintained as it seeks to block a proposed merger between Arch Resources and Peabody Energy. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
WIND:
• New Jersey releases its strategic plan to develop 7,500 MW of offshore wind over 15 years that sets policy priorities but offers little on project costs. (NJ Spotlight)
• Hope still remains for the first offshore wind turbines in the Pacific despite a California congressman clashing with a recent Trump appointee to the Navy. (E&E News Daily, subscription)
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POLITICS: Events this week show the sharp contrast between President Trump and Joe Biden on the environment. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY: Critics say the Trump administration’s rewrite of a key environmental law eliminates or curtails crucial reviews of infrastructure projects. (Natural Resources Defense Council)