COP27: The Biden administration joins major corporations and nonprofits in seeking $100 billion in private investment for a carbon trading proposal that would fund clean energy in developing countries, though environmental groups say it could actually undermine emissions reduction efforts. (Washington Post, New York Times)
ALSO:
• United Nations experts call for standards to prevent polluters from touting net-zero pledges without action. (The Hill)
• Scotland pledges $5.7 million more for climate reparations, adding to pressure for wealthier countries like the U.S. to do the same. (New York Times)
MIDTERMS:
• Congressional control was still up for grabs as midterm election votes were still being counted, though Democrats had so far avoided a wave of GOP wins that could derail Inflation Reduction Act implementation. (E&E News, Washington Post)
• Voters in California, New Mexico and Colorado re-elect Democratic governors who have supported renewable energy and tightened regulations on fossil fuel industries. (Los Angeles Times, Albuquerque Journal, Colorado Sun)
• Wins by incumbent Democratic governors in Michigan and Wisconsin will help protect those states’ climate and clean energy targets. (S&P Global)
• New York voters approve a $4.3 billion environmental bond act that will support school bus electrification, efficiency retrofits at state properties and offshore wind farms, among other projects. (Times Union)
CLIMATE:
• Using satellites and artificial intelligence, a climate group details the biggest global sources of carbon emissions and finds many companies and countries are underreporting. (Axios, New York Times)
• Carbon emissions from buildings and construction hit an all-time high in 2021 even as global leaders push the sector to decarbonize by 2050, a United Nations report finds. (The Hill)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Institutions that buy electric vehicles in bulk, like rental companies and local governments, may be the most important for the EV transition as they can reduce a big chunk of emissions at once, justify building chargers and other infrastructure, and normalize EVs for other consumers. (Vox)
• Asian and European automakers call out new U.S. electric vehicle subsidies for prioritizing domestic production, saying they could dampen EV adoption and create trade disputes. (E&E News)
STORAGE: Despite nearly $400 billion in clean energy tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, shortages of materials used to make batteries could stall construction for years, according to analysts. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• An Oregon company tests elevated solar arrays inspired by suspension bridges that could let crops grow and animals graze underneath. (Energy News Network)
• Appalachian solar advocates hope stackable federal tax credits for businesses, schools, nonprofits and individuals will help revamp rural economies previously dependent on coal. (Daily Yonder)
NUCLEAR: Nuclear power’s recent ebbs and flows are illustrated in the Southeast, where South Carolina abandoned construction on a nuclear plant and Georgia Power has been long delayed in an expansion even as other utilities seek to extend use of existing reactors. (S&P Global)
COMMENTARY: Reforming electricity pricing systems is now an imperative ahead of likely clean energy investments under the Inflation Reduction Act, a former state and federal regulator writes. (Utility Dive)
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