GRID: As Hawaii’s electric utility faces allegations its equipment sparked Maui’s deadly fires, questions arise about the safety of the rest of the country’s overburdened, outdated power grid. (Axios)
ALSO:
• Industry experts say utilities’ multi-billion-dollar wildfire-related legal settlements help victims, but their costs are often passed on to ratepayers and can deplete hazard mitigation programs. (Grist)
• National lab researchers explore a new type of power system modeling that could be key to integrating more distributed power resources into the grid. (Utility Dive)
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EMISSIONS:
• The richest 10% of U.S. households produce 40% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, reports a study that takes into account how people live, travel and make money. (The Hill)
• A study shows current federal and state climate targets aren’t ambitious enough to meet the U.S.’s Paris Agreement pledge, suggesting states will need to step up to close the gap. (Canary Media)
• Texas and California exempt agricultural operations from greenhouse gas tracking, meaning they’re missing a significant source of methane emissions. (Inside Climate News)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• To maximize the value of the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits, experts suggest clean energy project developers partner with banks and financial institutions with big tax bills to offset. (Canary Media)
• A West Virginia coal county that will be home to the world’s largest clean ammonia production facility marks an example of how a federal climate package is fueling clean energy projects in economically struggling places. (CNN)
CLIMATE:
• Advocates worry the Maui wildfires will lead to “climate gentrification,” when locals displaced by disaster can’t afford housing. (Associated Press)
• Advocates say a Montana judge’s decision in a lawsuit targeting the state’s fossil fuel-friendly policies was a lesson in the “overwhelming scientific consensus” of climate change. (High Country News)
• The new climate director of Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency discusses how government can help mobilize the state to prepare for climate change. (Energy News Network)
STORAGE: A small Kentucky town braces for its population to potentially grow 10 times over as the world’s largest electric vehicle battery plant is built nearby. (Hoptown Chronicle)
ELECTRIFICATION: Records show SoCalGas helped fund a California restaurant industry campaign and lawsuit seeking to block natural gas hookup bans. (Sacramento Bee)
COAL: A New Mexico startup looks to retrofit the aging Four Corners coal plant with carbon capture technology following a failed bid to do the same on the nearby San Juan facility. (E&E News)
BUILDINGS: New York City’s buildings agency finds building owners are on track to fulfill their obligations under the city’s emissions law faster than expected despite the real estate industry warning it couldn’t meet the standards. (Bloomberg Law)
SOLAR:
• A solar industry expert highlights how few workers have solar installation experience, raising the importance of quality on-the-job training. (Utility Dive)
• More townships in northeastern Ohio seek to ban commercial solar projects as permitted under a recent state law. (WKBN)
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