CLEAN ENERGY: Coal power’s rising costs and renewables’ increasing competitiveness mean it would now be cheaper to replace all but one of the U.S.’s coal-fired power plants with brand new solar and wind generation, a clean energy policy firm’s analysis finds. (Guardian)
ALSO: In North Carolina, the same analysis finds Duke Energy spends twice as much money operating its six North Carolina coal-fired power plants than it would replacing them with solar. (Energy News Network)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Advocates criticize the federal government’s promotion of personal electric vehicles as a climate solution over public transit. (Bloomberg)
• Virginia’s struggle to fund an existing electric vehicle rebate program highlights how partisan fights are challenging the EV transition. (E&E News)
• Tesla’s manufacturing facility expansion in Nevada is expected to trigger hundreds of millions of state tax abatements on top of the $1.3 billion in incentives the company already has received. (Nevada Current)
OIL & GAS:
• Facing an existential threat from the transition to clean energy, the natural gas industry is pushing liquefied natural gas exports and “green” gas in hopes that the products will help preserve its market position. (Canary Media)
• Increased drilling in west Texas’ oil patch coincides with hundreds of earthquakes per year in a region not previously known for seismic activity. (New York Times)
CLIMATE:
• A group of U.S. lawmakers urges the Biden administration to fight the appointment of an oil company leader to lead this year’s COP28 climate talks. (Politico)
• Ambitious climate agencies are pricey, but municipalities like Pittsburgh are using priority-based budgeting to find existing funds for the initiatives. (Grist)
FINANCE:
• As fears of a recession lead some startups to cut employees and costs, investors say climate change’s urgency will keep sustainability-focused startups afloat. (New York Times)
• A Republican U.S. representative who leads a key committee faces pressure from far-right members to go after climate-minded investment firms. (E&E News)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Advocates say they are disappointed that equity and environmental justice feel like an “afterthought” in Minnesota legislation calling for 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. (Inside Climate News)
CARBON CAPTURE: Two startups and two universities say they’re planning to apply for a piece of $3.5 billion in federal funding designated to build four direct-air carbon capture facilities around the country. (E&E News)
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UTILITIES: A new report contrasts U.S. utilities’ record profits in 2022 with the estimated 4.2 million times they shutoff service, disproportionately harming low-income customers and communities of color. (Guardian)
OFFSHORE WIND: New York says its third offshore wind solicitation received a record “volume of quality proposals,” with the winning bids to be announced in the spring. (RTO Insider, subscription)
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