CARBON CAPTURE: The recent infrastructure law includes provisions laying the groundwork for companies to lease offshore areas to pump CO₂ into the ocean floor, which experts say could be a way to repurpose decommissioned oil and gas wells. (HuffPost)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• The White House announces a partnership with East Coast governors to boost offshore wind manufacturing facilities, ports, and workforce training and development. (Associated Press)
• The country’s first facility for manufacturing offshore wind turbine foundations is expected to create about 500 jobs in a New Jersey town as it recovers from a local refinery cutting back operations. (NJ Spotlight)
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OIL & GAS:
• In a meeting with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, oil industry leaders ask for less finger-pointing from the White House on gas prices. (CNN)
• Senate Democrats renew a call for President Biden to limit crude oil exports to preserve supplies for the United States and its allies. (E&E News, subscription)
HYDROGEN: U.S. medical groups warn that blending hydrogen with natural gas increases health and safety risks, supercharging asthma and dementia symptoms and raising the risk of explosions because of hydrogen’s lower ignition point. (Recharge)
CLIMATE:
• At least seven insurance companies have collapsed or canceled policies after Hurricane Ida led to $400 million in claims, severely diminishing Louisiana’s insurance market as the 2022 hurricane season arrives. (Grist)
• Environmentalists say California’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 inadequately cuts emissions and relies too heavily on carbon capture, but industry and labor groups say it goes too far and will raise prices and hurt workers and grid reliability. (Associated Press)
• Austin, Texas, will create a climate disaster preparedness guide for residents on how to create local resilience hubs during emergencies. (Austin Monitor)
GRID:
• Federal regulators begin investigating ISO New England for potential fraud over payments to a now-bankrupt Massachusetts power plant. (Hartford Courant)
• Pacific Gas & Electric begins paying Tesla Powerwall battery owners to send extra electricity to the grid during peak demand times. (The Verge)
TRANSPORTATION: Rhode Island legislators pass a budget that funds a $2.5 million pilot to eliminate fares on a bus route that carries half the state’s riders. (Boston Globe)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla CEO Elon Musk says new factories in Texas and Germany are “losing billions of dollars” due to a battery shortage and China port issues. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• A Minnesota appeals court weighs in on cases involving denied local permits for community solar projects on agricultural land. (Energy News Network)
• An Oklahoma solar farm that incorporates pollinator-friendly plantings attracts a gathering of rare caterpillars. (KFOR)
FOSSIL FUELS: The fossil fuel industry continues to push pipelines and other projects in the Northwest even though 70% of such proposals have been defeated by environmental opposition since 2012. (DeSmog)
FOLLOW THE MONEY:
• A Washington Republican in line to chair the U.S. House energy committee if her party gains control next year is flooded with corporate campaign contributions despite being in an uncompetitive district. (Sludge)
• A nonprofit advocacy group linked to DTE Energy is involved with a campaign to promote the use of carbon capture to meet emissions targets in California where the utility owns multiple biomass plants. (Los Angeles Times)
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