CLIMATE: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos to make “credible” net-zero pledges that avoid slogans, hype and obfuscation. (Reuters)
ALSO:
• Climate change is expected to increase the risk of sickness and death for people with diabetes, disproportionately affecting Florida because of its high rate of people with diabetes. (Miami Herald)
• Routine groundwater monitoring ended a decade ago in New York City, but federal officials want to resume observations as rising sea levels and intense rainstorms raise the water table, increasing flood risks. (The City)
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CLEAN ENERGY:
• Inflation Reduction Act incentives are changing the economics of clean energy projects and in some cases helping to tip the scales in favor of solar and storage projects over wind farms. (Politico)
• A new study finds that energy storage can be a cost-effective alternative to transmission lines for boosting renewable and reliability. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Georgia Power struggles to keep up with large companies’ demand for solar energy, leading companies like social media giant Meta and electric vehicle maker Rivan to source power from a cooperative. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Recently enacted legislation bars Connecticut homeowner associations from blocking solar installations; the state was previously the only one in New England without such protections. (Energy News Network)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• School districts across the country are beginning to roll out electric buses thanks to a financial boost from the 2021 federal infrastructure law. (ABC News)
• Virginia Senate Democrats defeat a Republican attempt to repeal the state’s adoption of California’s Clean Car standards. (Virginia Mercury)
• California, Oregon, Hawaii and Washington topped the nation for electric vehicle sales over the last two years, according to a transportation electrification firm. (OPB)
GRID: Puerto Rican officials move to privatize power generation, prompting questions and criticism that the change will do little to improve reliability while further delaying the transition to renewables. (NBC News)
OIL & GAS:
• U.S. officials forecast oil output in the Permian Basin will grow to record levels in February, fueling record production across the U.S. (Reuters)
• Texas oil and gas industry officials predict a leveling off of production in the Permian Basin this year but otherwise expect high growth through 2040. (KWES)
• The massive amount of oil burned for power generation last month shows how far the Northeast is from achieving its clean energy targets. (E&E News)
PIPELINES: An Iowa county’s Democratic and Republican parties hold a joint meeting to build landowner opposition to a proposed carbon capture pipeline. (Globe Gazette)
HYDROPOWER: California officials expect a series of atmospheric rivers that slammed the West Coast and filled reservoirs to boost hydropower production this summer. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
COMMENTARY: Gas stoves emit only a tiny share of greenhouse gases but replacing them should be a priority because homeowners with gas stoves are more likely to keep using gas for heating, too, a Rice University professor writes. (The Conversation)
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