Posted on March 6, 2024
WIND: Offshore wind industry leaders say former President Trump’s election poses a “terrifying” threat to their already struggling industry, with one official saying that “anyone who is telling themselves that they’ll find a way around it is kidding themselves.” (E&E News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Indigenous advocates and tribal governments push back on some Biden administration-backed clean energy development on federal land in the West, saying it could harm culturally significant sites. (Washington Post)
OIL & GAS:
- West Virginia residents say Pittsburgh natural gas company EQT’s fracking operations in the state are causing environmental and health problems, pushing them to abandon their homes. (PublicSource)
- DTE Energy is among U.S. gas utilities passing on the costs of purchasing “responsible gas” to customers, a process that critics say has questionable climate benefits. (DeSmog)
- New federal data shows four out of Rhode Island’s five natural gas-fired power plants have seen emissions increase substantially in the past year. (ecoRI)
CLIMATE: The Securities and Exchange Commission will vote this week on whether it will require public companies to disclose their emissions and how climate change could harm their businesses. (The Hill)
ELECTRIFICATION: Electric panels’ limited capacities can keep homeowners from adopting heat pumps, electric vehicles and other electric appliances, but smart panels can be a solution. (Washington Post)
UTILITIES:
- Georgia’s regulatory commission wields significant power over the state’s energy policy as the only government body with direct authority to regulate Georgia Power, and mirrors similarly powerful regulatory boards across the country. (Grist/WABE)
- A Colorado utility begins pushing customers to reduce power demand to help it meet climate goals after reaching its 2030 goal of acquiring 80% of its energy from renewable sources six years early. (Colorado Sun)
GRID:
- California startups and utilities look to develop tools to manage and modulate electric vehicle charging schedules to reduce strain on the grid. (Canary Media)
- New Hampshire’s governor expresses disappointment that developers have decided not to pursue a 1.2 GW bidirectional transmission line between New England and Québec. (In-Depth NH, CommonWealth Beacon)
PIPELINES: Summit Carbon Solutions partners with the world’s second-largest ethanol producer to potentially connect eight ethanol plants to a proposed multi-state carbon pipeline. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
MINING: Southern Arizona advocates and residents push back on a proposed manganese mine fast-tracked by the Biden administration, saying mining for the battery component could harm the fragile ecosystem. (Guardian)
ADVOCACY: Ohio’s consumer advocate wants the state Supreme Court to overturn a decision that prevented it from representing apartment residents in a case involving a submetering company. (Energy News Network)
COMMENTARY: A climate journalist highlights the importance of voting in local elections today and later this year with the future of clean energy and climate change on the ballot.
