Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

OIL & GAS: The U.S. EPA is reportedly considering tougher emissions rules for new gas power plants ahead of their expected final release this month — a contrast with other Biden administration environmental rules that have generally been weakened after their initial proposal. (Washington Post)

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ALSO:

• Environmental advocates push the U.S. Energy Department to prioritize climate change and energy prices as it considers new liquefied natural gas exports. (E&E News)
• G20 countries, including the U.S., invested $142 billion into fossil fuel development in poor countries from 2020 to 2022, with spending on gas projects leading the way. (Guardian)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Renewable energy generation breaks records across the U.S., including in Texas, where wind energy and solar are toppling coal generation, and New England, which set an emissions-free power generation record in March. (E&E News, subscription; Houston Chronicle, Concord Monitor)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The nation’s first fully battery-powered tugboat is set to begin operating from California’s Port of San Diego later this spring. (Canary Media)

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PIPELINES:

• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe prepares a legal argument to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline that claims the operator’s environmental record should prevent it from obtaining a crucial easement. (E&E News)
• A Louisiana State University professor develops a method of fiber-optic leak detection that could supplement or replace pressure gauges as a way of rapidly detecting leaks in oil and gas pipelines. (Reveille)

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OFFSHORE WIND: The demise of several Northeast offshore wind projects last year sent Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer into a lobbying frenzy that resulted in a modified tax credit to benefit developers and the approval of new projects. (E&E News)

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GRID:

• Two new studies recommend advanced reconductoring as a faster, cheaper way to add more capacity to existing power lines. (New York Times)
• Utilities, regulators, lawmakers and grid operators increasingly explore the potential of virtual power plants that could harness power from distributed batteries to reduce grid demand. (States Newsroom)
• Xcel Energy says its first ever planned outage to reduce wildfire risk likely prevented its lines in Colorado from sparking a blaze during last weekend’s unusually severe winds, but some customers say they weren’t adequately warned. (CPR)

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COAL: The Army Corps of Engineers says it should be able to open a limited-access channel by the end of the month to access Baltimore’s port, through which a notable chunk of the country’s coal exports pass. (Daily Record)

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SOLAR: Indigenous advocates protest a proposed solar development in central Washington state, saying it threatens cultural resources. (High Country News)

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COMMENTARY:

• A young Maryland member of a conservative environmentalists’ group encourages his peers to “bridge the partisan divide on climate issues.” (Maryland Matters)
• The Sierra Club’s executive director writes that “tireless activism” and “incremental wins” are behind the planned closures of New England’s last coal-fired generation units. (Sierra Magazine)

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SOLAR: Two large solar projects that have come online in South Dakota over the past year signal a new interest in solar for a state where wind energy has dominated renewable energy sources. (South Dakota News Watch)

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ALSO: The Ohio Power Siting Board will hold a second public hearing on a large solar project after roughly 800 people packed a theater and public comments ran on for hours. (Knox Pages)

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CARBON CAPTURE: The CEO of a multi-state carbon pipeline project maintains that it would be crucial for ethanol producers who could market low-carbon products. (NWestIowa.com)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Auto analysts say the Biden administration’s formula for a new “petroleum equivalency factor” will significantly worsen the miles-per-gallon rating for electric vehicles and could be as impactful as new tailpipe emissions. (Detroit News, subscription)
• U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa claims nearly 60,000 ethanol sector jobs would be at stake under the Biden administration’s recently finalized tailpipe emission rules. (KMALand)
• Congress member Debbie Dingell of Michigan says the federal government’s role in the EV transition should be to support jobs and ensure vehicle affordability. (Great Lakes Echo)

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GRID:

• Michigan’s attorney general criticizes DTE Energy’s five-year, $9 billion grid distribution plan for failing to identify specific problem areas needed for upgrades. (Planet Detroit)
• Duke Energy officials say a $500 million rate increase request in Indiana is meant to harden the grid and prepare for tens of thousands of new customers anticipated in the coming years. (Indiana Public Broadcasting)

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WIND: Three former Minnesota high school students have used their technical training in renewable energy to support the development of an offshore wind project in Massachusetts. (Echo Journal)

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RENEWABLES: Wisconsin utilities tout voluntary, subscription-based green pricing programs as a way for customers to support renewable energy investments without onsite installations. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

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UTILITIES: Consumer advocates and Indiana utility NIPSCO agree on a rate increase request that’s about 75% of what the utility sought to pay for gas infrastructure investments. (Chicago Tribune)

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COMMENTARY: Some Minnesota environmental groups’ newfound opposition to a statewide low-carbon fuel standard raises questions about the future of the state’s ethanol industry, a columnist writes. (Star Tribune)

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TRANSPORTATION: While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says there is “enormous potential” for high-speed rail connecting Dallas and Houston. (NBC DFW)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of funds to expand the Brightline high-speed rail line to Tampa. (WUSF)

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SOLAR:

• Solar generated more electricity than coal in Texas for the first time last month, providing more than 10% of the state’s electricity. (IEEFA)
• Duke Energy seeks regulatory approval for a 76 MW solar array adjacent to a South Carolina nuclear plant. (news release)

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HYDROGEN:

• A proposed hydrogen production facility in West Virginia is facing opposition from neighboring landowners. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• A study led by university researchers says Texas has the existing clean energy, infrastructure and workforce to make it a leader in clean hydrogen production. (news release)

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WIND: A 21-year-old Texas wind farm has been rebuilt, enabling it to generate more power with 38 turbines instead of the previous 160. (Electrek)

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UTILITIES:

• A fight over a 2021 Florida Power & Light rate increase will return to the state Supreme Court as advocates appeal a state commission’s ruling reaffirming the decision. (WUSF)
• A Virginia court backs Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s members in a lawsuit seeking to publicly disclose the salaries of board members. (Virginia Mercury)

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NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

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OIL & GAS: Developers of a pipeline to carry natural gas from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast are hoping to have it operational by 2028. (S&P Global)

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COMMENTARY: A Virginia advocate says lawmakers have ignored “the energy crisis that is hurtling towards us” by failing to regulate data center growth. (Power for the People VA)

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CLEAN ENERGY: New York’s governor proposes a new policy that would speed up clean energy project siting by requiring approval within a year of proposal — but some legislators say there needs to be more guardrails to protect labor and farmlands. (NY Focus)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Pennsylvania lawmakers today begin considering higher annual fees for electric vehicle owners to make up for lost gas tax revenue. (Penn Live, subscription)
• A Maryland bill awaiting the governor’s signature would require state regulators to develop rules for a bidirectional electric vehicle charging program. (Power Grid International)
• New York City’s public advocate says NIMBYism is blocking expansion of outdoor e-bike charging options as batteries have become a top source of indoor fires. (City & State)
• A Reading, Pennsylvania, gas and convenience store receives about $850,000 in state-directed federal funds to install electric vehicle charging stations. (Reading Eagle)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• Developers of SouthCoast Wind say the 2.4 GW project could end up with two substations at the site of the former coal-fired Brayton Point Power Station. (Herald News)
• Maine environmentalists say plans to develop Sears Island into an offshore wind hub ignore wetlands and natural resource protections. (E&E News, subscription)

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GRID: A new joint venture intends to develop and manage 200 MWs of microgrid projects in New York. (news release)

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BUILDINGS: Maryland environmental groups “feel betrayed” over a new budget amendment they say will hurt implementation of clean building provisions of a 2022 climate solutions act. (Maryland Matters)

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SOLAR:

• Officials in Pennsylvania’s Kiski Township kick off early discussions as to how to update their zoning ordinance to address solar developments. (Trib Live)
• Turner, Maine, votes to establish requirements around where commercial solar farms can be sited, as well as setback and visual screening regulations. (Sun Journal)

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FLOODS: Heavy rain in southwest Pennsylvania this week rose river levels in Pittsburgh to the highest point in almost 20 years, flooding parks. (Trib Live)

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WORKFORCE: A Massachusetts public high school will receive millions of dollars from the state to fund a clean energy education pilot project for students. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

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OIL & GAS: Arizona residents push back on a proposed 98 MW natural gas peaker plant in the western part of the state, saying it would harm air quality and property values. (Arizona Republic)

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ALSO: California regulators reject advocates’ proposal to tighten gas flaring regulations at petroleum refineries and to livestream the burnoffs. (E&E News, subscription)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• New Mexico regulators reject an auto industry bid to delay implementing state electric vehicle rules while a legal challenge winds through the courts. (Associated Press)
• Apple lays off more than 600 employees in California after canceling its electric vehicle development project. (Bloomberg)

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UTILITIES: A Hawaii lawyer alleges a termite-damaged utility pole sparked last year’s deadly Maui wildfires after it was toppled by high winds. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

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CARBON CAPTURE:

• A developer withdraws its application for a proposed biomass and carbon capture project in California’s Central Valley after the U.S. EPA scrutinized inconsistencies in its environmental reviews. (Courthouse News)
• A New Mexico county votes to support a university’s effort to develop a carbon capture and geologic storage industry in the northwestern part of the state. (Tri-City Record)
• A Wyoming direct-air carbon capture project seeks proposals for providing clean energy to the facility. (news release)

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BIOFUELS: Oregon advocates push back on a proposal to store biofuels instead of crude oil at a Portland facility, saying the conversion won’t reduce air pollution or safety risks. (Oregonian)

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SOLAR: California grid operators predict today’s solar eclipse will diminish solar power output in the state for a short period, but say utility customers will not be affected. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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HYDROPOWER: Hawaii advocates drop a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed hydropower project over potential environmental impacts after developers scale back plans. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

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CLEAN ENERGY: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says policy decisions have put her state at the “epicenter” of the clean energy transition. (NM Political Report)

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WIND:

• Wyoming researchers paint turbine blades black in an experimental effort aimed at reducing bird collisions with wind power facilities. (Wyoming Public Radio)
• Eastern Washington counties fashion clean energy-development regulations in anticipation of a predicted slew of wind power proposals. (Spokesman-Review)

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GRID: An unusually severe wind storm raises wildfire hazard and batters utility equipment in Colorado, leaving more than 150,000 customers without power. (Boulder Reporting Lab)

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COMMENTARY: A Utah editorial board says the state’s misguided fossil fuel-friendly policies paved the way for a utility to keep burning coal at the expense of ratepayers and air quality. (Salt Lake Tribune)

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CLIMATE: NOAA released a report Friday showing levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere reached historic highs last year, with one scientist saying the methane spike in particular “should terrify us.” (Associated Press)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• The Department of Energy is racing to get billions of dollars in clean energy loans out the door to ensure financing is in place before the 2024 election. (E&E News, subscription)
• New York’s governor proposes a new policy that would speed up clean energy project siting by requiring approval within a year of proposal — but some legislators say there needs to be more guardrails to protect labor and farmlands. (NY Focus)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A new poll finds electric vehicle ownership has risen since last year, but the number of people seriously considering buying one has declined, and more people say they would not buy one at all. (Gallup)
• Finance companies and dealers are increasingly interested in the used EV market, which is complicated because of varying car values and incentives. (Canary Media)
• Auto analysts say the Biden administration’s formula for a new “petroleum equivalency factor” will significantly worsen the miles-per-gallon rating for electric vehicles and could be as impactful as new tailpipe emissions. (Detroit News, subscription)

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TRANSPORTATION:

• While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of state funds to expand a high-speed rail line. (WUSF)

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SOLAR: Solar generated more electricity than coal in Texas for the first time last month, providing more than 10% of the state’s electricity. (IEEFA)

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WIND: Wyoming researchers paint turbine blades black in an experimental effort aimed at reducing bird collisions with wind power facilities. (Wyoming Public Radio)

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NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

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CARBON CAPTURE: The CEO of a multi-state carbon pipeline project maintains that it would be crucial for ethanol producers who could market low-carbon products. (NWestIowa.com)

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MINING: Efforts to develop a lithium mining site in Nevada face a major obstacle: Finding enough water. (Inside Climate News)

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COMMENTARY: A climate journalist finds that traveling by train — at least, on America’s outdated diesel-powered ones — can in some cases be worse for the climate than flying. (New York Times)

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POLICY: Connecticut lawmakers consider a 20-part climate omnibus bill in the last month of their session that would declare a climate crisis so it can access federal funds, update emission targets and incentivize sustainable or energy-efficient practices. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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ALSO: Two top Northeast energy executives express optimism but nonetheless question if Massachusetts can reach its 2030 cleaner power goals. (GBH)

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GRID:

• Roughly 400,000 electric customers are still dealing with power outages across New England and the Mid-Atlantic after snow and heavy winds swept the region, leading to some coastal flooding; more snow is expected today. (PowerOutage.US, Boston Globe, CNN)
• Maine lawmakers send a bill to the governor’s desk representing the biggest change to eminent domain law in half a century, which would restrict when power line and transmission tower projects can force land sales. (Portland Press Herald)

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UTILITIES:

• National Fuel is still undertaking anti-gas ban lobbying activities despite being reprimanded by New York regulators for doing so with funds from customer bills. (New York Focus)
• Massachusetts’ attorney general says the state’s electric suppliers missed “the perfect opportunity” to lower consumer costs during the volatile energy market swings between July 2022 and June 2023. (WBUR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Maryland lawmakers are expected to soon vote on a budget package that adds new weight-based surcharges to electric and plug-in hybrid car registrations, a change estimated to raise $20 million for the state’s transportation fund. (Maryland Matters)
• Climate advocates say it’s going to be much harder for Maine to reach its 2030 climate goals without stronger clean car standards similar to those recently rejected by state regulators. (Portland Press Herald)
• The greater Boston area is one of the country’s biggest electric vehicle markets but still falls far behind several other large American cities in purchases. (WBUR)

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TRANSIT: The judge hearing New Jersey’s legal challenge to a federal environmental assessment of the Manhattan congestion pricing plan — which could be resolved by June — questions where the National Environmental Policy Act supports New Jersey’s argument. (Streetsblog, Gothamist)

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MINES: The owner of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Mine idled operations last week due to heightened underground methane gas levels, not because it plans to close the mine, despite union claims that language in a company statement indicates that direction. (Herald-Standard)

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BUILDINGS:

• In New Jersey, a new PSE&G report suggests customers participating in the utility’s energy efficiency program are saving $445 million annually on their bills. (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• Maine officials will soon start studying how to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state’s public schools. (Maine Wire)

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FINANCE: The Efficiency Maine Green Bank is set to receive $15 million in federal funds for loans supporting clean energy and renewable tech improvements. (news release)

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SOLAR: A Maine town will decide this weekend whether to approve a new solar ordinance with a new definition of where solar farms can be located, as well as visual and physical buffering restrictions. (Sun Journal)

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COMMENTARY:

• A Cayuga County, New York, economic analyst says the area’s limited electrical capacity is threatening numerous development projects and the county’s overall economic development. (The Citizen)
• Climate and offshore wind advocates in Delaware write it’s “not an option” for the state not to pass legislation to solicit offshore wind power given the state’s known climate impacts. (Delaware Online)

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COAL: Wisconsin utilities are in the process of determining what’s next for the sites of the state’s large coal plants as just a few will still be producing power in the coming years. (Wisconsin Public Radio)

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GEOTHERMAL: Minnesota lawmakers introduce legislation to support the development of networked geothermal systems, a technology that is already taking off in the state to reduce buildings’ emissions. (Energy News Network)

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POWER PLANTS: Local officials in northern Wisconsin decline to set public hearings for a proposed 625 MW gas plant near Lake Superior, delaying the project that has divided local opponents and labor groups. (Forum News Service)

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CLIMATE: A Chicago neighborhood group pushes for more affordable housing development near transit stops, an approach leaders say combats both climate change and gentrification. (Grist)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Ford announces it will delay the launch of an electric truck and an electric SUV to focus on gas-electric hybrids as sales expectations decline. (Associated Press)
• A Minnesota logistics company is piloting a program to determine whether electric semi-trucks can be a viable alternative to diesel-powered trucks. (WCCO)
• A tribe in Michigan receives a $4 million grant through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to replace gas-powered fleet vehicles with electric cars and install solar. (Crain’s Grand Rapids Business)

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OHIO: A federal judge denies a request to move former Public Utilities Commission Chairperson Sam Randazzo’s corruption trial to Columbus from Cincinnati, where it is likely to start this summer. (Statehouse News Bureau)

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SOLAR: Energy experts broadly expect natural gas to replace most of the solar output, which could top 40 GWh total, lost during Monday’s eclipse. (Utility Dive)

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OIL & GAS: Officials believe oil leaking from containers on private property and into a storm drainage system caused a spill into a river in Flint, Michigan. (WJRT)

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COMMENTARY:

• Legal and energy scholars write that the biggest threat to U.S. grid reliability is not a growing portfolio of renewable energy, but rather an outdated and parochial oversight system. (Utility Dive)

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Ohio ratepayer advocates say proposed state legislation would “rein in utility greed,” reduce shutoffs and prioritize customers in the wake of a historic utility bribery scandal. (Columbus Dispatch)

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CLIMATE: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pauses implementation of its rule requiring companies to disclose their climate-related risks, though it’ll keep defending the regulation from legal challenges. (The Hill)

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ALSO:

• More than 80% of global carbon emissions released since the 2016 Paris Agreement stemmed from just 57 oil, gas, coal and cement producers, a study finds. (Guardian)
• Connecticut lawmakers consider a 20-part climate omnibus bill that would declare a climate crisis, update emission targets and incentivize sustainable or energy-efficient practices. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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SOLAR:

• Monday’s eclipse will be a test run for how grid operators prepare for other solar-blocking events like wildfires and lengthy storms as more solar power comes online. (E&E News)
• The Biden administration awards $19 million to projects in California, Oregon and Utah to help install solar panels over irrigation canals. (Courthouse News)

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EFFICIENCY:

• The U.S. Energy Department gives manufacturers another two years to comply with new efficiency rules for distribution transformers, leaving environmental advocates frustrated. (Utility Dive)
• Widely available incentives make heat pumps a more affordable heating system than most fossil fuels, though actual savings vary widely depending on what heating systems customers used before. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS:

• The Biden administration cancels two planned oil purchases it would’ve used to replenish the nation’s petroleum reserves. (The Hill)
• A climate group finds plugging and cleaning up wells in a single Wyoming oil and gas field could cost up to $900 million, or about 30 times more than proposed federal reclamation bond increases would generate. (E&E news, subscription, news release)

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COAL: The U.S. Interior Department moves to reverse a Trump administration policy, making it easier for coal communities to bring environmental claims about mining companies to the federal government. (E&E News)

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WIND: Texas’ wind energy industry is having to develop its own workforce recruitment and training programs as political backing for wind wanes and state lawmakers focus instead on propping up the oil and gas industry. (Texas Tribune)

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GEOTHERMAL: Minnesota lawmakers introduce legislation to support the development of networked geothermal systems, a technology that is already taking off in the state to reduce buildings’ emissions. (Energy News Network)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Minnesota logistics company is piloting a program to determine whether electric semi-trucks can be a viable alternative to diesel-powered trucks. (WCCO)

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NUCLEAR: The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn’t adequately account for climate risks in its reactor licensing and oversight processes, a government watchdog finds. (Utility Dive)

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COMMENTARY: Legal and energy scholars write that the biggest threat to U.S. grid reliability is not a growing portfolio of renewable energy, but rather an outdated and parochial oversight system. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California researchers find electric vehicle adoption in the Bay Area has led to a 2.6% annual decrease in automobile emissions. (Courthouse News)

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ALSO:

• Colorado plans to spend $21 million to install 290 public electric vehicle charging ports at 46 locations, boosting the existing network by 30%. (Colorado Sun)
• New Mexico auto dealers petition regulators to block implementation of state clean air rules aimed at boosting electric vehicle sales, saying they will harm the industry. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)

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TRANSPORTATION:

• Los Angeles secures $900 million in federal funding to expand and upgrade public transit networks in advance of the 2028 summer Olympics. (City News Service)
• Federal prosecutors charge 12 California residents with violating clean air laws by developing and marketing a machine that enables cars to cheat on state smog emissions tests. (Los Angeles Times)

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OIL & GAS:

• A climate group finds plugging and cleaning up wells in a single Wyoming oil and gas field could cost up to $900 million, or about 30 times more than proposed federal reclamation bond increases would generate. (E&E news, subscription, news release)
• U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, calls on the Biden administration to finalize proposed federal oil and gas leasing reforms. (Durango Herald)
• Wyoming considers allocating $9.8 million to a proposed pilot project that would inject highly concentrated oxygen into oilfields to stimulate production. (Gillette News Record)

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WIND: Developers bring a 152 MW wind power facility online in southeastern Idaho. (Renewables Now)

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SOLAR: The Biden administration awards $19 million to projects in California, Oregon and Utah to help install solar panels over irrigation canals. (Courthouse News)

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HYDROPOWER: Northwest officials predict low winter and spring precipitation levels will diminish this summer’s hydropower output from the region. (S&P Global)

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CLIMATE: A Colorado ski area says it has reached its goal of operating on a net-zero carbon footprint a year ahead of schedule. (KDVR)

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GRID: The Bonneville Power Administration’s staff recommends the agency join the Southwest Power Pool’s day-ahead power market rather than the California grid operator’s. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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COAL:

• A federal lawmaker from Utah calls a utility’s decision to continue operating coal plants in the state a good example of “market-driven policies” even as the industry benefits from state legislation aimed at boosting fossil fuels. (Utah News Dispatch)
• A judge upholds state regulators’ decision requiring a coal mine in western Colorado to monitor and limit stormwater discharge pollution into a river. (news release)  
• A company proposes using coal from a retiring Wyoming power plant as feedstock for ammonia production. (Cowboy State Daily)

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NUCLEAR: A federal study predicts that converting a coal plant to an advanced nuclear reactor would add about 30 to 100 full-time jobs, a figure in line with projections for a Wyoming conversion. (Utility Dive)

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