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VPs raise energy, then drop it like a hot piece of coal
The candidates for vice president rushed into energy issues last night during their only debate before the election. In their opening answers, Democrat Tim Kaine, the Virginia senator, mentioned climate change, and Republican Mike Pence, Indiana’s governor, objected to a “war on coal.” Then those issues evaporated, as the running mates defended the positions of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on issues like the proliferation of nuclear weapons, diplomacy with Russia and the role of government in abortion. [ read more … ]
Republicans Split Over Renewing Alternative-Energy Tax Breaks
House and Senate Republican leaders are at odds over whether to renew expiring alternative-energy tax breaks during Congress’s lame-duck session after the Nov. 8 election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he is committed to taking a look at the possibility. But House Speaker Paul Ryan and his lieutenants have signaled they won’t go along with continuing what has been a perennial late-session ritual of extending targeted tax incentives that are set to expire. [ read more … ]
Colo. approves its largest wind farm
Colorado’s largest proposed wind farm cleared a key hurdle last week as the Colorado Public Utilities Commission granted final permission to build the 600-megawatt Rush Creek Wind Project in the state’s remote eastern plains. Under a PUC-approved settlement between developer Xcel Energy Inc. and more than a dozen parties, the Rush Creek wind farm will begin construction in 2017, with an expected completion date of late 2018, according to officials involved with the project. [ read more … ]
Carbon neutrality push undercuts Clean Power Plan — study
A new analysis finds that congressional efforts to require federal agencies to consider biomass a carbon-neutral power source would lead to a major increase in carbon dioxide emissions that otherwise would be cut under U.S. EPA’s Clean Power Plan. The white paper, released by the Partnership for Policy Integrity, uses U.S. Energy Information Administration data to assess the additional carbon emissions that could result if biomass is considered carbon neutral, as envisioned by language in the Senate energy bill (S. 2012) and House and Senate appropriations bills. The legislation would direct EPA, the Energy Department and the Agriculture Department to craft a policy that reflects the carbon neutrality of forest bioenergy. [ read more … ]
E.U. ratifies pact, paving way for it to take effect
The Paris climate agreement likely will take effect this week now that European Union lawmakers have endorsed the deal. European lawmakers this morning voted for the 28-member bloc to ratify the agreement to limit warming. The agreement cannot enter force until 55 countries, accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions, adopt it. Before today, 62 countries had endorsed the deal, but they accounted for 52 percent of emissions [ read more … ]
NYC details how it can move to ‘renewables-based’ grid
To meet its climate goals, New York City will need a power grid that’s “renewables-based” — not the fossil fuel-dominated grid it has today. That’s the finding of a report issued yesterday by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office of Sustainability. De Blasio has set a goal of cutting the city’s greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. [ read more … ]
Lawyers, law profs dish in marathon court session’s wake
The decision over the Clean Power Plan’s legality could hinge on judges’ conclusions about how clearly Congress had to spell out the authority for U.S. EPA to issue the rule. Attorneys who argued the case said today that was one of the most significant issues that arose during yesterday’s nearly seven hours of oral arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.