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Cohn is out. Here’s what it means for climate
The globalists are on their way out of the White House, further diminishing the voices close to President Trump that say humans are warming the planet. Departures of key personnel have left an energy and environment policy vacuum that many within the White House expect to be filled by nationalist advisers. More exits are likely on the way. [ read more … ]
Backers of defeated Washington carbon tax eye big victory on renewables
A top Washington lawmaker says the state is “very close” to a deal that would end the use of fossil fuels in the state’s power sector. The push comes as Washington’s 2018 legislative session sprints toward its conclusion and follows lawmakers’ decision to table a carbon tax proposed by Gov. Jay Inslee due to lack of support. The renewables bill would prohibit coal-fired electricity generation by 2030 and bar all fossil fuel power by 2045. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Climate change skeptics run the Trump administration
President Donald Trump is filling the upper ranks of his administration with appointees who share his disbelief in the scientific evidence for climate change — giving them an opportunity to impose their views on policies ranging from disaster planning to national security to housing standards. [ read more … ]
Learn to love power lines through technology, advocates say
The coalition asks the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate and fix what it calls a bias against transmission line technologies. Even raising the issue would help, it says. “When the industry knows the Commission is ‘watching’ and cares about an issue, companies put their best minds on it. That would help a great deal,” the coalition said. Technologies that upgrade the capacity and reliability of power lines could reduce an estimated $6 billion in transmission congestion costs added annually to U.S. electricity customers’ power bills, according to the coalition. [ read more … ]
Co-op, muni, clean energy groups target capacity reforms in FERC letter
A coalition of groups representing utilities, renewable energy providers and environmentalists sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday outlining principles for wholesale electricity market reforms The groups outlined five priorities for market reform, saying policies should be technology-neutral, respect state energy policies, allow for bilateral contracts, value reliability and resilience attributes, and minimize uncertainty and barriers to entry. Current constructs, particularly in capacity markets, do not meet these standards, they argued. [ read more … ]
Video: Michigan farmers, residents praise wind power
Their kudos, voiced in the Yale Climate Connections monthly “This is Not Cool” video, come along with similarly favorable reviews of the wind power experience from a University of Michigan researcher. Sara Mills, PhD, found in her research that farmers with wind turbines on their property are more likely to pass their farm lands on to their children or develop alternative succession plans rather than succumb to the lure of development and sprawl. [ read more … ]
Uber starts robot taxi service in SF for its own self-driving team
There’s a new robot taxi service in San Francisco — but it’s only for people working on Uber’s self-driving car project. The 300 local employees of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group can use a modified Uber ride-hailing app to request one of its self-driving Volvo XC90 sport utility vehicles to take them to and from their new offices at Pier 70 on the city’s eastern waterfront. The free rides, which start Wednesday, will operate only in San Francisco. [ read more … ]
Fossil fuels can fight poverty, boost environment — Perry
Energy Secretary Rick Perry yesterday said fossil fuels have a role to play in fighting poverty and cleaning the environment. “I thought that was the goal, to have economic development and a cleaner environment. It can happen with good policies, good technology,” Perry told reporters after a speech at the CERAWeek conference. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.