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Federal Judge Dismisses Cities’ Suit Against Oil Companies Over Costs of Climate Change
A federal judge on Monday threw out a closely watched lawsuit brought by two California cities against fossil fuel companies over the costs of dealing with climate change. The decision is a stinging defeat for the plaintiffs, San Francisco and Oakland, and raises warning flags for other local governments around the United States that have filed similar suits, including New York City. [ read more … ]
Court upholds Minn. transmission law opposed by feds
A federal court last week rejected challenges to a Minnesota law that favors incumbent utilities for transmission development. The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit taking aim at a 2012 “right of first refusal” law giving utilities first dibs on building power lines that connect to their existing facilities. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
A red state goes green: How Texas became a pioneer in wind energy
Our continuing series, What’s Working, looks at innovations that are paying off in America, from education to infrastructure and more. Labor department figures show solar panel and wind turbine technicians are the two fastest-growing careers in the country. Surprisingly, Texas is where you’ll find the most of those wind industry jobs. The traditionally conservative state is leading the way for renewable energy across the nation. In this installment, NPR’s Steve Inskeep shows how local leaders in Texas are going green. [ read more … ]
Perry mum on plan to save coal, nuclear
Energy Secretary Rick Perry today said he wasn’t ready to give details — or a timeline — for how he plans to follow through with President Trump’s directive aimed at saving struggling coal and nuclear plants. Perry’s meeting with reporters gathered at the Department of Energy’s headquarters in Washington didn’t offer any details when asked about which policy levers the administration is mulling. [ read more … ]
In Missouri, coal complicates the case for electric vehicle infrastructure
Building electric vehicle infrastructure has emerged as a rare consensus topic for many utilities and environmentalists — a way to boost utility sales and simultaneously get oil-burning, smog-spewing cars and trucks off the road. In Missouri, though, that alliance has been lukewarm at best. [ read more … ]
Too Big to Succeed: Solar Titans Flop When They Climb to Top
In the past decade alone, four different companies — all Chinese — have surged to the top of the heap, becoming the biggest solar maker in the world, only to subsequently fall flat and get overtaken by an up-and-comer. The rotating cast of characters says a lot about the $161 billion global solar-panel market. China accounts for 70 percent of it, having long pushed its companies to pursue a growth-at-any-cost strategy. But while driving down prices, these companies too often piled on debt to expand rapidly while sticking with aging technology and machinery. [ read more … ]
What happens when Pruitt leaves?
Part of the reason Pruitt has kept his position, many observers speculate, is that President Trump likes the job his EPA chief is doing, and the administration would have a tough time getting a replacement confirmed. But it’s unclear how long Pruitt will stick around. Even before the allegations against him reached a fever pitch earlier this year, Pruitt was widely expected to leave the agency before the end of Trump’s term. And if Democrats take control of either chamber of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, Pruitt will have even more incentive to jump ship to avoid a barrage of uncomfortable oversight hearings. So what happens to EPA and to Trump’s agenda if Pruitt goes? [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.