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Shutdown risks delays to U.S. drilling, ethanol, wind initiatives
This week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an office of the Interior Department, warned that public meetings related to what is slated to be the largest U.S. offshore wind farm will be rescheduled if the shutdown continues into next week. The five meetings are meant to allow the public to comment on the 800 megawatt project’s environmental impacts and are currently scheduled to take place in Massachusetts and Rhode Island between Jan. 8 and 17. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
New Aircraft, Beers on Hold as Businesses Feel Shutdown Pain
The broader work to accelerate offshore energy development has hit a snag. For instance, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management was putting the final touches on a plan for selling offshore drilling leases in U.S. waters before the shutdown. That work has stopped now. And the shutdown threatens to postpone public meetings this month on developer Vineyard Wind’s bid to build a large-scale wind energy project 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. The ocean energy bureau, which is analyzing the project’s potential environmental effects, said meetings scheduled for Jan. 8 and 9 in Massachusetts and Rhode Island would be canceled if the federal government is still shut down as of Jan. 7. [ read more … ]
White House search for next FERC commissioner underway
The White House has for some time been vetting candidates to fill a vacancy on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that emerged following the death of Republican Commissioner Kevin McIntyre, according to several sources. Some say a nominee could emerge within weeks. [ read more … ]
Op-ed: Save the world with green infrastructure
Climate change poses an existential threat to our society. A string of recent reports — including the Trump administration’s own National Climate Assessment — have made it clear that we are running out of time. To prevent catastrophic damage, we need to limit global warming to 1.5° Celsius; according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that means reducing net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050. [ read more … ]
How Volkswagen turned from diesel pariah into electric gorilla
Three years ago, Volkswagen AG was in the depths of scandal because it lied about the emissions of its diesel cars. As 2019 begins, it has emerged as the most disruptive player in the business of selling a different kind of fuel: the electrons that move electric cars. This is a direct result of its diesel cheating. Ordered by U.S. and California officials to build a $2 billion profit-seeking business in electric vehicle fueling stations, it has done so with aplomb. [ read more … ]
Research you may have missed over the holidays
Science stops for nothing — not even the holidays. But in the end-of-year rush, new research can sometimes slip by under the radar. Here are a few of the latest updates in climate science you may have missed over the last couple of weeks: [ read more … ]
Pickup drivers block Tesla chargers in widening trend
Forget “rolling coal.” A new trend called “ICE-ing,” in which pickup truck owners purposefully block electric vehicle charging stations, appears to be gaining ground around the country. The practice, whose name is derived from “internal combustion engine,” was observed over the holidays at a Sheetz gas station in Hickory, N.C. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.