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Trump nominates acting EPA head, an ex-coal lobbyist, to run agency
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler to run the agency permanently, the White House said, placing a former energy lobbyist at the helm of the nation’s top environmental regulator. The widely anticipated nomination provides Trump another avid supporter of his deregulatory and pro-fossil fuels agenda, but without the constant criticism over alleged mismanagement that plagued Wheeler’s predecessor, Scott Pruitt. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Grassley wants quick action on expired energy credits
Interest groups have also pressed a number of changes to existing breaks as well, including a phaseout of a key biodiesel blenders credit that Grassley has supported, the expansion of the investment tax credit for renewables to energy storage technologies and modifications to the 200,000-vehicle cap on the electric vehicle credit that some manufacturers have already hit. [ read more … ]
Polis takes over as governor, aims for 100% renewables
Colorado took a formal step to the left yesterday with the gubernatorial inauguration of Democrat Jared Polis, whose overwhelming election victory and party’s consolidation of legislative control promise ambitious changes for energy and environmental regulation. [ read more … ]
Former EPA leader tapped to head California EPA
An Obama administration EPA regional boss now heads California’s environment agency. New Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) yesterday named Jared Blumenfeld, 49, as secretary of the California EPA. Blumenfeld was sworn in and started work immediately [ read more … ]
As U.S. carbon emissions spike, Pa’s Gov. Wolf announces first statewide reduction plan
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday he has signed an executive order that sets the first statewide plan to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. “In the absence of leadership from the federal government, states and cities are stepping up and doing their part to reduce emissions,” Wolf said in a statement. “Today I am proud to declare the commonwealth’s intention to address climate change, the most critical environmental threat facing the world.” [ read more … ]
Do turbines hurt tourism? Depends on where you put them
A federally funded survey of East Coast beachgoers found that building utility-scale wind turbines within miles of the seashore won’t repel most vacationers. What it could do is cause a “reshuffling” among tourists, attracting some visitors to the oddity of the towering structures while others try to avoid what they see as a blight on the seascape. [ read more … ]
How new chairmen will shape energy and environment policy
Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California surrounded by top House Democrats during a press conference last week. Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Newscom
The last time Democrats were in charge of the House, the first iPad had just been released and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was fresh on everyone’s minds. Since then, there has been significant turnover, not the least of which was the 40-seat blue wave that propelled Democrats into the majority this Congress.
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New FERC commissioner stays noncommittal on recusal
The newest member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Bernard McNamee, made no specific promises to Democratic senators as to whether he would recuse himself from matters before the agency in which he may have played a role during his time at the Department of Energy. In a Jan. 7 letter to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), McNamee shared a memo from a FERC ethics officer, Charles Beamon, summarizing the guidance he was given during a meeting that all new commissioners have after being sworn in. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.