View this email in a web browser.
California’s energy grid is in crisis. Can the state keep the lights on?
California is casting off fossil fuels to become something that doesn’t yet exist: a fully electrified state of 40 million people. Policies are in place requiring a rush of energy from renewable sources such as the sun and wind and calling for millions of electric cars that will need charging — changes that will tax a system already fragile, unstable and increasingly vulnerable to outside forces. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Idaho GOP governor: Climate change is real, must be reversed
Idaho’s collaborative efforts with federal agencies, conservation groups, industries and residents have put the state out front in tackling tough environmental problems involving forests, rangelands, water uses and other issues, Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday. The 64-year-old Republican sworn into office earlier this month shocked some at the Idaho Environmental Forum by declaring that climate change is real and will have to be dealt with. “Climate is changing, there’s no question about it,” he said. “Sometimes what you do from a regulatory standpoint might be counter to what the right thing to do is, but you’ve got to recognize it. It’s here. We’ve just got to figure out how we’re going to cope with it. And we’ve got to slow it down. Now, reversing it is going to be a big darn job.” [ read more … ]
Gov. Jared Polis signs executive order to support transition to electric vehicles
In what he billed as a consumer-driven policy, Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at getting more electric vehicles on Colorado roads and moving the state closer to a zero emissions goal. Left unanswered, however, was how the resulting reduction in the use of gasoline would affect funding for Colorado’s transportation infrastructure, which relies heavily on gas tax revenue to fund repairs. [ read more … ]
South Dakota Governor Opposes State Regulators Who Want More Time On Wind Decisions
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission wants six months more to make decisions on wind energy projects, but Governor Kristi Noem‘s administration sent a lawyer to oppose the legislation Thursday. A state Senate committee decided to let the sides keep talking rather than decide whether Senate Bill 15 should move forward or die. [ read more … ]
Another Tax Proposal Looms Over Wyoming’s Wind Industry
Once again, a bill to hike up wind power taxes has been proposed in Wyoming. H.B.0096 – proposed last week by Reps. Jim Blackburn, R-District 42, and Timothy Hallinan, R-District 32, and Sen. Cale Case, R-District 25 – is laid out pretty simply: add a $4/MWh tax increase for wind produced in Wyoming and use the proceeds for the state’s general fund. [ read more … ]
U.S. State Department says may ask Trump to scrap another Obama climate order | Reuters
The U.S. State Department said in a report released by the investigative arm of Congress on Thursday it may recommend President Donald Trump revoke an Obama-era order directing federal agencies to consider climate change in international development programs. Such a move would deepen the Trump administration’s already broad rejection of former President Barack Obama’s policies on global warming, which Trump has repeatedly suggested is not as serious as scientists claim. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.