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America’s strongest climate governor might be a Republican
Baker is firmly in the minority in President Trump’s Republican Party, where resistance to climate policy is a GOP staple. But the Massachusetts governor has an opportunity to make in-roads with his counterparts in other states, who may be more open to listening to one of their own, said state Rep. Maria Robinson, a Democrat and former policy analyst at Advanced Energy Perspectives, a clean energy trade group. “I think it’s hugely important to have an Republican voice,” she said. “The struggle is each state believes its circumstances to be completely unique. If he can move someone like a [Republican Florida] Gov. Ron DeSantis, even just a little bit, to implement more solar in Florida, that’s an incredible win.” [ read more … ]
National Clean-Energy Mandate Gets Another Look in Congress
A federal mandate for states to obtain a set portion of electricity from renewable energy is a forgotten aspect of climate change policies, but some Democrats say it belongs back on the table. These Democrats are uneasy with the lofty goals set out in the Green New Deal resolution backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) that calls for a 10-year “mobilization” to meet 100 percent of U.S. power demands with “clean, renewable, and zero-emission sources.” They say a more modest target is achievable. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
‘Green New Deal’ vote overshadows slate of hearings
House lawmakers have scheduled a slate of climate-related hearings, as Republicans set up a full-court press against the “Green New Deal.” Committees will hold at least six climate hearings, beginning with two tomorrow at 10 a.m. and concluding Thursday with an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change hearing on the Paris agreement. Meanwhile, the Senate could vote on the “Green New Deal” as soon as this week, a move by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to put moderates in a tough spot and force Democrats to vote on a measure Republicans will inevitably use to brand them as extreme socialists. [ read more … ]
Oregon pushes sweeping climate bill after Democrats win big in 2018
“Oregon is a really small state and our relative global impact in terms of carbon emission is relatively small,” Gov. Kate Brown (D), who won reelection in 2018, said in a recent interview. “But I think it’s critically important that a state like Oregon lead and pave the path for other states across the country to follow.” The goal indeed is ambitious: To drive greenhouse gas emissions down 80 percent below 1990 levels by the middle of the century. [ read more … ]
CEO of Largest U.S. Grid Says It’s Fine If 30,000 Megawatts Shut
About 18,000 megawatts of coal and nuclear plants — enough to power 13.5 million homes — are slated to permanently shut across the eastern U.S. grid. And the region still has enough electricity to keep the lights on, according to the chief executive officer of the grid operator. In fact, “we could sustain essentially in the 30,000 megawatt range,” PJM Interconnection LLC Chief Executive Officer Andy Ott said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “If it gets beyond that, then we start to look at the alternatives for firming up resources.” [ read more … ]
‘Green New Deal’ — an Obama stimulus 2.0?
In 2009, with the nation’s economy in a tailspin, President Obama signed into law a stimulus package that aimed to give a herculean lift to the cause of clean energy, with $90 billion in investments. Ten years later, the stimulus is being cited as a touchstone for the chief policy planners of the “Green New Deal,” who are exploring ways to ramp up the renewable capacity-building of Obama’s law and fuse it with a far-reaching greenifying of American life. [ read more … ]
Gina McCarthy: ‘Keep your asses in your seats’
“One of the things I have learned as I’ve left government is you … get beyond the tweets and you get beyond all the bullshit,” she said. “The work of states and local governments is what’s holding this country together and which will present us a foundation to run when we have that opportunity.” She continued, “While we all worry about what’s happening with our democracy, I know from my perspective, if I step back a little bit, I can see that today, democracy is actually waking up. It’s waking up in the face of challenges.” [ read more … ]
Wind industry hires senior Iowa state legislator to advance policy in the “American Wind Belt”
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced the hire of Jeff Danielson to lead state policy advocacy efforts across Midwestern and Plains states. In his new role as AWEA’s Central Region Director, Danielson will advocate for pro-growth policies to help wind power expand and meet strong consumer demand for clean energy. Prior to joining AWEA, Danielson served for 15 years as an Iowa State Senator, representing Hudson, Cedar Falls and Waterloo in Black Hawk County, and worked as both a career professional firefighter with the City of Cedar Falls and an adjunct professor of public policy at the University of Northern Iowa. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.