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Florida, the Sunshine State, Is Slow to Adopt Rooftop Solar Power
Florida calls itself the Sunshine State. But when it comes to the use of solar power, it trails 19 states, including not-so-sunny Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Maryland. Solar experts and environmentalists blame the state’s utilities. The utilities have hindered potential rivals seeking to offer residential solar power. They have spent tens of millions of dollars on lobbying, ad campaigns and political contributions. And when homeowners purchase solar equipment, the utilities have delayed connecting the systems for months. [ read more … ]
Existing fossil fuel plants will push the world across a dangerous climate limit, research finds
The world’s existing power plants, industrial plants, buildings and cars are already numerous enough — and young enough — to commit the Earth to an unacceptable level of warming, according to new research published Monday. This fossil fuel infrastructure merely needs to continue operating over the course of its expected lifetime, and the world will emit over 650 billion tons of carbon dioxide, more than enough to dash chances of limiting the Earth’s warming to a rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). That’s a level of warming that has become increasingly accepted as a scientific line-in-the-sand. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Oregon governor ready to take lead on divisive climate plan
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Monday that she’s ready to use her executive power to lower carbon emissions following a nine-day Republican walkout that derailed landmark climate legislation and embroiled the state in a political crisis pitting liberal cities against rural residents. The Democratic governor said she wants to move forward through the executive branch if lawmakers can’t approve meaningful climate legislation. She directed her staff to go back to rural communities and industries over the next few months to find points of compromise on what would be the nation’s second statewide cap and trade program. [ read more … ]
Meet the Man Quietly Building the Tesla of Trucks, With Jeff Bezos Aboard
By definition, the time of the world’s richest man is pretty valuable. But early last fall, Jeff Bezos sought out a 36-year old entrepreneur named R.J. Scaringe and spent the better part of a day in Plymouth, Mich., at the company he founded, Rivian. Mr. Bezos got a preview of Rivian’s electric pickup truck and sport utility vehicle and liked what he saw. Not long after his visit, Amazon led a $700 million investment in Rivian. Two months later, in April, Ford Motor invested $500 million. All told, Rivian has raised $1.7 billion without selling a single truck or S.U.V [ read more … ]
Canada Signals a Willingness to Challenge Trump on His Clean-Car Rollback
Canada has signaled a willingness to buck one of President Trump’s most significant environmental rollbacks — a major weakening of auto pollution standards — by signing a clean-car deal with California, the state leading the fight against the rollback.
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100% renewable grid could cost trillions — study
Building a 100% renewable energy power grid in the United States by 2030 or 2040 would require an investment of $4.5 trillion in new wind and solar power, transmission lines and storage, an analysis by researchers for the Wood Mackenzie firm concludes. That price tag would cost U.S. households nearly $2,000 per year through 2040, according to the study.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.