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Automakers, Rejecting Trump Pollution Rule, Strike a Deal With California
Four of the world’s largest automakers, including the Ford Motor Company, have struck a deal with California to reduce tailpipe pollution, in a setback to the Trump administration as it prepares to weaken national emissions standards and revoke states’ rights to set their own such rules. While Trump administration officials in the White House and Environmental Protection Agency have been working on a plan to drastically weaken Obama-era rules on planet-warming vehicle pollution, four automakers — Ford, Honda, Volkswagen Group of America and BMW of North America — have been holding secretive talks in Sacramento on a plan to move forward with the standards in California, the nation’s largest auto market. And on Thursday, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California said he was “very confident” that more automakers would join the deal in the coming days. [ read more … ]
California Governor talks ‘transition’ from fossil fuels
California will look seriously at transitioning from fossil fuels, though the shift won’t happen quickly, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said yesterday near the site of a Chevron Corp. oil spill. After visiting the energy firm’s Cymric Oil Field in Kern County, Newsom noted the state put $1.5 million in its latest budget to study how to cut fossil fuel use. “This is an economy that built this state, parts of this state are dependent on it,” Newsom said in a video published by BakersfieldNow. “And I want to begin to transition, but I want to do it thoughtfully, and I want to paint a picture of what that transition looks like. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
NextEra Sees Little Threat to Wind and Solar From Fading Tax Credits
NextEra Energy, the largest U.S. wind and solar developer, sees little threat to the renewables market from the fading federal tax credits, executives said Wednesday. With the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) for wind already phasing down, and the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar set to begin declining next year for new projects, individual companies and their broader industries are grappling with how — or whether — to push for an additional extension. [ read more … ]
Big tech drives solar to near-record year
Apple, Amazon and Target have the most installed solar capacity of all U.S. corporations, according to a Solar Energy Industries Association report released today. The SEIA analysis also found that 2018 was the second-largest year for commercial solar installations, with 1,444 megawatts installed. Walmart; Switch, a data center company; and Google follow the front-runners in the rankings. The report charts 35,000 projects across the country that generate 7,000 megawatts of solar capacity annually. [ read more … ]
Not blowing smoke: Wind has overtaken ‘risky’ coal for energy use in Texas for the first time
The coal industry’s slump has hit Texas. For the first time since the Electric Reliability Council of Texas began collecting data on the state’s fuel mix in 2003, wind surpassed coal as an energy source during the first half of this year, according to data released this month. The ERCOT report shows that 22% of the state’s energy was derived from wind, overtaking coal by 1%.
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Maine Voices: Transmission deficit is holding back wind in Maine
Gov. Mills recently announced the creation of the Maine Offshore Wind Initiative, which aims to develop renewable energy in the Gulf of Maine. The program focuses on job creation, port infrastructure, and the supply chain that this new industry will require. Governor Mills also simultaneously approved Aqua Ventus, the first floating wind power demonstration project in the U.S. [ read more … ]
Apple leads second-biggest year for commercial solar installations
2018 was the second-biggest year for commercial solar installations, with 1,144 MW installed, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) 2018 ‘Solar Means Business’ Report. There are currently 7 GW of capacity in place across 35,000 installations. Apple is the top corporate solar user, with 393 MW installed, while Amazon and Target are second and third. And corporate interest is not restricted to tech and retail — manufacturing and real-estate companies Solvay and Prologis ranked in the top ten as well. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.