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Exclusive: First big U.S. offshore wind project hits snag due to fishing-industry concerns – Reuters
Trump administration infighting is holding up approval of the first major U.S. offshore wind energy project, with agencies sparring over whether the proposal does enough to protect the fishing industry, according to interviews and agency documents. The delays are a setback to President Donald Trump’s efforts to fast-track big energy infrastructure projects and could threaten the administration’s plans to launch a promising new domestic industry. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
These states are producing the most renewable energy. Where does yours rank?
Demand for energy has skyrocketed in recent decades in the United States, driving up total electricity production by well over 700% since 1950. Today, over half of all electricity in the United States is generated from coal and natural gas – resources that are not only finite, but also environmentally harmful when burned and often also when extracted. As a result, the use of cleaner, renewable energy sources like hydro, wind, and solar, is becoming more common. Renewable energy accounted for 17.0% of the national energy mix in 2017, up from 8.5% a decade prior [ read more … ]
BHP pledges $400M in climate change investment
BHP Group, the world’s biggest mining company, pledged $400 million in research funding to tackle carbon emissions caused by its customers such as steel mills. The announcement by CEO Andrew Mackenzie means BHP is breaking ranks with many of its peers in actively working to reduce pollution from the industries that buy its minerals. The company will accelerate investments over the next five years in areas including development of carbon capture and storage technology under a broader push to assist customers to mitigate their contribution to climate change, Mackenzie said. [ read more … ]
The Energy 202: Trump’s environmental team scrutinized for tighter control of public records
Government watchdogs, environmental groups and even some top Republicans in Congress are starting to more closely examine the ways in which President Trump’s environmental deputies have attempted to control the release of public records. The recent scrutiny is focused on how two major environmental departments, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior, decided to follow the Freedom of Information Act, which grants members of the public the right to access records from any federal agency.
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LaFleur’s exit will leave 3 FERC commissioners — and anxiety
Friday was Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur’s last public meeting as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission after nearly a decade of service. When the former New England utility regulator officially departs next month — after serving the third-longest tenure in the commission’s history — two of FERC’s five commissioner slots will be vacant. [ read more … ]
Tesla solar sales fall in 2nd quarter
Tesla Inc.’s solar installations slipped yet again in the second quarter, marking another setback for the U.S. rooftop panel industry’s former king. The company, which makes most of its revenue from automobiles, installed 29 megawatts of solar last quarter, down from 47 megawatts in the first three months of the year. Tesla installations have now declined in six of the last eight quarters.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.