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E.P.A. to Roll Back Regulations on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas
The Trump administration is set to announce on Thursday that it intends to sharply curtail the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change, according to an industry official with knowledge of the plan. The Environmental Protection Agency, in a proposed rule, will aim to eliminate federal government requirements that the oil and gas industry put in place technology to inspect for and repair methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities. The proposed rollback is particularly notable because major oil and gas companies have, in fact, opposed it, just as some other industries have opposed the Trump administration’s other major moves to dismantle climate change and other environmental rules put in place by President Barack Obama.
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Policy & Politcs
State with ambitions as wind-energy hub seeks to lure more
Rhode Island approved tax credits Monday to lure a third major offshore wind company to the state as part of an effort to become a hub for the industry. The first U.S. offshore wind farm began operating off Block Island, Rhode Island, in late 2016, and Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo wants to the industry to grow in the state. The Rhode Island Commerce Corp. approved nearly $900,000 in tax credits over 10 years for Boston Energy, which plans to open its U.S. headquarters in Providence. The British company must maintain at least 52 full-time jobs in the state for at least 12 years. [ read more … ]
Eastern New Mexico could become the Saudi Arabia of wind
Location, location, location. It’s a truism not only for real estate, but for wind farms, too. It makes sense to put them where wind is plentiful, but often that’s in rural areas, far from where the energy is needed.
Sarah Webster is with Pattern Energy, a company that’s building and operating wind farms in eastern New Mexico. “It’s like the Saudi Arabia of wind,” she says. “You want to harness that because the better the wind, the cheaper the price of the wind.”
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U.S. Navy may be warming to Central Coast offshore wind energy development
Recently there’s been behind-the-scenes movement in the effort to bring offshore wind energy development to the Central Coast. Local, federal and state politicians last week held a private meeting at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert McMahon. They were there to discuss proposed offshore wind energy; ever since the company Trident Winds — now named Castle Wind — proposed building a wind farm off the coast of Morro Bay in 2015, the Department of Defense has resisted. It says the areas eyed for offshore wind farms could interfere with military training areas.
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Costs inhibit government purchases of electric vehicles: GAO
Federal agencies have been reluctant to buy electric vehicles because of high prices and a lack of charging infrastructure, the government’s internal watchdog said in a report released yesterday. The Government Accountability Office report examined agency compliance with green-fleet requirements.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.