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When it comes to acknowledging humans’ role in climate change, oil and gas industry lawyer says ‘that ship has sailed’
In a closed-door meeting of oil and gas executives this summer in Colorado Springs, industry lawyer Mark Barron offered a bold proposal: Energy companies must accept that fossil fuels are helping to drive climate change. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s real, or not real, or what the issues are,” said Barron, who heads the energy litigation arm of Baker Hostetler. “That ship has sailed from a political perspective.” [ read more … ]
EPA about-face lets emissions soar at some coal plants
Topping the list: Martin Lake, a 2,250-megawatt facility in East Texas owned by Luminant Generation Co. Last year, the plant belched almost 56,200 tons of SO2, up 54% from 2017. Other major polluters were the Gerald Gentleman Station in Nebraska, owned by the Nebraska Public Power District, and Entergy Corp.’s Independence facility in Arkansas. The Gentleman plant’s SO2 emissions jumped 31%; they rose 24% at the Independence facility. Releases of nitrogen oxides (NOx) also increased at the Martin Lake and Gentleman plants, albeit by smaller margins. They dropped at the Independence facility. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Wind turbine maker Vestas cuts 600 staff in Denmark and Germany
Wind turbine maker Vestas (VWS.CO) said on Friday it would lay off 590 people at blade factories in Germany and Denmark to rein in costs and cope with a squeeze on prices as state subsidies fall. Vestas said it would halve it workforce at its factory in Lauchhammer, Germany by cutting 500 jobs, while about 90 workers, paid by the hour, would be laid off in Lem, Denmark.
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Job Cuts at Wind Turbine Makers Show Competition Intensifying
Competition in the wind energy industry is getting tougher than ever, forcing even the biggest manufacturers to slash more than a thousand jobs in the past few days. Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, said Friday it was cutting about 590 jobs, adding to the 90 already announced in August. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA detailed plans to eliminate 600 jobs in Denmark, the home of the industry where wind regularly meets more than half the power demand. [ read more … ]
California ‘closer to a floating wind boom than it thinks
A scouting mission covering ten ports and harbours along the California seaboard has found the potential for in-state assembly and construction of 12-15MW floating wind turbines could be “much greater” than many in state and local government agencies had previously believed. French technology designer Ideol, which focused its audit on coastal sites that might be able to handle commercial-scale projects using concrete versions of its open-centre ‘damping pool’ platform, identified a range of locales that with “minor or more substantial upgrades” could be transformed into facilities to build and launch floating units.
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Wyoming ski resort commits to wind power
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in northwest Wyoming will use renewable energy to power its lifts and other operations. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that resort officials announced that they would enter Lower Valley Energy’s Green Power program for customers and begin drawing energy from the Horse Butte Wind Farm near Idaho Falls, Idaho. [ read more … ]
Carbon Capture
CCS tax credit rule coming by December — Sen. Cramer
The Treasury Department is planning a formal rulemaking by year’s end to help define the contours of a key carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) tax break that Congress expanded last year, a GOP senator said this week. After speaking with Treasury by phone last week, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said the department appears to be “all over it.” [ read more … ]
EVs
Do zero-emission plans help EVs? Depends where you are.
With a salesman’s natural optimism, Buzz Smith routinely spends his days coaxing people out of their pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles and into a battery-powered compact car. A lot of the time, it works. Smith, a salesman at one of the highest-volume Chevrolet dealers in Texas, specializes in selling electric vehicles. He has a chart in his office showing the number of hybrid Volts and battery-powered Bolts he’s sold in six years; it’s marched steadily upward to as many as a dozen a month. [ read more … ]
Policy & Politics
Big Law Firms Draft Model Climate Laws in Pro Bono Project
More than 20 Big Law firms have signed on to a pro-bono project developing model laws and regulations aimed at helping cities and states fight climate change. The effort is directed at increasing energy efficiency, reducing carbon spending, and decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. The models will establish frameworks for carrying out policy changes like regulations requiring more energy efficient buildings or easier permitting for offshore wind projects. [ read more … ]
Latin America pledges 70 percent renewable energy, surpassing EU
Latin American countries have set a collective target of 70 percent renewable energy use by 2030, more than double what the European Union is planning, Colombia’s energy minister said, ahead of her country’s October renewables tender. Colombia presented the target at the United Nations Climate Action Summit this week, where world leaders were asked to deliver concrete proposals to combat climate change.
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U.S. agency spends millions on Ukraine energy projects
he United States is spending millions to help Ukraine achieve energy independence and lower greenhouse gases, despite the Trump administration rolling back efforts to decrease emissions domestically.
One of the key aid programs is the Energy Security Project, launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2018. Scheduled to last until 2023, the program seeks to help Ukraine improve energy security, support energy resilience and increase production of renewable energy sources. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.