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Ore. GOP lawmakers set conditions for return to Statehouse
Republicans in the Oregon Legislature who are boycotting the 2020 session over a climate change bill said today they would show up on its last day this weekend to pass emergency budget measures, but a Democratic leader rejected the move as undemocratic. The impasse has put Oregon on the front line of the climate change issue, with Democrats, who wield a supermajority in both the Senate and the House, making reducing greenhouse gas emissions a priority and Republicans trying to obstruct it with the boycott. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Longer wind blades slash costs but don’t stop NIMBY fights
Longer wind turbine blades over the last decade have allowed wind developers to produce more power without making turbines taller and could continue to drive future growth in the industry. But it may not do much to placate locals who are upset about the increasing visibility of those turbines.
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Solar Energy
Solar giants get bigger as glut ignites battle for share
An aggressive expansion by the world’s biggest solar manufacturers is underway, spurring a battle for market share and a push to cut costs that signal more pain ahead for the industry.
Top Chinese producers of solar parts have announced expansion plans in recent weeks even as the industry grapples with the threat of the new coronavirus outbreak on global renewable energy deployment.
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Energy Bill
Renewables, EV tax credits won’t be included in Senate energy bill ‘unless we have a miracle on the floor’: Wyden
Despite Democratic efforts, the renewable energy industry will likely not see a tax credit extension under the comprehensive Senate energy bill, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., told an audience of renewables groups at the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) policy forum on Wednesday. Wyden on Tuesday filed an amendment that would extend tax credits for wind and solar, and expand their application to other clean energy technologies, but he expressed skepticism that the amendment could make it through the Republican-majority Senate. “Unless we have a miracle on the floor … we’re not going to win this round,” he said. “I wish I could come in and tell you otherwise.” [ read more … ]
Power Plant Rule
Judge enmeshed in Clean Power Plan battle to retire
An appeals court judge who helped preserve Obama-era ozone protections, chided energy regulators for inadequate climate analysis and played a key role in legal wrangling over the Clean Power Plan is set to retire later this year. Judge Thomas Griffith, tapped by a Republican president for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has been part of several key rulings upholding environmental interests. [ read more … ]
Wheeler: EPA power plant rule coming soon
EPA is poised to release the final version of its embattled relook at a power plant toxics rule “any day now,” Administrator Andrew Wheeler said this morning. “We expect it to be finished shortly,” Wheeler said in a short interview after testifying at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. [ read more … ]
EVs
GM targets Tesla in ‘EV arms race’
General Motors Co. launched a campaign yesterday to persuade the world that it really can become a full-spectrum maker of electric vehicles capable of competing with Tesla Inc. while also making money. GM sought to convey its seriousness with a polished two-hour presentation for investors and media at its Design Dome in Warren, Mich., where the automaker unveiled a new battery technology platform called Ultium in addition to a series of other revelations. [ read more … ]
2020
What Super Tuesday tells us about Biden, Sanders and climate
Though Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have significantly different climate plans, it seems to have made little difference with Super Tuesday voters, observers said. Biden swept nine of 14 states and the majority of the 1,357 available delegates. The former vice president won 34% of the voters who said climate change is the most important issue to them, while Sanders, an independent Vermont senator, captured 28% of such voters, according to a Washington Post compilation of exit polls. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.