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Trump’s move to weaken key environmental law could sideline communities of color
On Wednesday, the president is slated to finalize changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires the federal government to analyze how a major decision affects the environment and take public comment. Trump will travel to Atlanta to make the case that scaling back the 50 year-old statute will speed the construction of highways, pipelines and other infrastructure projects across the country. His cheerleading for a robust economic rebound comes in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic that continues to set new infection records. [ read more … ]
Hydrogen
Hottest New Fuel Proves Hard to Handle
The universe’s lightest and most plentiful element turns out to be a fickle fuel to manage. Hydrogen has a tendency to pass through valves and gaskets on equipment designed to harness the energy of larger methane molecules in natural gas, said Robert Koubek as he moved among a labyrinth of pipes at the power plant he operates outside of Graz, Austria’s second-biggest city. That means utilities like Verbund AG need to begin testing for safety now in order to have machines up and running by the end of this decade. [ read more … ]
Markets
OPEC, Allies Set to Ease Oil Cuts, Anticipating Demand Recovery
An alliance of crude producers led by Saudi Arabia is pushing OPEC and its allies to increase oil production starting in August, officials in the group said, amid signs that demand is returning to normal levels following coronavirus-related lockdowns. Key members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its Russia-led allies are set to meet via web conference Wednesday to debate the group’s current and future production. In April, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, led a push that saw the 23-producer group cut its collective output by 9.7 million barrels a day, as the pandemic led to a collapse of oil demand. [ read more … ]
Energy secretary: Oil and gas will ‘come back very, very strong’
Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette has a message for thousands of U.S. oil and gas workers laid off during the recent oil bust: “Remain strong.” 3of3Steve Hinchman, chairman Independent Petroleum Association of America, left, and Mark W. Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy, right, listen as U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette, center, speaks to the media at Houston Energy, 1200 Smith St., Friday, July 10, 2020, in Houston.Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff photographer [ read more … ]
FERC
D.C. Circuit backs contentious FERC energy storage order
A federal appeals court is upholding a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order promoting the participation of energy storage technologies like batteries on the electric grid.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the independent agency had acted squarely within its power in drafting Order No. 841 to reduce barriers for energy storage resources, or ESRs, to access the federal wholesale electricity market.
[ read more … ]
Campaign 2020
Bullish on Texas: Dems see a clean energy path for Biden
The former vice president’s joint emphasis on “buy American” and climate action caught the attention of President Trump, who made domestic manufacturing a key theme in the 2016 race. Trump on Friday accused Biden of plagiarizing from his 2016 plan, even as he blasted Biden’s proposal as too radical. He didn’t provide evidence of plagiarism. At stake are Rust Belt swing states that four years ago delivered Trump his electoral college victory, like Pennsylvania and Michigan. But also in play are some newly competitive states where renewable energy has been ascendant, like Iowa and Texas. [ read more … ]
EVs
An EV bubble? Startups ride Tesla hype to ‘staggering’ money
Fisker Inc., a California-based company, garnered $50 million in funding and is rumored to be heading toward a public stock offering. Karma Automotive, also headquartered in California but owned by a Chinese firm, has secured $100 million and is looking for a lot more. Dwarfing either of them was Rivian, which plans to produce its first e-trucks and e-SUVs from a factory in Illinois early next year. On Friday, it announced a whopping $2.5 billion of new dollars. [ read more … ]
Rivian raises $2.5 billion in aggressive plan to beat Tesla and Nikola with the first all-electric pickup
As shares of electric truck maker Nikola Motor Co. surged at its IPO last month and cemented 38-year-old founder Trevor Milton as the industry’s newest billionaire, Robert “R.J.” Scaringe was quietly raising $2.5 billion in fresh financing for his electric truck company Rivian. The CEO and founder is used to other companies – from startup Nikola, Tesla and its Cybertruck, General Motors and Ford Motor – stealing the limelight with their plans for all-electric pickups. Rivian is expected to be among the first, if not the first, to bring an all-electric pickup to market early- to mid- next year – months, potentially years, ahead of its competitors. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.