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Climate Disruption Is Now Locked In. The Next Moves Will Be Crucial.
America is now under siege by climate change in ways that scientists have warned about for years. But there is a second part to their admonition: Decades of growing crisis are already locked into the global ecosystem and cannot be reversed. This means the kinds of cascading disasters occurring today — drought in the West fueling historic wildfires that send smoke all the way to the East Coast, or parades of tropical storms lining up across the Atlantic to march destructively toward North America — are no longer features of some dystopian future. They are the here and now, worsening for the next generation and perhaps longer, depending on humanity’s willingness to take action. [ read more … ]
Supreme Court
Ginsburg’s death could reawaken Mass. v EPA
If President Trump is able to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the nation’s highest bench, he may stymie climate action for generations to come. Legal experts say that the addition of a sixth conservative justice to the court could lock in opposition to expansive readings of the Clean Air Act that encompass greenhouse gas emissions or trigger a reexamination of the landmark 2007 climate case Massachusetts v. EPA. [ read more … ]
What SCOTUS will decide without RBG
The remaining eight justices on the Supreme Court bench will discuss whether to take up several high-profile energy cases next week, including a fight involving three states over coal exports and a bellwether case in the increasing climate change lawsuits brought by cities and states. [ read more … ]
PJM
Fierce debate over NJ’s clean-energy goals centers on possible abandonment of regional power grid
Will the state’s clean-energy goals be more readily achieved by remaining in the regional power grid or by bolting it out of fear that staying — along with certain federal policies — could undermine efforts to combat climate change? That issue is the crux of an intense debate over how New Jersey should respond to policy changes by the regional power grid, PJM Interconnection and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in how states go about procuring the electricity they need to keep the lights on for both residents and businesses. [ read more … ]
Car Rule
Red states defend Trump rollback of Calif. emissions waiver
A coalition of Republican attorneys general threw their support behind a Trump administration decision to revoke California’s vehicle emissions waiver, claiming that the decades-old exception gives the Golden State too much power. Top attorneys from nine states including Alabama and Texas filed a motion to intervene yesterday in a legal challenge brought against the administration by California and other Democratic states. They argued that it’s unconstitutional for a single state to set what amount to national emissions standards. [ read more … ]
Coal
GE about-faces, will stop building coal power plants
General Electric Co. has long powered the coal industry. But no more. The Boston-based industrial conglomerate said yesterday it will no longer build steam turbines for new coal power stations.
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EVs
The Magic Number That Unlocks The Electric-Car Revolution
A decade ago, some of the smartest minds at the U.S. Department of Energy set an ambitious goal: lower the cost of battery packs to $100 per kilowatt-hour from more than $1000 per kWh. If achieved, electric cars would reach cost parity with internal-combustion engine cars — unleashing a revolution. That moment is here. Later today, at Tesla’s Battery Day event, Elon Musk could announce that the California-based company now makes batteries that cost less than $100 per kWh. Even if he doesn’t, the goal is within reach. In March, General Motors, partnering with South Korean battery maker LG Chem, set a goal of reaching $100 per kWh soon. Volkswagen has hinted that its newest electric car, the ID.3, uses batteries that cost less than $100 per kWh. [ read more … ]
Mich. city puts detectives in a Tesla
A police department in western Michigan will be solving crimes with a Tesla. Detectives at the Holland Department of Public Safety will be driving a $49,000 Tesla Model 3 after the city compared it to the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Bolt, which both cost much less. [ read more … ]
Campaign 2020
Energy policy on the line in high-stakes Mont. governor’s race
While Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s (D) bid to unseat Republican Sen. Steve Daines is one of the nation’s marquee election battles, the scramble to replace Bullock in the governor’s mansion is equally fierce and perhaps more consequential for state energy policy. The matchup: Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, a Democrat who has been active in Montana politics for decades, and Rep. Greg Gianforte, a Republican who founded the software company RightNow Technologies and has been serving in Congress since 2017. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.