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Where 5 key climate cases stand ahead of Supreme Court brawl
The latest batch of climate liability lawsuits is plowing ahead in federal court as the nation’s highest bench gets ready to decide a case that will help determine whether such challenges belong in state or federal venues. Leaders from Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina, Hawaii and New Jersey unleashed a flurry of climate complaints this summer, adding to the growing heap of lawsuits asking oil and gas companies to pay up for climate impacts like extreme heat, wildfires and flooding that have been linked to emissions from producing and burning fossil fuels. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
A Monster Wind Turbine Is Upending an Industry
Twirling above a strip of land at the mouth of Rotterdam’s harbor is a wind turbine so large it is difficult to photograph. The turning diameter of its rotor is longer than two American football fields end to end. Later models will be taller than any building on the mainland of Western Europe. Packed with sensors gathering data on wind speeds, electricity output and stresses on its components, the giant whirling machine in the Netherlands is a test model for a new series of giant offshore wind turbines planned by General Electric. When assembled in arrays, the wind machines have the potential to power cities, supplanting the emissions-spewing coal- or natural gas-fired plants that form the backbones of many electric systems today. [ read more … ]
$250M facility to help NJ lead offshore wind power industry
New Jersey is doubling down on its drive to dominate the offshore wind energy supply chain in the U.S., adding a $250 million facility to build the huge poles supporting wind turbines to a second planned facility where blades would be built. Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled plans to build a facility to build monopiles, the steel columns that support offshore wind turbines at the Paulsboro Marine Terminal on the Delaware River in southern New Jersey. Groundbreaking is set for next month, with production beginning in 2023.
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Relief Bill
13 ways the massive omnibus hits energy
The legislation extends tax credits for solar, energy efficiency, and both onshore and offshore wind, delighting advocates. Heather Zichal, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, called the extensions “a major win for American energy consumers” and singled out the recognition of offshore wind as “a brand-new provider of jobs” and clean electricity. The wind and solar industries also secured investments in their future, in the form of research and development. [ read more … ]
Emissions
A Plan by Eastern States to Cap Tailpipe Emissions Gets Off to a Slow Start
An ambitious plan by Eastern states for a regional cap-and-trade program to curb greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks got off to a slow start Monday after just three states — Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island — plus Washington, D.C., formally agreed to adopt it. But so far, only a few states have said they would begin implementing the policy. In a separate statement on Monday, eight other states left open the possibility of joining at a future date, but would not commit for now. Those states include Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia. [ read more … ]
The Transition
Biden has massive climate plans. Where will he find the money to fund them?
Until now, any lawmaker who asked for $2 trillion in federal funding without offsetting savings would have been laughed out of politics. But then came the Green New Deal. And then the coronavirus pandemic. And then another bout of rock-bottom interest rates. Suddenly, a couple of trillion dollars doesn’t sound like as much money as it used to. And that’s good news for President-elect Joe Biden, who is planning to pursue a costly package of climate change policies aimed at transforming the country’s economy, including the way farmers plant crops and the way automakers design engines. [ read more … ]
Biden’s climate team unified Dems. What about Republicans?
The fact that activists were able to dissuade Biden from picking people in his inner circle, he said, “bodes well for both progressives … and the theory that this is an administration that can be pressured.” At the same time, moderates and some Republicans have been encouraged to see centrists like Agriculture Secretary-designate Tom Vilsack make it onto Biden’s team. Possible Republican control of the Senate has given latitude to Biden — a moderate himself — to eschew left-wing candidates who might have had more trouble winning GOP confirmation votes. [ read more … ]
Transmission
Enviros push judge to block $1B hydropower line in Maine
Conservation groups in Maine are asking a federal judge to halt the development of a $1 billion transmission line considered central to efforts in New England to slash carbon emissions. The 145-mile New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) line would bring Canadian hydropower into Maine and Massachusetts. Governors in the region hope the renewable power can help their states advance toward a mutual goal of carbon-neutral power supplies by 2050.
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EVs
German Automakers Are Charged Up and Ready to Take on Tesla
The Porsche Taycan rocketed from a standstill so fast that my skull banged against the headrest and my vision went blurry. It was a demonstration of what can happen when German engineers apply their brainpower to electric cars. And it offered a clue to how German luxury carmakers hope to prevent Tesla from destroying the country’s most important export industry. [ read more … ]
Commentary
A way forward on climate change: Focus on reducing heavy industry’s carbon emissions
Republicans, focused on a more resilient post-pandemic economy, will prioritize private sector job creation, strengthening industry and trade policies that don’t disadvantage American workers. Many Democrats are likely to call for Green New Deal-like approaches to address climate change and create government-secured jobs. In such a landscape, low-hanging fruit feels easy, but we should set our sights higher. It is time for Congress to work together — in a bipartisan fashion that addresses Republicans’ key priorities while also significantly cutting greenhouse gas emissions — on one of the most difficult climate challenges: reducing the carbon footprint for heavy industry. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.