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MIT Study: Transmission Is Key to a Low-Cost, Decarbonized US Grid
Study after study over the past decade has concluded that expanding the U.S. transmission grid will play a key role in decarbonizing the country’s electricity system. But a new Massachusetts Institute of Technology study indicates that a massive U.S.-wide transmission build-out could also slash the costs of reaching a zero-carbon grid with wind, solar and battery technologies that are cost-effective today. [ read more … ]
Energy Storage
Scientists unveil battery breakthrough for energy storage
Battery fires pose safety and public image problems for electric vehicles and energy storage, which are considered critical for carbon-free transportation and electricity. Now, an international group of researchers are one step closer to producing a battery that won’t catch on fire thanks to its incorporation of an age-old fire suppressant — water — along with a hydrophobic zinc salt. The team said it reached a breakthrough that could be cheaper to produce and involve fewer mining challenges. [ read more … ]
The Transition
Merrick Garland could energize enviro issues at DOJ
President-elect Joe Biden has chosen as his top lawyer a jurist who legal experts say could bring environmental issues into the spotlight at the Justice Department. If confirmed to serve as attorney general, Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit would carry a strong environmental record as a member of a bench that is often the last stop for legal disputes over EPA rules. [ read more … ]
Biden, Harris add energy, environment aides to White House roster
President-elect Joe Biden named an additional 21 people to fill out his National Security Council staff, including an aide focused on energy and climate change, while Vice President-elect Kamala Harris added 12 aides to her staff.
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How the Georgia election results just raised Biden’s climate ambitions
With Democrats poised to take control of Congress, the prospects for President-elect Joe Biden to pursue more aggressive policies to tackle climate change and other major environmental problems have expanded overnight. Even the thinnest Democratic majorities will enable Biden to press for much more generous federal support for renewable energy, environmentally friendly infrastructure, expanded tax breaks for electric vehicles and stricter energy-efficiency standards. [ read more … ]
States
Storm could bring much-needed moisture to N.M.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service say a potent storm headed toward New Mexico could bring some much needed moisture to the drought-stricken state. They issued an advisory yesterday, saying the storm is expected to move across the state beginning Saturday and will reach the eastern plains Sunday. Significant snow accumulations are expected to affect travel and could cause delays late Saturday in the northern mountains, where a few inches up to a foot of snow could fall. The eastern plains could see several inches. [ read more … ]
Mass. looks to ban gas car sales by 2035
Massachusetts plans to phase out sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, speeding down the same road as California. While many climate hawks have their eyes trained on the federal government, the proposal last week from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) heralds significant climate action at the state level. “I’m really excited to see Gov. Baker moving forward to address global warming pollution from cars and get more zero-emission vehicles on the road,” said Morgan Folger, director of the Zero Carbon Campaign at Environment America. [ read more … ]
Climate
2020 ties for hottest year on record
Global temperatures in 2020 tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record, according to data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The news is a capstone in a year of unprecedented global events. Eight of the top 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 2010. And each of the last five years has ranked in the top five. As 2020 drew to a close, scientists became increasingly sure it would rank first or second. [ read more … ]
Budget Reconciliation
Breaking down budget reconciliation
Get ready to hear a lot about budget reconciliation over the next two years. With Democrats clinching the Senate majority after winning the Georgia runoffs, senior lawmakers are already vowing to deploy the procedural tool, which allows legislation to pass with a simple majority. Reconciliation can typically be used to speed passage for any legislation with a significant effect on the federal budget, and Democrats could use it to promote their priorities on economic stimulus, health care, climate change and other priorities. [ read more … ]
EVs
Mass. looks to ban gas car sales by 2035
Massachusetts plans to phase out sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, speeding down the same road as California. While many climate hawks have their eyes trained on the federal government, the proposal last week from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) heralds significant climate action at the state level. “I’m really excited to see Gov. Baker moving forward to address global warming pollution from cars and get more zero-emission vehicles on the road,” said Morgan Folger, director of the Zero Carbon Campaign at Environment America. [ read more … ]
Car Dealers Challenge Minnesota’s Proposed Emissions Standards
Minnesota car dealers took to federal court Wednesday to fight proposed changes to the state’s emissions rules for new automobiles, saying that the state’s ongoing rulemaking is preempted by federal environmental laws. The regulations at issue would bring Minnesota’s emissions standards for new car sales up to par with those enforced in California. Minnesota would be the first Midwestern state to take up that elevated — and contested — standards, which were made possible by an Environmental Protection Agency waiver revoked in 2019. [ read more … ]
Lucid Motors in talks to build Saudi EV factory
Lucid Motors Inc. is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to build an electric vehicle factory potentially near the Red Sea city of Jeddah, according to people familiar with the matter. The move would mark a significant expansion for Newark, Calif.-based Lucid. Saudi Arabia is trying to become a Middle Eastern hub for manufacturing EVs as it diversifies its economy from oil. [ read more … ]
FirstEnergy
ComEd sued over profits tied to bribery charge
An Illinois consumer group is suing Commonwealth Edison Co. to force the Chicago-based utility to pay back any financial gains linked to a scandal that drew a federal bribery charge. The Citizens Utility Board, a nonprofit that represents the interests of Illinois utility consumers, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Chicago. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.