Could Supreme Court ruling thwart FERC’s clean energy plans?

The court majority justified the ruling using the “major questions” doctrine, a relatively new legal theory that holds that Congress must clearly express when agencies are allowed to decide matters of “vast economic and political significance.” Some observers say that could stunt potential new rules from agencies such as FERC, particularly on issues that pertain to climate change.

“The major questions doctrine, as they articulated it now, is so broad you could apply it to any major rulemaking,” said Harvey Reiter, a partner at Stinson LLP whose focus includes energy regulations. “[The decision] talks about cases of great ‘economic and political significance,’ but that could characterize any major rule of any agency.” [ read more … ]

Why the Supreme Court ruling won’t help coal

Last Thursday began brightly for the coal industry when the Supreme Court handed down a 6-3 decision forbidding EPA from writing sweeping regulations governing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. But by nightfall, the grim reality facing coal had set in. [ read more … ]

Colo. utilities plan ‘very rapid transition’ off coal

Colorado’s power sector aims to surpass the state’s emissions reduction goals and end the burning of coal earlier than expected. The state’s utilities have submitted plans to ramp up renewables, shutter coal plants and decrease demand in accordance with a 2019 state law. That law sought to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions — when compared to 2005 levels — by 90 percent by 2050 for the state and by 80 percent by 2030 for the power sector.
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The Electric Car Market is About to Get Crazy (and Confusing)

Electric cars are drastically cleaner than conventional gasoline vehicles, particularly as renewable power starts to comprise more of the grid. However, there’s a growing awareness that none of this 5,000-pound hardware comes without a carbon cost; there’s no such thing as a “zero-emission vehicle,” as they have been branded by policymakers and early champions. Steel body panels don’t grow on trees. Lithium doesn’t just flow out of the ground and into battery plants. And electricity — even the stuff coming from solar panels — isn’t captured without a great deal of capital and carbon expense. That’s why our EV ratings also measure how “green” each of these machines is with a formula based on the economy of the vehicle, how far it travels relative to how many pounds it weighs, and the size of its battery. [ read more … ]

Toyota hits sales milestone for electric vehicles, joins Tesla and GM in losing tax incentives for buyers

Toyota Motor said it sold its 200,000th plug-in electric vehicle during the second quarter, triggering a phase out of U.S. tax credits of up to $7,500 for people who buy the cars. The Japanese automaker joins Tesla and General Motors in initiating a phase-out of the credit for future consumers who purchase an all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The milestone comes at an inopportune time, with Toyota ramping up production of its new all-electric bZ4X. [ read more … ]

Biden’s 51 years of bad blood with Big Oil

President Joe Biden has been feuding with Big Oil since he was a 28-year-old county councilman in Delaware who went to war against a Shell refinery. “If Shell wants to build a refinery, let them build it,” Biden said during his brief stint as a local politician, the Wilmington News Journal reported at the time. “But first let them write it in blood that they won’t pollute.” He helped galvanize political opposition to the planned refinery, which was never built. [ read more … ]