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Democrats Designed the Climate Law to Be a Game Changer. Here’s How.
When the Supreme Court restricted the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to fight climate change this year, the reason it gave was that Congress had never granted the agency the broad authority to shift America away from burning fossil fuels. Now it has. Throughout the landmark climate law, passed this month, is language written specifically to address the Supreme Court’s justification for reining in the E.P.A., a ruling that was one of the court’s most consequential of the term. The new law amends the Clean Air Act, the country’s bedrock air-quality legislation, to define the carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels as an “air pollutant.” [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
This power line could save California — and forever change the American West
No matter how many times I watch the slender arms swoop down toward me — packing as much punch as 20 Ford F-150 pickup trucks — it’s hard to shake the feeling they’re going to knock me off my feet. They sweep within a few dozen feet of the ground before launching back toward the heavens, reaching nearly 500 feet above my head — higher than the highest redwood. They’re eerily quiet, emitting only a low hum. But in the howling wind, the tips could be barreling past at 183 mph. So yes, I’m a little terrified — but also full of awe. These machines are changing the world, after all. [ read more … ]
Gulf oil industry embraces offshore wind — to a point
Welders and machinists from Louisiana and Texas are building the nation’s first offshore wind supply vessels and turbine installation ships. Jack-up vessel crews helped plant the first of thousands of turbines in the Atlantic Ocean and hope to raise more. Oil companies, with their decades of experience launching projects at sea, are expected to be at the front of the line when the Interior Department conducts the first lease sale for wind in the Gulf of Mexico next year. [ read more … ]
Inflation Reduction Act
Climate law could reduce costs associated with emissions up to $1.9 trillion: OMB
The Inflation Reduction Act, the tax and climate bill President Biden signed into law last week, could reduce the costs from climate-related damages by up to $1.9 trillion, according to an analysis by the Office of Management and Budget. The analysis published Tuesday is based on three models crafted by Rhodium Group and Princeton University. They found the law’s climate provisions could potentially cut up to 1 billion annual metric tons of carbon dioxide by the end of the decade, nearly meeting the White House target of cutting emissions in half relative to 2005 by 2030. [ read more … ]
Carbon Capture
US Climate Bill’s Subsidy Bonanza Gives New Allure to Carbon Capture
US companies that cut carbon emissions could qualify for subsidies on even the smallest projects under new climate legislation, unleashing a potentially unprecedented wave of investment in green technologies. The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress this month will boost a host of clean technologies. Among them will be startups developing more efficient ways to capture and store carbon, which is going to be crucial to meeting global climate goals. [ read more … ]
Pollution
The top 10 emitting power plants in America
America’s coal industry has been in steady decline over the last decade, as natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency combined to replace the carbon dioxide-intense fuel and drive greenhouse gas emissions lower. Yet coal continues to produce the lion’s share of greenhouse gas emissions associated with U.S. power production. Last year, coal was responsible for 22 percent of the country’s electricity generation but 60 percent of power-sector CO2 emissions, according to federal data. [ read more … ]
Ameren Missouri to delay retiring 1,195-MW Rush Island coal plant under MISO reliability contract
Instead of retiring its 1,195-MW Rush Island power plant on Sept. 1, Ameren Missouri will likely keep it running until mid-2025 to support grid reliability, the Midcontinent grid operator said in a Friday filing at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Shuttering the plant near Festus, Missouri, could cause severe voltage stability problems, leading to cascading power outages, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator said in an application for a 12-month system support resource agreement that can be renewed annually. The contract will be paid for by load-serving entities that benefit from keeping the plant running. [ read more … ]
EVs
Electric Cars Have a Big Tire Conundrum
The Lucid Air Dream Edition travels up to 520 miles on a charge, more than any electric vehicle on the market by a wide margin. If a buyer chooses the larger, 21-inch wheels, however, 39 of those miles vanish — a 7.5% range penalty. To be fair, the bigger shoes do look cool, and they’ll still take you nonstop from New York to Cleveland. But when it comes to wheels and tires — where the rubber literally meets the road on electric vehicle range — there’s an escalating battle between physics and aesthetics. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.