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Lawmakers want to change permitting bill. Will they succeed?
The new permitting reform proposal is already facing calls from skeptical lawmakers who want to dramatically change it. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) wants to alter language for a natural gas pipeline that runs through his state. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) wants to speed up offshore wind projects. Republicans have doubts about the bill granting new powers to the nation’s top energy regulator and want the legislation to be closer to one introduced by one of their colleagues. Those gripes span the political spectrum and leave in serious doubt the fate of the legislation, which was introduced Wednesday by Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Wind Project Sparks Battle in Rural Ohio
A fight over a big wind project in central Ohio has become so contentious that some neighbors, longtime friends and even family members have stopped talking to each other. The dispute roiling Crawford County, a mostly flat expanse of farm country north of Columbus, is pitting farmers and other landowners who support the wind project and the new revenue streams it promises against others who fear it could permanently damage the landscape and their quality of life. [ read more … ]
States
California’s latest power grid problems are just the beginning
In Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s telling, the state kept the lights on because of its efforts to bolster renewable energy. “Went right up to the edge of breaking our grid, but it didn’t,” Newsom said at a Clinton Global Initiative event this week, describing this month’s scorcher to dignitaries gathered in New York City for Climate Week at the U.N. “This transition worked.” The reality, however, is a lot messier. [ read more … ]
California Moves to Ban Natural Gas Furnaces and Heaters by 2030
California is committing to a plan that will make it the first US state to phase out gas-fueled furnaces and water heaters in homes, a move environmentalists are betting will provide a template for other states. The Golden State will ban the sale of all new natural gas-fired space heaters and water heating appliances by 2030, under a proposal unanimously approved by the California Air Resources Board on Thursday. [ read more … ]
FERC
FERC meeting: Manchin bill, gas woes and cyber ‘candy’
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is ready to implement new authority outlined in Sen. Joe Manchin’s permitting bill, but it would be “foolish” for the agency to do so without state input, FERC Chair Richard Glick said yesterday. The “Energy Independence and Security Act” — which was introduced Wednesday by the West Virginia Democrat and backed by the White House — would allow FERC to issue permits for long-distance transmission lines determined to be in the national interest, something the commission has never done before. It would also give authority to FERC over pipelines that transport hydrogen gas, according to the bill text. [ read more … ]
Climate
The Next Step on Climate Action: Parking Reform
California currently stands on the cusp of enacting a powerful climate policy that targets this enormously wasteful allocation of urban land. A bill now under consideration by Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 2097, would eliminate parking mandates across the state. Currently, most California cities — like cities nationwide — require developers to create a certain number of parking spaces with any new homes or commercial projects they build, regardless of size. So a single-unit home in Costa Mesa must provide two parking spots, and a three-bedroom condo must do the same. A 1,000-square-foot restaurant or bar in Los Angeles must provide 10 parking spots — which ends up with the restaurant being half the size of its parking lot. [ read more … ]
Martkets
Rural Electric Co-ops Get a ‘Downpayment’ on the Renewable Future
With aging infrastructure, billions of dollars in debt tied to coal plants, and no access to federal tax incentives for renewable energy projects, the electric cooperatives that provide energy to most of rural America have been largely unable to transition away from fossil fuels. “We are just flat out never going to make the clean energy transition in rural communities without major federal intervention,” said Erik Hatlestad, the director of the Energy Democracy program at CURE, a rural environmental non-profit based in Minnesota. Now, that critical federal help is here in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act. [ read more … ]
EVs
Americans Have Always Bought Too Much Car. Now They’re Doing It With EVs
“We’re in this education phase of electrification,” says Stephanie Valdez-Streaty, director of EV research and development at Cox Automotive Mobility. “We’re getting consumers to understand: How often do I drive? Where am I going to be able to charge? What do I need for my lifestyle? As consumers start to get more educated, they may realize they don’t need a vehicle that has a 400-mile range.” [ read more … ]
Future EVs should charge by day — study
Utilities think they’re doing the responsible thing when they ask their customers who have electric vehicles to plug them in at night. But a new study peers into the next decade and comes to the opposite conclusion. Most charging should happen during the day. Here’s why: The electric grid of 2035 could pulse with enormous quantities of solar power at midday, and electric cars are the most economical and climate-friendly place to put it. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.