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EPA clampdown on soot pollution imminent
Particulate matter in general is among a half-dozen pollutants subject to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards that EPA must periodically revisit to assure that they continue to protect public health and the environment based on the latest research. Fine particulate matter is technically known as PM2.5 because the microscopic specks and droplets are no bigger than 2.5 microns in diameter, or one-thirtieth the width of a human hair. Inhalation is tied to heart attacks, breathing problems and other respiratory and cardiovascular health harms, including heightened vulnerability to the Covid-19 virus. Because soot is directly and indirectly spawned by a long list of sources, any attempt to strengthen exposure limits is also closely watched by business groups. [ read more … ]
Wind & Solar Energy
Huge opportunities and huge threats loom for US clean energy in 2023
The headwinds for clean energy growth have gathered intensity over the course of 2022. First were the compounding supply shortages and cost increases for equipment and materials caused by the broader global disruptions of the Covid pandemic. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February threw global energy markets into turmoil and increased inflationary pressures, delaying progress and driving up costs for a growing number of clean energy projects across the country. [ read more … ]
Grid
Bipartisan bill expanding MLP access to be reintroduced this week
A bipartisan group of senators this week will resume its efforts to allow clean energy companies to take advantage of favorable tax rules that have benefited the fossil fuel industry for decades. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) on Wednesday will reintroduce the “Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act” with co-sponsors Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), an aide said yesterday. Moran co-sponsored the bill last year. Murkowski is the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Stabenow chairs a Finance Committee subpanel focused on energy tax issues. [ read more … ]
Congress
Senate Dem agenda: Oversight, permitting, foreign affairs
Democrats hope to use their expanded Senate majority to push climate and energy policy this year, despite the looming chaos of a divided Congress. While they have no hope of passing another massive bill like the Inflation Reduction Act, Senate Democrats will help dictate how the law’s gargantuan climate are implemented. They could also use their majority to blunt the impact of the coming oversight regime from the Republican House. [ read more … ]
EVs
Treasury omits leased EVs from made-in-America mandate
The White House and Joe Manchin are at odds over electric vehicles — again. The latest tiff comes after the Treasury Department released tax guidance last week spelling out how consumers can qualify for up to $7,500 in federal subsidies to buy a clean vehicle. The guidance effectively provides a loophole for leased vehicles by exempting them from the made-in-America manufacturing requirements needed to receive the full value of the subsidy.
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Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.