Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

NUCLEAR: The Biden administration today plans to release a blueprint for an additional 200 GW of nuclear power by 2050, a proposal that has bipartisan support and is likely to survive the incoming Trump administration. (Bloomberg)

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OVERSIGHT:

• President-elect Trump selects former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, a vocal defender of Trump during his impeachment trial, to lead the EPA; Zeldin derided what he called his state’s “far-left climate agenda” in an unsuccessful 2022 run for governor. (E&E News)
• A top congressional Democrat notes Zeldin has “no profile at all on environmental issues,” signaling his main focus will be slashing regulations, which Republican backers suggest he will be effective at doing. (E&E News)

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CLIMATE: White House climate advisor John Podesta tells attendees at the COP 29 summit that “the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States” and calls on the private sector and state and local governments to lead the way. (The Hill)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• Three northeastern Ohio foundations collaborate to help cities, counties, utilities and communities coordinate clean energy projects to maximize benefits and secure funding. (Energy News Network)
• A new report says repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act will create an $80 billion windfall for other countries competing with the U.S. in the clean energy space. (Energy Mix)

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GRID: A company working to cut roughly a year off the grid interconnection process receives a $49.5 million federal grant to roll out its software in eight states. (Canary Media)

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‍OIL & GAS: The EPA finalizes a Biden administration rule to charge fees for venting or flaring natural gas, which, because it is linked to the Inflation Reduction Act, will require congressional approval to overturn. (CNN)

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HYDROGEN: Advocates say developers are not listening to their environmental justice concerns as the process of building federally supported hydrogen hubs ramps up in Pennsylvania and other targeted areas. (The Daily Climate)

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OFFSHORE WIND: A coalition of East Coast states moves ahead with plans for a compensation fund to mitigate the financial impact offshore wind could have on commercial fishermen. (SeafoodSource)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: While some analysts predict  a “U.S. battery boom” as Trump removes restrictions on mining, others note that policy support across the entire supply chain will be necessary to grow the electric vehicle industry. (E&E News)

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POLITICS: As Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to enjoy outsized influence over the Trump transition, a source reveals he spent nearly $200 million supporting the former president’s reelection. (Al Jazeera, Associated Press)

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COMMENTARY: The executive director of the Sierra Club says “we will not go backward” on clean energy, predicting market forces and state opposition will thwart some of Trump’s efforts to roll back climate policy. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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NUCLEAR: Worker training is ramping up at a shuttered Michigan nuclear plant that within the next year aims to become the first U.S. reactor to restart after being closed. (Michigan Advance)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Midwest clean energy experts say the incoming Trump administration will no doubt usher in a renewed commitment to domestic oil and gas production, but remain hopeful that clean energy investments will continue. (MPR News)

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RENEWABLES: Dozens of Michigan communities band together to file a legal appeal of the state’s new renewable energy siting regulations that give final authority over projects to state regulators. (MLive, subscription)

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FOSSIL FUELS: The Sierra Club criticizes Wisconsin regulators’ recent approval of We Energies’ rate increases that they say are driven by previous bad investments in fossil fuels. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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GRID: The president of grid operator MISO says natural gas plants could be built to meet data centers’ short-term power needs and transition to backup power sources as clean energy plays a bigger role on the grid. (Utility Dive)

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UTILITIES:

• Defense attorneys spend hours questioning a former ComEd executive who has testified that associates of Illinois’ former House Speaker got do-nothing jobs at the utility in exchange for favorable legislation. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• Lower gas prices and the recovery of deferred costs from a 2021 winter storm will allow gas provider Spire Missouri to decrease monthly customer bills by more than 16% on average. (FOX 2)

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EMISSIONS: The U.S. oil industry makes five policy requests to the incoming Trump administration, including repealing tailpipe and fuel economy standards that would be key for reducing transportation emissions. (Inside Climate News)

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BATTERIES:

• Trump’s threats to raise tariffs on imported battery materials could chill near-term energy storage investments in the U.S., analysts say. (Utility Dive)
• Electric vehicle startup Rivian inks a five-year battery supply agreement with LG Energy Solution that will be used in the automaker’s R2 model set to hit the market in early 2026. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR: A developer reaches an agreement to build two commercial solar projects in Wisconsin before handing over ownership to Wisconsin Public Service Corp. and Madison Gas and Electric. (Solar Industry)

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BIOFUELS: A Michigan fuel supplier aims to increase biofuel sales by 2.5 million gallons per year by installing new fuel dispensers with help from a $4.2 million federal grant. (County Press)

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NUCLEAR: Shuttered nuclear reactors in Michigan, Iowa and Pennsylvania are the country’s most obvious candidates for restarting, a nuclear expert says, adding that others in the U.S. would be long-shots. (Utility Dive)

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POLLUTION: Michigan’s coal-based steel and coke facilities contribute to about 40-80 premature deaths and more than 20,000 asthma cases a year, according to a new report from an advocacy and research group. (Planet Detroit)

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BIOGAS: Michigan officials approve hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-exempt bonds that would help Chevron and other entities complete several facilities that convert farm waste to renewable natural gas. (WOOD-TV8)

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WIND: Zoning officials in eastern Iowa continue work on a draft ordinance for new wind regulations nearly a year and a half after enacting a moratorium on commercial projects. (Telegraph Herald)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: An Illinois county board leader resigns from his position after taking a job with a Chinese-owned company that’s building a controversial EV battery plant there. (Chicago Tribune, subscription)

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BIOFUELS: The Iowa Sierra Club calls a $1 million federal rural clean energy grant for an ethanol producer a “boondoggle.” (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

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SOLAR: Minnesota loses its effort to send back to state court a case claiming a group of companies marketing loans for residential solar panels violated consumer protection laws. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

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CARBON CAPTURE: The U.S. Department of Energy awards $518 million to develop 23 carbon capture and storage projects across 19 states, which are still being negotiated and face environmental review. (E&E News, subscription)

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POLITICS: Attorneys for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his close associate plan to strongly challenge prosecutors’ theory about Madigan exchanging favorable legislation with jobs for his allies. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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STORAGE: Long-duration energy storage startup Form Energy, which is developing a commercial pilot project with a Minnesota utility, recently raised $405 million in capital to scale up the company. (Utility Dive)

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GRID: Illinois consumer advocates push back on Ameren’s more than $300 million rate increase request to help pay for grid infrastructure projects, saying the amount is excessive. (WEEK)

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COMMENTARY:

• Michigan has emerged as a leader in using the Inflation Reduction Act to leverage private investments in manufacturing, a nonprofit official writes. (Energy News Network)
• Illinois could shield itself from rapidly rising capacity prices in PJM’s territory by swiftly bringing wind, solar and storage projects online, an editorial board writes. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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BATTERIES: General Motors pledges $625 million to help fund the contested Thacker Pass lithium mine under development in Nevada in an effort to boost battery material’s domestic supplies. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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ALSO:

• A California startup plans to build a $1 billion lithium-sulfur battery factory in northern Nevada, adding to the state’s “lithium loop.” (Reno Gazette Journal)
• A developer proposes a 400 MW battery energy storage system in California’s Bay Area. (PV Magazine)
• California’s battery energy storage capacity hits 13,391 MW, one quarter of the way to the state’s goal of 52 GW by 2045. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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OIL & GAS:

• Phillips 66 says “market dynamics” prompted plans to shutter its Los Angeles-area refinery that supplies 8% of the state’s gasoline next year and replace its output with biofuels from its San Francisco Bay-area complex. (Los Angeles Times)
• Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy looks to lure data centers to the state, saying their high electricity demand would strengthen the case for a proposed multi-billion dollar natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. (Northern Journal)

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BIOFUELS: The U.S. Energy Department tentatively awards a Montana biodiesel refinery $1.44 billion in loan guarantees to produce sustainable aviation fuels from leftover animal fats and greases. (Canary Media)

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UTILITIES: Xcel Energy submits its just transition plan to Colorado regulators proposing to replace closing coal plants and meet increasing demand with a mix of new wind, solar, geothermal and gas generators, battery storage and a nuclear reactor. (CPR)

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CLIMATE: Legal experts say a 2019 court ruling would probably shield California’s and Washington’s carbon markets from a potential Trump administration’s likely challenges. (E&E News)

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CARBON CAPTURE:

• Wyoming’s energy agency asks the governor to allocate $7.8 million in taxpayer funds to help a utility comply with a state law requiring it to study carbon capture technology for aging coal plants. (WyoFile)
• A Colorado startup begins developing a demonstration plant in New York designed to recycle discarded gypsum and pull carbon dioxide from the air. (Canary Media)

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WIND: A Bill Gates-backed startup says it has secured $14 million for a proposed wind facility in Wyoming that would use the firm’s horizontal-axis turbines. (Power)

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GRID: The Bonneville Power Administration proposes spending about $3 billion on 13 transmission and substation projects designed to bolster its grid to accommodate increasing renewables and growing power demand. (Idaho Capital Sun)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Pacific Gas & Electric launches a bidirectional electric vehicle charging program compensating customers for discharging EV batteries back to the grid during high demand. (PV Magazine)

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HYDROGEN: A southern California transit agency opens a liquid hydrogen-based fueling station for its bus fleet. (news release)

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COAL: Colorado officials launch an effort to extinguish underground coal seam fires in an abandoned mine near Boulder. (CBS News Colorado)

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COMMENTARY: A California energy executive calls on local governments to comply with a state law requiring instant residential solar permitting and to force homeowners associations to eliminate red tape for rooftop installations. (Fresno Bee)

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NUCLEAR: A Maryland-based company that makes small modular nuclear reactors announces a $500 million round of funding, led by Amazon as it looks for clean energy sources for its increasingly power-hungry data centers. (Washington Post)

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ALSO: The owners of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant order a $100 million transformer, a major step in its plan to restart operations. (Reuters)

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FOSSIL FUELS: A group of New York prosecutors argues they could press criminal charges against oil companies for their role in fueling hurricanes and other climate disasters. (The Guardian)

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BUILDINGS:

• In New York City, environmental advocates fear new rules allowing property owners to buy carbon offsets rather than reducing emissions will create loopholes that undermine the city’s building performance standards. (Gothamist)
• Pennsylvania developers unveil the state’s first apartment community built to the rigorous Phius ZERO standard, which calls for high energy efficiency, elimination of fossil fuel use, and net-zero emissions. (news release)

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HYDROGEN: A large hydrogen fuel production facility in upstate New York was expected to make the state an industry leader, but work on the project has halted and its future is uncertain. (Heatmap News)

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EMISSIONS:

• A demonstration plant in upstate New York will aim to remove carbon dioxide from the air and use it to recycle mining industry waste. (Canary Media)
• At least three Maine beermakers install carbon recapture equipment to address a shortage of carbon dioxide needed for the brewing process. (Portland Press-Herald, subscription)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• New Jersey’s nascent offshore wind industry offers opportunities for small, local businesses, but educating the community about the benefits is vital, says a panel of industry experts. (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• The governor of Connecticut adopts a cautious stance toward offshore wind development, while Massachusetts’ governor moves forward aggressively. (CommonWealth Beacon)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Massachusetts awards $1.75 million in grants to help cities and towns fund energy efficiency projects, climate planning, and clean energy campaigns. (WWLP)

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GRID: Maine utilities make grid updates they say will make the power system more reliable as the number of serious storms increases. (News Center Maine)

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COMMENTARY: New York’s $5 billion state energy efficiency program needs to do a better job reaching low-income residents and communities of color, says an environmental justice advocate. (City Limits)

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