‘Cynical PR stunt’ puts gas appliances in ‘net-zero’ homes

UTILITIES: U.S. gas utilities are partnering with Habitat for Humanity affiliates to build “zero-net energy homes” with gas appliances in what critics call a “cynical PR stunt” to combat efforts to curb fossil fuel use. (The Guardian)

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INDUSTRY: The Biden administration is banking on “green steel” factories in Mississippi and Ohio that will run on clean hydrogen to provide a model to decarbonize one of the world’s dirtiest industries. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS: The Department of Energy is closing a 1-million-barrel Northeast gasoline reserve established in 2014 in response to Superstorm Sandy, releasing the fuel into the market at a time when summer driving ramps up. (Reuters)

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POLLUTION: A Government Accountability Office report finds natural gas peaker plants, which are more likely to be located near poor and minority communities, emit more pollution than conventional power plants. (E&E News, subscription)

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CO2 CAPTURE:

• Louisiana is home to about a third of the nearly 200 carbon storage wells seeking permits in the U.S., but watchdog groups warn the presence of at least 186,000 abandoned oil and gas wells could complicate the process and cause safety issues. (Verite News)
• The third-largest U.S. direct-air carbon capture plant has begun sucking CO2 from the air next to a Google data center in northeastern Oregon. (Heatmap)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A California nonprofit launches a campaign to build an electric vehicle charging network in the state’s harshest “charging desert.” (CalMatters)
• Nissan delays changes at a Mississippi factory to produce more electric vehicles due to concerns about customer demand. (CNN)

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WIND:

• Community activists in New York are supportive of offshore wind facilities but want to hold developers accountable for promises to create local jobs. (Inside Climate News)
• A tornado toppled several 250-foot wind turbines in Iowa Tuesday despite their being built to withstand hurricane-force winds. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE:

• Florida officials warn residents to prepare for what’s forecast to be an “extremely active” hurricane season beginning next month. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
• A Florida meteorologist criticizes a new law that removes most references to climate change from state code. (CNN)
• Climate change is putting dozens of nuclear facilities at greater risk from wildfires and flooding, experts say. (Associated Press)

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EFFICIENCY: Ohio regulators last week rejected most of an energy efficiency proposal by FirstEnergy, but said in their ruling that the state’s infamous 2019 utility law doesn’t necessarily prohibit such programs. (Energy News Network)

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