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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Rivian and Volkswagen finalize their $5.8 billion joint venture to develop electric vehicle software that will be used in models made at Rivian’s planned Georgia plant and Volkswagen’s Tennessee factory. (New York Times; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription; Chattanooga Times Free Press)
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OIL & GAS:
POLITICS: South Carolina lawmakers consider a proposed Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper gas-fired plant and a previous failed plan to build a nuclear plant as they determine how to boost energy generation to meet growing power demand. (South Carolina Public Radio)
HYDROGEN: Appalachian residents worry a planned hub to use primarily natural gas to create hydrogen will increase fracking activity, produce pollution and degrade quality of life — part of a pattern of criticism that’s emerged against hydrogen hubs around the country. (Environmental Health News)
OVERSIGHT: Largely in response to criticism of a lack of transparency, Virginia regulators publish a database of data centers’ air permits, which allow them to run diesel generators during outages. (Virginia Mercury)
GRID: Georgia residents react against Georgia Power’s plan to build a transmission line through one of metro Atlanta’s oldest neighborhoods. (WANF)
EFFICIENCY: Two companies partner on a plan to distribute thousands of smart thermostats across Texas in hopes of developing a nearly 1 GW residential virtual power plant by 2035. (Utility Dive)
BIOFUELS:
CLIMATE:
UTILITIES: Tampa Electric files federal documents indicating it could file with Florida regulators to recover roughly $400 million from customers for damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. (News Service of Florida)
ENVIRONMENT: A study ranks West Virginia as the country’s least environmentally sustainable state, based on factors that include high carbon dioxide emissions, low renewable energy use, and limited electric vehicle adoption. (WV News)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
UTILITIES:
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)
BATTERIES:
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)
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)
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)
CLIMATE: As a second Trump term threatens climate action, Democrat-led state governments like Maryland’s are expected to be essential to progress on climate and energy issues. (Inside Climate News)
SOLAR:
RENEWABLES: As one of 67 federal sites receiving a total of $150 million in federal funding for clean energy and energy conservation projects, a U.S. Coast Guard yard in Baltimore will install a geothermal heat pump and a solar-powered microgrid. (Utility Dive)
STORAGE: The University of New Hampshire introduces a 1.4-million-gallon water tank “battery” that stores chilled liquid at off-peak hours for use in the campus cooling systems during periods of higher demand. (Concord Monitor)
UTILITIES: A Maine utility comes under scrutiny for the way it accounts for costs shared with affiliates as advocates suggest the practices might inflate costs for ratepayers. (Portland Press-Herald, subscription)
GRID: ISO New England uses a new tool to predict that, even in the case of extreme weather events, the grid would likely only experience limited, manageable shortfalls this winter. (RTO Insider, subscription)
EMISSIONS: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul considers reviving a plan for congestion pricing in New York City before a new Trump administration can block the program. (Associated Press)
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)
TRANSIT: A New York ferry company announces plans to use renewable diesel in its fleet, complementing its ongoing plans to move to hybrid vessels. (Hudson County View)
COMMENTARY: Maryland conservatives should rise above politics and support adoption of electric school buses for environmental and fiscal reasons, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele says. (Maryland Matters)
SOLAR: A new study finds local governments in southern Virginia have approved 13 GW of solar generation in the last decade, but roughly a quarter of those projects still need state permits and a growing number of localities are now blocking solar farms. (Cardinal News)
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STORAGE:
WIND: A Texas anti-abortion group urges the state Supreme Court to give standing to residents who want to challenge a wind farm’s tax breaks, in hopes a ruling would also allow it to challenge public funding for abortion access. (Bloomberg, subscription)
CLEAN ENERGY: Researchers say $4.5 billion of planned clean energy investment in Texas and more than 22,000 jobs could be threatened if President-elect Trump rolls back Joe Biden’s landmark climate legislation. (Houston Chronicle)
OIL & GAS:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: “We’re not there”: West Virginia’s transportation secretary tells state lawmakers the electric vehicle transition is moving slowly because of a lack of charging stations as well as lagging battery technology. (WV Metro News)
NUCLEAR: Texas A&M University invites developers to build nuclear power generators on one of its campuses, after previously offering up land for construction of gas-fired power plants. (Houston Chronicle)
GRID:
UTILITIES: San Antonio, Texas’ municipal utility far exceeds its projections to produce $200 million in wholesale revenue over the summer, even as crews move to repair power plants that broke down ahead of the winter. (Houston Chronicle)
COMMENTARY: Energy developers and farmers should work together to pair more solar farms with honeybees and other agricultural projects to benefit Virginia, writes an editorial board. (Virginian-Pilot)
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)
OVERSIGHT:
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)
CLEAN ENERGY:
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
A successful regional collaboration to secure federal Inflation Reduction Act money in northeast Ohio has inspired a new, ongoing effort to help cities, counties, utilities and community groups coordinate on clean energy.
Three Cleveland-area foundations last month announced the launch of Power Up Local, which aims to play both a matchmaker and wedding planner role on large-scale, regional clean energy developments. The initiative plans to help connect potential partners, maximize projects’ community benefits, and facilitate joint funding opportunities such as federal grants, tax incentives, or green bank loans.
“This is really looking for the larger, more ambitious stakeholder projects that have direct stakeholder benefits,” said Daniel Gray, Power Up Local’s executive director. A big emphasis will be on assembling groups who “might not have worked with each other originally or understood where there’s an overlap” between clean energy and other goals.
The initiative could offer a new path for local leaders to advance in a place where state government remains hostile to clean energy. The continued availability of federal funding is in question following former President Donald Trump’s reelection, but Gray and others said they are confident some form of federal support for clean energy will remain during his second term.
The idea for Power Up Local grew out of collaboration among Cuyahoga County, the cities of Cleveland and Painesville, and other organizations on a $129 million grant application under the federal Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program. The application was among those awarded funding in July. It includes money for closing a coal plant and building multiple solar arrays, including on four closed landfills.
Beyond reducing pollution, the project will help lower electricity costs and generate revenue. Some of that will in turn aid in conservation efforts for the West Creek Conservancy, including lakeside access for residents in Lake County. Gray did some work on the project as director of local strategies for the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio, and local philanthropic support also helped in assembling the grant application.
The Cleveland Foundation, George Gund Foundation and the Fund for Our Economic Future are providing initial funding for Power Up Local. Initially, the program’s three full-time employees are being housed under Fund for Our Economic Future, with a goal of spinning it out as an independent nonprofit by 2027.
The George Gund Foundation also provides funding to the Energy News Network. Like other donors, it has no oversight or input into the editorial process and may not influence stories.
Gray said Power Up Local will help stakeholders think bigger and more broadly about projects. For example, a project to redevelop a former industrial site may be able to help bring in other properties from a land bank or other group, potentially expanding into an economic redevelopment district that might support a microgrid, he suggested.
“We can add efficiency to projects, both financially and timewise,” Gray said.
Power Up Local will be a resource for organizations that want to add clean energy to a project but may not have the time or bandwidth to figure out how to do it. “They don’t necessarily know how to engage the marketplace,” Gray said.
And when it comes to funding, competitive grants will just be part of the story. A range of other credits or incentives can also help bring more clean energy. That raised a question, said Stephen Love, program director for environmental initiatives at the Cleveland Foundation: “What would it look like at scale beyond just the competitive grants to really unlock the whole scale of federal resources?”
While Power Up Local will work on clean energy projects, those projects must still be “net-neutral or revenue-positive” in order to promote economic development, Gray said. “We’re looking to develop as much community benefit as possible.”
Those benefits can come from lower electricity rates for people with high energy burdens, health benefits from lower pollution, job opportunities, conservation, access to parks, redevelopment of properties to attract businesses, and so on.
“This is about economic development. This is about creating economic opportunity in our communities,” said Love. As he sees it, clean energy can help drive that development.
No one knows what Trump’s presidential victory will mean for federal clean energy funding, but advocates are confident some funding will still be available.
“There are still grants to go after, and will likely still be grants to go after in the future,” Gray said. A repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law would take time, and much of the grant funding has flowed to districts that supported Trump in 2020.
Even if agencies under Trump stopped carrying out the law, “I don’t think the bulk of the IRA direct credits are going to go away,” Gray said. He noted that Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Bainbridge Township) is among 18 members of Congress who wrote to House Speaker Mike Johnson this summer to support continuation of the energy tax credits.
Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Portal Program estimates those tax credits could exceed a quarter of a trillion dollars, with nearly another $250 billion of potential credits under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Those credits can serve as refunds for nonprofits and local governments, which is how sewage treatment authorities in Columbus and Cincinnati plan to offset big chunks of the costs for biogas plants at two of their wastewater treatment facilities.
Financing opportunities will also be available from green banks, Gray said. Commercial banks also are looking to expand their portfolios for financing clean energy projects as part of corporate sustainability goals, he noted.
Power A Clean Future Ohio has already been working for several years to help its 50 local government members find ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, based on their individual interests and priorities. Executive Director Joe Flarida said Power Up Local’s work will be a welcome complement to its ongoing work.
“It just underscores the huge needs we have in the state of Ohio to invest locally and ensure that our local leaders and local governments have all the resources they need to do this work efficiently,” he said.
In Flarida’s view, an anti-climate approach by the incoming Trump administration “is also an anti-jobs approach.” And even if the federal government no longer treats climate change as a key priority, “that doesn’t change the reality that this is an issue we have to address head on,” he said.
Gray encourages local governments and other organizations with ideas for projects to reach out in the coming weeks and months.
“Now is the time to start thinking about what might be possible,” he said.
GRID: The Tennessee Valley Authority approves a power agreement for Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer facility in Memphis, Tennessee, which is expected to use up to 150 MW at its peak. (Commercial Appeal)
ALSO:
SOLAR: As insurance premiums spike as much as 400% for solar projects in Texas due to the risk of damage of hail, one company reduced its insurance costs 72% by installing 3.2mm tempered glass solar panels and other hardened components on a 140 MW solar farm. (PV Magazine)
COAL:
STORAGE: Georgia Power begins building more battery facilities to supplement its recent investments in solar and nuclear. (WRBL)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A new report finds that Georgia is leading the country in electric vehicle-related job creation, but is ranked just 22nd for EV sales. (WABE/Grist)
OIL & GAS:
OVERSIGHT: Louisiana voters elect a Republican who pledged to be a “true conservative watch dog” to the state regulatory board, but he seems more moderate than another Republican in the race who promised to “oppose liberal-thinking Green New Deal initiatives.” (Canary Media)
UTILITIES:
CLIMATE: A massive Louisiana coastal restoration project sits in limbo as federal officials press the state to commit to completing the multi-billion-dollar endeavor amid two separate legal challenges. (Floodlight)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado advocates say a recent increase in electric vehicle sales shows state and federal incentives are working as intended. (Colorado Sun)
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OVERSIGHT: California prepares to defend its climate and environmental laws against the incoming Trump administration’s likely challenges. (CalMatters)
CLIMATE: A report predicts Colorado will fall short of its greenhouse gas-reduction goals for 2025 and 2030, but the gap is smaller than in previous forecasts. (Denver Post)
MINING:
OIL & GAS: Wyoming’s oil and gas industry expects the incoming Trump administration and Republican-dominated Senate to loosen federal drilling regulations. (Cowboy State Daily)
STORAGE: Pacific Gas & Electric agrees to purchase 500 MW of power from two standalone battery energy storage systems in southern California. (Energy Storage News, subscription)
SOLAR: Arizona Public Service signs on to purchase power from a proposed 600 MW solar-plus-storage installation in the northern part of the state. (Solar Industry)
WIND: California awards the West Coast’s floating offshore wind industry nearly $38 million for research aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing costs. (RTO Insider, subscription)
UTILITIES:
COMMENTARY:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize more than $200 million in grant funding in the coming weeks to accelerate the clean energy transition at three Great Lakes shipping ports.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, and the Illinois International Port District were each selected for grants last month under the Biden administration’s Clean Ports Program.
The U.S. EPA said it intends to finalize grant agreements by December or January. That action will obligate the federal government to pay roughly $3 billion in grants under the program, even if President-elect Donald Trump or the next Congress tries to repeal or block further action under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The $94 million grant announced for the Cleveland port is the largest it has ever received and will help it build on work that’s already underway to electrify and decarbonize its infrastructure.
“It puts us at the forefront of decarbonization,” said William Friedman, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland’s port authority. “Now we’ll be able to start figuring out what’s the phase-in and then how do we move forward with the next round.”
The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority will get approximately $25 million for solar panels, charging infrastructure and electric cargo handling equipment, and another $95 million will go to the Illinois EPA for solar, battery storage and hydrogen-related investments at the Illinois International Port District serving greater Chicago.
The largest share of grants will go to ports along the East and West coasts. “But the program is also intended to set the foundation for transitioning the entire port industry to zero emissions,” said Jennifer Macedonia, a deputy assistant administrator for U.S. EPA. “And there are important communities around many of our inland ports as well.”
The shipping industry accounts for roughly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. While the bulk of that is from ships themselves, port operations typically rely on diesel power for most of their energy. And ships often burn fuel to power equipment even while they’re in port.
The EPA’s review process included ensuring that selected projects can achieve or exceed goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other pollution that can affect nearby communities, said U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Those criteria air pollutants are ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.
The work is especially important for Ohio, which has lagged other Midwest states and regions in deploying strategies to reduce greenhouse gases, said Valerie Katz, deputy director for Cuyahoga Green Energy. “Our regional decarbonization efforts will reduce environmental exposure to toxic air pollutants for downstream Ohio communities.”
Funding for the Port of Cleveland will encompass work for electric cargo-handling equipment and vessels that serve the port, along with solar generation and battery storage, charging infrastructure and shore power for vessels. Project partners include Logistec USA, the commercial operator for day-to-day operations, as well as the Great Lakes Towing Company, which will build two electric tug boats.
Decarbonization is a “competitive advantage that will attract more shipping volume to our port,” said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “Companies are striving to reduce their environmental footprints through their operations and value chains,” including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. “In addition, electrifying the port operations supports our region’s clean air efforts.”
That’s especially important given the port’s location near the downtown lakefront and riverfront areas, Shah said. Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River are the focus for several waterfront development projects aimed at drawing more business and visitors to Cleveland.
Funding for the Port of Detroit will go toward electric cargo-handling equipment, some vessels and railcar movers, along with charging infrastructure and solar generation. Part of the money also will be used to develop a roadmap for adding EV and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority is part of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen, or MachH2, which was selected last year for $1 billion in Department of Energy funding for a hydrogen hub.
Funding for the Illinois International Port District will cover a variety of projects for its three ports, including hydrogen fueling infrastructure, solar energy and battery storage, and hydrogen and electric cargo handling equipment. Hydrogen and electric locomotives also are on EPA’s program selections list. The Illinois EPA is the lead partner for the grant work.
Like its counterpart in Cleveland, the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority had already begun working on plans to move to cleaner energy sources for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. But zero-emissions equipment to move cargo is new in the U.S. shipping industry and is still generally more expensive than fossil-fueled counterparts.
“What’s great about the EPA grant is that it helps these businesses make the decision to choose this cleaner technology,” said Mark Schrupp, executive director for the Detroit port authority. Over time, costs for such equipment should come down, but the grants will help launch market growth.
Various projects among the 55 selected for grants last month have planning components and provisions for community engagement or workforce development. Planning work on emissions inventories can position other ports to move ahead with clean energy in the future, Macedonia said.
The U.S. EPA plans to move ahead swiftly to finalize grant agreements, which will have the effect of protecting the funds from a possible clawback under Trump or the next Congress.
“We will be awarding the grants in December of 2024 and January of 2025… so that money will be obligated on or before the end of this administration,” Regan said. Depending on the projects, implementation will occur over the next three to four years.
In Cleveland, that means a big chunk of work under the new grant will be taking place even as renovation of the Port of Cleveland’s Warehouse A and electrical work take place under its current projects.
“We’ll have to throw a lot here at the engineers and construction project management people to figure this out,” Friedman said. Yet the timing means it will be that much sooner for the port to move to zero emissions for its own operations.
COAL: Ameren Missouri would spend $61 million on high-efficiency air filters for residents and electric school buses under a proposed agreement to settle past clean air violations at a St. Louis-area coal plant. (Missouri Independent)
ALSO: Indiana regulators approve AES’ plan to transition two coal plant units to run on gas, despite opposition from the coal industry and U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, who was elected Tuesday as the state’s next governor. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
CLEAN ENERGY: The incoming Trump administration is likely to reverse federal regulations limiting emissions from power plants and light- and heavy-duty vehicles, and could jeopardize America’s global climate leadership, experts say. (Canary Media, Inside Climate News)
ELECTION:
SOLAR: A solar installer and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe run an apprenticeship program that promotes workforce development and builds renewable energy projects on tribal land across the Great Plains. (Buffalo’s Fire)
EFFICIENCY: A historic former train station in Detroit that was recently renovated and reopened to house various startups is also equipped with various energy-efficiency upgrades. (FacilitiesNet)
BIOFUELS: Biofuel options outside of corn could play a key role in a more climate-friendly future for Indiana’s biofuels industry. (WFYI)
COMMENTARY: Voters’ rejection of a South Dakota law to regulate carbon pipelines in Tuesday’s election may have been influenced by a broader campaign in the state to vote ‘no’ on several initiatives that were on the ballot, an editor writes. (South Dakota Searchlight)
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