Arizona
The proposal is "a big step backwards" for Arizona, said Mark Kresowik, senior policy director for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Utility Dive
U.S.
As the Securities and Exchange Commission finalizes its rule to standardize climate-related disclosure, how should companies and investors prepare? One key takeaway from a GreenBiz 24 tutorial packed with sustainability professionals this week: The work on collecting, analyzing and disclosing sustainability data is marching on, regardless of how a new regulatory regime takes shape. GreenBiz
Wyoming
Gov. Mark Gordon's push for carbon capture at coal-fired power plants and for pumping planet-warming carbon dioxide underground to produce more oil isn't a climate crusade, he told business leaders Feb. 14 in Casper. It's an acknowledgment of where policies outside Wyoming have driven markets. Wyoming, the nation's top coal producer and among its top oil and natural gas producers, can help meet the goal -- and the market reality -- of reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere without abandoning fossil fuels, he said. WyoFile
Washington
Washington passed a cap-and-trade program in 2021, and the law was supported by BP, the same oil giant that had spent $13 million to kill one of the ballot initiatives three years earlier. Now the landmark law is threatened by a repeal effort bankrolled by a hedge-fund manager, and representatives for oil companies say they have nothing to do with it. In fact, oil giants want to fix it. Grist
U.S.
Forecasters say the president's clean-energy incentives will be more effective than they had originally expected, in part because of new federal regulations. New York Times
U.S.
Policymakers, regulators, developers and manufacturers must double down on their efforts to address key challenges, said the World Resources Institute in a report. Utility Dive
U.S.
Energy companies that ignore Indigenous land rights are having to pay billions, and delaying the green transition. Corporate Knights
U.S.
Sara Nawaz, director of research at American University's Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy, co-wrote a report released today titled "Agenda for a Progressive Political Economy of Carbon Removal." In it, she and her co-authors lay out a vision for carbon removal that shifts away from market-centric approaches to ones that are government-, community- and worker-led. Grist
U.S.
Last week, after a decadelong journey through the court system, a jury in Washington, D.C., found that two writers were liable for defamation against Michael Mann and Peter Fontaine. They hope this sends a broader message that defamatory attacks on scientists go beyond the bounds of protected speech and have consequences. However, they lament the time lost to this battle. This case is part of a larger culture war in which research is distorted and the truth about the climate threat is dissembled. The New York Times
U.S.
Members of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee said the move appeared to be taken for political purposes. Daily Montanan
U.S.
Researchers at the Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based free-market think tank, say diesel, propane, and fertilizer costs will rise thanks to the federal government's climate measures. Daily Mail
U.S.
In less than a year, Climate Defiance has drawn the admiration of activists and the ire of government leaders and CEOs. It may be a sign of an appetite among activists for more peaceful but confrontational direct action. Inside Climate News
U.S.
In less than a year, Climate Defiance has drawn the admiration of activists and the ire of government leaders and CEOs. Inside Climate News
U.S.
In the past 24 hours, President Biden has taken questions (and heat) on his age, memory and mental fitness. But the one economic issue that is most likely to generate scrutiny from the business community and beyond over the next several months is the biggest bill he has passed, the Inflation Reduction Act, which he hailed at his news conference last night. The New York Times
U.S.
On Feb. 9, EPA and the Department of Energy announced in a Notice of Intent that $1 billion in funding from Congress's Methane Emissions Reduction Program will soon become available. Passed as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, MERP aims to significantly reduce methane and associated air pollution from the oil and gas sector by providing money for projects to monitor and reduce methane emissions and by imposing a fee on excessive methane emissions. Environmental Defense Fund
U.S.
Oil and gas companies poured $7.37 million into Trump's election campaign in 2023, Bloomberg reports, nearly 10 times as much as they contributed to his Republican primary challenger, Nikki Haley. President Joe Biden received just $635,000. The Energy Mix
Texas
A Houston electric power trader filed a direct appeal lawsuit against the PUC at the Austin Court of Appeals. The Texas Utility Code allows certain plaintiffs to bypass district courts to challenge a PUC rule. Aspire Venture alleges the PUC illegally implement a rule without allow public review and comment. Texas Lawyer
Arizona
The Arizona Corporation Commission on Feb. 6 initiated a proceeding to eliminate energy efficiency and renewable energy rules that conservative regulators say have cost the state's electricity consumers billions of dollars but no longer provide much in system benefits. Utility Dive
New York
The manager of the state's largest pension fund is expected to decide soon whether to sell shares in Exxon, Chevron and other major oil companies. Inside Climate News
New York
The Governor is seeking to advance the achievement of the ambitious emissions reduction and renewable energy procurement mandates set forth in the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). National Law Review
New York
The state needs to downsize its gas infrastructure and electrify its buildings to meet its climate goals. Legislation that would help it do that is gaining momentum. Canary Media
New Jersey
It's been a rough week for anyone who enjoys the freedom of riding e-bikes without undue state-applied hassle and burden. The latest news sure to disappoint electric bike riders and proponents of reduced car usage comes from the Garden State, where a pending New Jersey bill seeks to require e-bike riders to register their bikes and carry liability insurance. Electrek
Missouri
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson named his former policy director chair of the state Public Service Commission. Kayla Hahn, of Jefferson City, began leading the public utility regulator recently, according to a news release from the governor's office. Jefferson City News Tribune
Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released her sixth executive budget recommendation Feb. 7, drawing praise from environmental advocates for supporting clean energy and water infrastructure, mixed responses on housing investments and calls for more funding for transit. Michigan Advance
Maryland
Regulation of public utility monopolies is not self-executing: The state -- the PSC and the General Assembly -- must exercise its "extensive control" over utility monopolies. Otherwise, the utilities' private interests overtake the public interest. Continued State inaction on gas infrastructure spending means continued windfalls for gas utility investors -- windfalls from subsidies paid by captive utility customers. Utility customers deserve better, writes David Lapp, the Maryland People's counsel. Maryland Matters
Maryland
In competitive markets, companies don't spend billions of dollars on long-lived assets without believing they have a product customers will want for a long time, writes David Lapp, the Maryland People's Counsel. Maryland Matters
Maryland
Utilities have plenty of money to pay for their political activities without charging customers. Four of the largest parent companies for subsidiaries operating in Maryland (Exelon, FirstEnergy, AltaGas, NiSource) reported a combined $3.5 billion in profit last year. The Utility Transparency and Accountability Act will guarantee that lobbying money comes from their profits, not their customers' wallets, writes Matt Kasper, deputy director of the Energy and Policy Institute, a utility watchdog organization. Maryland Matters
Louisiana
In his first four weeks in office, Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has filled the ranks of state environmental posts with fossil fuel industry executives. Landry has taken aim at the state's climate task force for possible elimination as part of a sweeping reorganization of Louisiana's environmental bureaucracy. The goal, according to Landry's executive order, is to "create a better prospective business climate." Floodlight
Louisiana
Landry has surrounded himself with former fossil fuel executives -- and he has targeted the state's climate change task force. Grist
International
The world has shifted away from decades of emphasizing private competition and has plunged into a new era of competitive industrial policy -- one in which nations are offering a mosaic of favorable regulations and public subsidies to try to attract green industries like electric vehicles and storage, solar and hydrogen. New York Times
International
Trump, the frontrunner to become the party's nominee, has pledged to reduce financial contributions to international organizations and to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, a multilateral accord meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Reuters
California
A wind-energy dispute highlights the intense opposition large renewable power projects often face, even in states committed to the fight against climate change. Bloomberg
Wyoming
The Cowboy State has doled out tens of millions of state taxpayer dollars to fossil fuel-adjacent projects, even as it faces a shortage of options to take advantage of clean-energy funding. Inside Climate News
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