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For energy nerds everywhere ― and NetZero Insider ― the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Summer Policy Summit is a can’t-miss event, which is why we sent our regulatory ace James Downing to Florida to catch all the action. The buzz at this year’s summit was all about demand growth, and Downing’s comprehensive report covers comments from FERC Chair Willie Phillips and Commissioner Mark Christie, as well as insights from Grid Strategies’ Rob Gramlich and former FERC Commissioner Tony Clark.
On the federal front, K Kaufmann reported on two big funding announcements, both aimed at getting dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act to cities and states for climate actions that will have the most impact for their regions. EPA is handing out $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction grants, while the Department of Energy awarded $371 million in Transmission Siting and Economic Development grants.
Kaufmann also explores how the hydropower industry and environmental and tribal groups went from political stalemate to finding common ground to advance hydropower development, river restoration and tribal rights ― and some of the federal legislation they are now supporting as a result.
In New Jersey, however, correspondent Hugh Morley finds environmental groups feeling betrayed by the Department of Environmental Protection’s decision to approve a new natural gas plant at a wastewater treatment facility in Newark, which, DEP says, will only run 288 hours per year and actually help cut the state’s GHG emissions.
Heading north to Massachusetts, Jon Lamson keeps us up to date on the negotiations in the state legislature to finalize a comprehensive energy bill that would streamline permitting in the state and promote the procurement of clean energy. Points of contention include the state Senate’s aggressive stand on phasing out natural gas.
In our curated content, the inescapable stories of the week centered on President Joe Biden’s decision to end his campaign for re-election, the tsunami of Democratic support for Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket and the impact of a second Trump presidency on the U.S. energy transition.
Canary Media published a tribute to Biden and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The New York Times provided a profile of Harris’ record on climate, from investigating oil producers when she was attorney general of California, to her sponsorship of the Green New Deal as a senator, to her support for international climate action as vice president.
The Energy News Network reported on efforts by conservative climate groups to downplay and distance themselves from former President Donald Trump’s calls for repeal of the IRA and rollback of government support for electric vehicles, repeated in his acceptance speech at the recent Republican National Convention.
And Inside Climate News carefully dissected the transformation of Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance from best-selling author to Trump and fossil fuel acolyte. Meanwhile, another Energy News piece looks at how clean energy advocates in Vance’s home state of Ohio are now working to “Trump-proof” the federal funding the state has received from the IRA.
Shockwaves from the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision also continue to grab headlines. Articles on how the ruling may affect clean energy and climate initiatives include the E&E News analysis of its role in efforts to overturn FERC Order 1920 and its mandate for long-term grid planning, and the Virginia Mercury’s article on whether it can be used to roll back Virginia regulations aimed at cutting vehicles tailpipe emissions.
And that’s just the beginning of the stories we have on tap in this week’s Intelligence Report:
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