NetZero Insider Weekly Intelligence Report: Policy & Impacts

NetZero Insider’s Policy & Impacts news last week was led by Vincent Gabrielle, who was in Albany for the Independent Power Producers of New York’s Spring Clean Energy Conference. NYISO stakeholders heard about the tension between public policy pushes for zero-emission generation, the aging grid, increasing customer costs and concerns about winter peaking.

Our other New York correspondent, John Cropley, was also busy, as the state issued the first iteration of a plan to move it toward greater use of flexible resources to meet future power needs while preserving reliability and affordability. Meanwhile, NYPA announced a plan to purchase the site where the Astoria Generating Station once stood in Queens and reuse it for clean energy infrastructure.

Cropley also reported on the Maine PUC granting the request of Pine Tree Offshore Wind to suspend talks on a contract to support construction of a floating offshore wind research project in the Gulf of Maine.

James Downing had a pair of stories, reporting on Dominion’s request from Virginia regulators for its first base rate increase since 1992 in the face of inflation and load growth in its territory, and the D.C. Circuit rejecting an appeal of FERC’s approval of two pipelines in Louisiana tied to a planned LNG site.

And Washington state has relaunched a rulemaking that will pave the way for linking the state’s cap-and-trade program with the already-linked programs of California and Quebec, Elaine Goodman reported.

The New York Times had two pieces last week about EPA, with one covering the agency’s efforts to claw back $20 billion in grants under the Inflation Reduction Act and the thin accusations of wrongdoing it is making to justify them. The other is a profile of Administrator Lee Zeldin and his transformation from moderate New York Republican to fully embracing Elon Musk’s efforts to downsize the federal bureaucracy.

And Inside Climate News reports that Vermont might change how it accounts for greenhouse gas emissions by including forests and farms, which some climate change advocates are wary of.

All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report:

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Equity & Economics
Finance & Investing
Policy & Politics

Equity & Economics

Economic Development

Puerto Rico

Solx announces Puerto Rico's first solar module factory

The 1 GW factory will produce 625 W solar panels for the utility-scale market. pv magazine

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Finance & Investing

Louisiana

These companies doing business in Louisiana want to disconnect from pricey utilities

Citing few renewable options and projected price jumps, industries in Louisiana propose their own power generation, free from monopoly utilities. Floodlight

New Jersey

New Jersey among states that want to make oil companies pay for climate disasters

This session, climate Superfund bills have been introduced in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia. While the bills are structured differently, they all seek to target the largest polluters -- often covering companies that produced 1 billion metric tons of emissions over the last 30 or so years. New Jersey Monitor

U.S.

Congress is searching for trillions of dollars in cuts. Will the oil industry's tax breaks skate by?

With a $4.5 trillion fight over tax cuts looming, the oil and gas industry wants to protect billions of dollars in tax benefits it enjoys and get new ones, too. Inside Climate News

U.S.

Pension Funds Push Forward on Climate Goals Despite Backlash

At a time of resistance to environmental, social and governance goals, pension funds have become a bulwark against efforts to sideline climate risks. The New York Times

U.S.

Trump administration cancels clean energy grants as it prioritizes fossil fuels

President Donald Trump's administration is terminating grants for two clean energy projects and roughly 300 others funded by the Department of Energy are in jeopardy as the president prioritizes fossil fuels. The Associated Press

U.S.

Trump moves goalposts for farmers counting on clean energy grants

The USDA is demanding grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables, leaving some rural recipients doubtful they'll ever see the money they were promised. Canary Media

U.S.

US senators urge energy secretary to follow law on clean energy grants, loans

Wright's department is weighing funding cuts to four of seven of the hubs in a $7 billion program that is part of former President Joe Biden's effort to decarbonize the U.S. economy. Reuters

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Policy & Politics

International

Al Gore downplays Trump's economic impact on global energy transition

Former US Vice President Al Gore stated in Paris that Donald Trump's decisions will not durably hinder the global rise of renewable energies, driven by falling solar production costs. Energynews

International

What Donald Trump's dramatic US trade war means for global climate action

It is likely to lead to more energy-intensive goods produced in the US, and dampen international investment in renewable energy projects. The Conversation

International

Why Al Gore Is Shifting His Climate Activism Abroad

Given the Trump administration's recent moves relating to climate, the former vice president is looking to the developing world for the next generation of climate activism. The New York Times

Maryland

Maryland energy reform bills focused on new power generation pass the Senate

The Senate passed a package of energy reform bills that would set in motion a variety of electricity generation projects -- from solar to nuclear to natural gas -- start long-term energy-supply planning efforts and give ratepayers a slight rebate. Maryland Matters

Michigan

OPINION: Climate agenda is a regressive tax on consumers

Whitmer and Nessel's global warming push hurts struggling Michigan residents. Mackinac Center

New Jersey

Recriminations abound in first hearing on surging electricity rates

New Jersey lawmakers' first hearing on soaring electricity prices oscillated between criticism of Gov. Phil Murphy's energy agenda, condemnation of the state's grid operator, and desperate calls for New Jersey to avoid shrinking its existing generation supply. New Jersey Monitor

New York

Green groups sue New York for slow walking landmark climate law

Environmentalists accused Gov. Kathy Hochul of delaying regulations called for in the 2019 climate law. Climatewire

New York

Hochul Administration Sued Over Climate Law Backtracking

Environmentalists have long charged that New York is falling short of its climate mandates. Now they're taking the state to court. New York Focus

North Carolina

Greenhouse gas law in NC could get pulled back by Republicans

The law sought to sharply reduce power plant emissions by 2030 and ultimately reach carbon neutrality. Greenwire

Rhode Island

A New Bill in Rhode Island Would Give Electric Ratepayers More Resources to Fight Back

The proposed program would provide grants for individuals or organizations that lack the financial resources to participate in evidentiary hearings for setting electric rates. Inside Climate News

Texas

Texas bill aims for tighter renewable energy restrictions

The bill imposes stricter regulatory compliance on renewable energy developers and removes property tax incentives for large solar and wind projects. pv magazine

U.S.

Climate disasters are on the rise. These states want to make oil companies pay.

Democratic lawmakers in nearly a dozen other states want to force the world's largest fossil fuel companies to help pay for the recovery costs of climate-related disasters. Last year, Vermont became the first state to pass a "climate Superfund" law, followed soon after by New York. Oregon Capital Chronicle

U.S.

Companies used to tout their climate plans. Under Trump, they've gone quiet.

Just a few years ago, pledges to tackle climate change were a staple of corporate PR. Now, many corporations are avoiding the subject altogether. During earnings calls, mentions of many well-known terms related to the climate are down 76% compared to three years ago, according to a recent analysis of S&P 500 companies by Bloomberg. Grist

U.S.

DOE to staff: Prepare for 'restructuring'

Energy Department leadership is directing staffers to gird themselves for deeper cuts and changes throughout the agency. Greenwire

U.S.

EPA Hunt for Shady Deals and 'Gold Bars' Comes Up Empty

The agency head said a $20 billion Biden climate program was marred by fraud and abuse. A judge said on Wednesday the EPA hasn't provided evidence. The New York Times

U.S.

How Lee Zeldin Went From Environmental Moderate to Dismantling the EPA

He once talked about the need to fight climate change. Now, he embraces Elon Musk, lavishes praise on the president and strives to stand out in a MAGA world. The New York Times

Vermont

Vermont Might Change How It Accounts for Climate-Damaging Emissions. Here's What's at Stake

The governor's proposal to include forests and farms in the state greenhouse gas inventory holds both promise and peril, say advocates and researchers. Inside Climate News

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