Top Stories

  • A joint policy task force from presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released its energy and climate recommendations for the Democratic National Committee, which includes goals such as carbon-free power plants by 2035, net zero emission requirements for new buildings by 2030 and energy efficiency upgrades for up to 4 million buildings and 2 million households within the next five years. The plan also calls for sizable renewable energy investments, including in installing 500 million solar panels and making 60,000 wind turbines. (The Hill)
  • According to the World Meteorological Organization, the planet has a 20 percent chance of seeing average global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels in the next five years. WMO chief Petteri Taalas said that the study illustrates the “enormous challenge” of hitting the goals of the 2015 Paris climate accord and that the coronavirus-induced economic downturn is “not a substitute for sustained and coordinated climate action.” (The Associated Press)
  • Energy Transfer LP said it will continue to pump oil via the Dakota Access pipeline while it challenges a court ruling requiring its shutdown by Aug. 5. According to two sources familiar with the company’s plans, Energy Transfer said it believes the judge who mandated the halt in operations overstepped his authority, and it is accepting nominations for August crude, signaling it does not expect to have to shut down the pipeline next month. (Reuters)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

07/09/2020
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Commissioner-led Technical Conference
WRI Webinar: The Journey of the Global Environment Facility: Delivering Transformational Change 9:00 am
CEA webinar: The Holy Grail of Solar: How to achieve investment confidence and competitive LCOE in the COVID-19 era 10:00 am
WRI Webinar: Introduction to Designing a Policy Roadmap for Urban Freight 10:30 am
The NYT Climate Hub virtual event: Applying Covid-19’s Hard-Earned Lessons to Climate Change 1:30 pm
2020 Climate Speaks Youth Performances 7:00 pm
07/14/2020
Environmental and Energy Study Institute webinar: The Climate Crisis Report in Focus 12:00 pm
House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: Oversight of DOE During the Covid-19 Pandemic 12:00 pm
View full calendar

New Report: How the Pandemic Has Altered Expectations of Remote Work

COVID-19 is reshaping the future of work more rapidly than employers could have planned for.

As balancing business and safety needs becomes more complex and talent expectations evolve, employee work preferences and habits are also changing. Download the full report to learn what employers can do and expect as the new norm takes place.

General

Gov’t loans go to green groups battling Trump rollbacks
Thomas Frank, E&E News

Dozens of environmental groups, including several that are suing the Trump administration, received millions of dollars in government loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), records show.

The Obscure Treaty That Could Kill a Global Green Recovery
Kate Aronoff, The New Republic

The Energy Charter Treaty, with 53 signatories, allows energy companies to sue states that make their business unprofitable.

Lagarde puts green policy top of agenda in ECB bond buying
Roula Khalaf and Martin Arnold, Financial Times

The president wants the central bank to ‘explore every avenue’ in the fight against climate change.

Oil Hampered by New Virus Cases While American Stockpiles Swell
Low De Wei and Alex Longley, Bloomberg

Oil traded below $41 a barrel in New York as coronavirus cases continued to surge across the world and U.S. crude stockpiles grew.

Oil and Natural Gas

How Warren Buffett’s Money Is Doing Environmental Double Duty With $10 Billion Pipeline Deal
Christopher Helman, Forbes

From pig manure power to windfarms, Virginia’s Dominion Energy is transforming itself into a renewable energy powerhouse — Berkshire Hathaway’s cash will only accelerate the process. 

Oil Went Below $0. Some Think It Will Rebound to $150 One Day.
Joe Wallace, The Wall Street Journal

Oil markets began the 2020s by nosediving below $0 a barrel for the first time. Investors and analysts are now trying to work out what the rest of the decade holds in store.

The Problematic Future of Gas Pipelines
Emily Chasan, Bloomberg

It was a tough week for the North American fossil fuel industry. Over just a few days, the Atlantic Coast natural gas pipeline was canceled by developers, the Dakota Access oil pipeline was shut down by a federal judge and the Trump administration lost its Supreme Court bid to resuscitate the Keystone XL oil pipeline (though the justices did make it easier to build other pipelines).

These 5 Oil and Gas Pipelines Are the Next to Face Trouble
Yessenia Funes, Earther

Fossil fuels are not the hot commodity they once were. This is becoming true for fossil fuels of all types, not just the super dirty and expensive ones like coal or tar sands. Financial institutions and smart business leaders are realizing that fossil fuels have had their run, but the future is clean, renewable energy.

Trump’s Plan to Block Pensions From ESG Won’t Help Fossil Fuels
Kate Mackenzie, Bloomberg

A new rule that aims to make it harder for pensions to invest in ESG based on old assumptions about policy and performance.

Utilities and Infrastructure

U.S. Utilities Are Cleaning Up Their Act With Emissions Down 8%
Anthony Robledo, Bloomberg

U.S. utilities are producing less greenhouse gases as they continue to shift away from coal. Carbon dioxide emissions from the 100 biggest U.S. electricity producers fell 8% last year, according to a report Wednesday from the environmental group Ceres. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, two other key pollutants produced by burning coal, declined by 23% and 14%, respectively.

FERC wants 90 days to figure out response to court ruling ending tolling orders
Maya Weber, S&P Global Platts

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission needs 90 days to figure out how it will respond to a recent recent ruling reining in its ability to drag out decisions on rehearing orders, the commission has told the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.

DC Circuit pipeline ruling could prompt dramatic shift in FERC power sector actions, attorneys say
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive

A recent ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that prevents federal regulators from delaying decisions on whether to build out gas infrastructure indefinitely leaves many unanswered questions for the power sector, attorneys say.

Artificial Lights Tell the Story of the Pandemic
Marina Koren, The Atlantic

Satellite views of Earth at night reveal the distinct imprint of humankind’s response to a fast-spreading virus.

Renewables

Rooftop revolution: Coronavirus chill upends solar power industry
Nichola Groom et al., Reuters

The booming rooftop solar panel industry nosedived overnight when the coronavirus forced homeowners to rein in spending and keep their distance from would-be installers.

What the biggest-ever solar company acquisition means for the future
Tim McDonnell, Quartz

On July 6, San Francisco-based Sunrun, the biggest residential solar power company in the US, acquired one of its main rivals, Vivint Solar, in an all-stock deal worth $3.2 billion. It’s the biggest consolidation in the solar industry’s history, posing a threat to Tesla, the number-two competitor for rooftop panels.

Power Pioneer Invents New Battery That’s 90% Cheaper Than Lithium-Ion
Pavel Alpeyev, Bloomberg

Lithium-ion batteries play a central role in the world of technology, powering everything from smartphones to smart cars, and one of the people who helped commercialize them says he has a way to cut mass production costs by 90% and significantly improve their safety.

Coal

U.N. chief seeks end to financing of coal to smooth clean energy shift
Nina Chestney and Matthew Green, Reuters

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged countries on Thursday to stop financing for coal and commit not to build new coal-fired power plants to enable a shift to clean energy.

Coal retirements spur 8% drop in 2019 power sector carbon pollution after Duke, Vistra top 2018 emitters: Ceres
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. electric power sector fell 8% between 2018 and 2019, a result of an increasingly rapid shift away from coal-fired power, according to a report released Wednesday from Ceres.

Award-Winning Coal Unit Set for Retirement
Darrell Proctor, Power

The five owners of a 410-MW coal-fired unit at the Craig Generating Station in Colorado have said they will retire the generator on Sept. 30, 2028, about one year before what will then be the last operating unit at the facility will be shuttered.

Nuclear

Head of House Democrats’ climate panel defends nuclear inclusion
Ben Geman, Axios

The head of House Democrats’ climate change panel has a simple reason why their wide-ranging plan includes nuclear power despite misgivings in some corner of the left.

U.S. Bank Set to Lift Ban on Supporting Nuclear Power
Darrell Proctor, Power

A government-run development bank is expected to end its ban on investment in nuclear energy, a move that could allow U.S. companies to take a greater role in foreign nuclear power projects.

Climate

Wall Street giants plan more active role in climate fight
Amy Harder, Axios

Four of America’s biggest banks are backing a new nonprofit initiative to leverage the financial sector toward achieving climate-change goals.

Spreading rock dust on the ground could pull carbon from the air, researchers say
Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post

Spreading rock dust on farmland could pull enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to remove about half of the amount of that greenhouse gas currently produced by Europe, according to a major study published Thursday in the journal Nature.

How America’s hottest city will survive climate change
Sarah Kaplan, The Washington Post

High noon in America’s hottest city. The sun blazed in a cloudless sky, making the air shimmer above the softening asphalt. A thermometer registered more than 100 degrees in the shade. Not that there’s much shade to speak of in the central Phoenix neighborhood of Edison-Eastlake, hemmed in by highways and covered in scorching concrete.

Alpine Glaciers Shrank Nearly 20% Over the Past Two Decades
Catherine Bosley, Bloomberg

The amount of ice in the Alps has shrunk 17% since the turn of the century, highlighting the severity of climate change as countries grapple with how to slow global warming while also tackling a virus epidemic.

Why climate policy is go big or go home
Ben Geman, Axios

The onslaught of energy infrastructure news over the last 72 hours highlights the gains of activists pushing to block fossil fuel projects — and why efforts to curb supply are a small piece of the climate puzzle.

Pennsylvania Governor Pushes to Join Regional Climate Pact
Stephen Lee, Bloomberg Law

Pennsylvania would add 27,000 jobs and $1.9 billion in economic gains by joining a coalition of mostly Northeast states trying to curb carbon dioxide emissions, the state’s Democratic administration said on Wednesday.

Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives

Why the market is not buying the idea of a big rebound in oil
David Sheppard, Financial Times

The outlook for demand seems very uncertain, once the pandemic finally slows.

2020 Is Our Last, Best Chance to Save the Planet
Justin Worland, Time

From our vantage point today, 2020 looks like the year when an unknown virus spun out of control, killed hundreds of thousands and altered the way we live day to day. In the future, we may look back at 2020 as the year we decided to keep driving off the climate cliff–or to take the last exit.

Research Reports

Open Air Quality Data: The Global State of Play
OpenAQ

Air quality data underpins all actions on air pollution. It tells us how much pollution is in the air we breathe. It is used to predict how pollution will change in space and time and shapes our understanding of how pollution impacts our health and the economy. This information is foundational to design, implement, enforce and assess the effectiveness of pollution control policies. This global air quality data assessment determines the set of countries for which a small, strategic investment in existing air quality data-sharing infrastructure could dramatically open up data access to the public. It also identifies the places where no known air quality data are currently generated by government programs, pinpointing the most strategic locations for launching new monitoring and data-sharing efforts.

Morning Consult