General
How California and Quebec are trying to Trump-proof their climate effort Jeremy B. White and Andy Blatchford, Politico
But California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Quebec Premier François Legault aren’t national leaders, and they’ll be meeting not in Washington or Ottawa but in Sacramento — the California capital that has championed states defiantly going their own way on climate change, the Trump administration’s opposition notwithstanding.
State Department, Nuclear Regulatory Commission ranked the worst agencies on IT issues Maggie Miller, The Hill
Version 9.0 of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) scorecard, released twice a year by the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, awarded D- grades to both the State Department and the NRC for IT modernization issues.
Elizabeth Warren revises income disclosure from controversial coal case Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times
The disclosures provide new information about a controversial case Warren handled in the 1990s, indicating that she earned more from that case than she had previously revealed. The case involved a Supreme Court appeal that Warren helped handle on behalf of LTV Steel, which was fighting in court over its liability to a health insurance fund for retired coal miners.
Washington GOP House Member Eyes Milestones With Energy Post Tiffany Stecker, Bloomberg Environment
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) has already had several unique achievements: She was the 200th woman elected to the House in 2004.
‘We are deeply concerned’: House Science Committee seeks investigation of how 5G could hurt weather forecasting Andrew Freedman, The Washington Post
The bipartisan leaders of the House Science Committee have requested government investigators examine why federal agencies disagree so starkly about the risks 5G communications technology poses to weather forecasting.
Carlos Ghosn Prepares for the Trial of His Life Matthew Campbell et al., Bloomberg Businessweek
After two decades spent logging more air miles than virtually any other corporate leader, these days Carlos Ghosn rarely leaves a small slice of central Tokyo.
Oil Rebounds Though Outlook Remains Clouded by Oversupply Ann Koh and Grant Smith, Bloomberg
Futures added 0.6% to trade near $59 a barrel. American gasoline inventories surged the most since January as demand slumped to a three-year low, and crude stockpiles unexpectedly increased, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Oil and Natural Gas
Continental Resources founder Hamm to step down as CEO Jennifer Hiller et al., Reuters
Legendary U.S. oilman Harold Hamm, who once called the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries a “toothless tiger,” will step down as chief executive of Continental Resources and become its executive chairman, the company said on Wednesday.
Armstrong-led company spends big, snags million acres in NPR-A Elwood Brehmer, Anchorage Daily News
The state’s lease sales for near-shore Beaufort Sea acreage and broader onshore North Slope areas together garnered 69 bids from four groups totaling about $7.8 million in bonus bids, according to Division of Oil and Gas Director Tom Stokes.
U.S. Senate committee backs Russia energy bills, delays vote on sanctions ‘from hell’ Patricia Zengerle and Kirsti Knolle, Reuters
Underscoring U.S. lawmakers’ continuing unhappiness with Russia, a Senate committee on Wednesday advanced legislation seeking to hamper Russian energy pipelines and boosting NATO but delayed voting on a measure nicknamed the “sanctions bill from hell” that would punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
After Exxon victory, oil sector faces lengthy climate fight James Osborne, Houston Chronicle
But it was only the first hurdle in what is likely to be a years-long — if not multi-decade-long — fight for the oil and gas industry in its legal battle over climate change
BP, Others Tell Court Climate Case Aims to ‘Punish’ Industry Ellen M. Gilmer, Bloomberg Environment
BP Plc and other companies faced off with Baltimore lawyers Dec. 11 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va., the latest showdown in a multifront legal campaign to get companies to pay up for greenhouse gases spewed from fossil fuel combustion.
Natural Gas Boom Fizzles as a U.S. Glut Sinks Profits Clifford Krauss, The New York Times
A glut of cheap natural gas is wreaking havoc on the energy industry, and companies are shutting down drilling rigs, filing for bankruptcy protection and slashing the value of shale fields they had acquired in recent years.
Utilities and Infrastructure
Junkyards Get Greener With a Shift to Recycled Steel Jacquelyn Melinek, Bloomberg Businessweek
The junkyard system of getting rid of damaged and end-of-life vehicles is shifting away from the mom and pop operations of the past and, in the process, offering a lift for the environment.
Renewables
Oil Company Baker Hughes Commits to 100% Clean Power in Texas Chris Martin and David Wethe, Bloomberg
Baker Hughes Co., one of the world’s largest oil-services companies, is pledging to power all its Texas operations with wind and solar.
Large Southern California solar project gets green light The Associated Press
Officials have approved plans for a large solar energy facility in unincorporated desert communities of inland Southern California despite opposition from some residents.
World’s First Liquid Hydrogen Ship Debuts in Green Economy Boost Dan Murtaugh, Bloomberg
The ship will be used for technology demonstration to establish an international hydrogen energy supply chain, Kawasaki said in a press release, by shipping the fuel from Australia to Japan.
Coal
Tennessee Valley Authority addresses coal ash leaks The Associated Press
Coal ash is leaking from a dump complex at the largest coal-fired plant owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the utility is monitoring whether it’s affecting public water supplies.
Nuclear
Easterners demand funding and nuclear power to support EU climate deal Michel Rose and Marton Dunai, Reuters
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic set out demands on Thursday that could block agreement on the European Union’s new push for climate neutrality by 2050, trumpeted by the bloc’s new chief executive as Europe’s “man on the moon” moment.
Climate
Shipping industry sails into unknown with new pollution rules Jonathan Saul, Reuters
To reduce emissions of toxic sulphur that cause premature deaths, shipowners who have long relied on the dirtiest residues of oil extraction will have to either switch to low-sulphur fuel or install exhaust gas cleaning systems from Jan. 1.
Greenwashing Concerns Soar as Companies Vow to Clean Emissions Laura Millan Lombrana and Jeremy Hodges, Bloomberg
Last week, the European Union’s biggest business leaders said they would support measures to zero out emissions by the middle of the century.
Splits over climate policy threaten to derail UN summit in Madrid Leslie Hook, Financial Times
Disagreement on global carbon trading market could stall a deal at COP25 gathering.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Big Change May Be Coming to American Railroads Rob Benedict, Morning Consult
The fuel and petrochemical industries have long relied on the pioneering U.S. railroad system, which in many respects is emblematic of the American spirit of enterprise and vision. Rail transportation is equally crucial to manufacturers and customers downstream who depend on our products.
Fighting the climate crisis isn’t optional U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), The Hill
For months, House Democrats have been taking bold climate action, promoting bills that will reduce pollution, create clean energy jobs and move us toward a sustainable future.
The Stealth Plan to Erode Public Control of Public Lands Bob Abbey and Jim Caswell, Politico
We are former directors of the BLM, from Republican and Democratic administrations, and we are united in our concern about the future of our public lands — specifically, a below-the-radar effort by political appointees in the Department of the Interior to functionally dismantle the organization.
Research Reports
Solar Market Insight Report 2019 Q4 Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables
In Q3 2019, the U.S. solar market installed 2.6 GWdc of solar PV, representing a 45% increase from Q3 2018 and a 25% increase from Q2 2019.
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