General
Progressive Activists Have Pushed Democrats to the Left on Climate Issues. Now What?
Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times
What once seemed like progressive moonshots on climate have now become a critical litmus test for moderates and liberal presidential candidates. The activists have helped shift the Democratic center of gravity further to the left on climate.
Tom Barrack, a Trump ally with fingers in many pies
Mark Vandevelde, Financial Times
The exchanges show the Lebanese-American dealmaker trying to buy the nuclear reactor maker Westinghouse using Saudi and Emirati capital, while securing enough US ownership to bypass scrutiny from official bodies.
Climate Could Be an Electoral Time Bomb, Republican Strategists Fear
Lisa Friedman, The New York Times
In conversations with 10 G.O.P. analysts, consultants and activists, all said they were acutely aware of the rising influence of young voters like Mr. Galloway, who in their lifetimes haven’t seen a single month of colder-than-average temperatures globally, and who call climate change a top priority. Those strategists said lawmakers were aware, too, but few were taking action.
Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff will resign to join group working on Green New Deal
Reis Thebault and Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post
Saikat Chakrabarti, who encouraged Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to run for office, will join New Consensus, a think tank dedicated to advocating for the Green New Deal.
Algae Bloom Fouls N.J.’s Largest Lake, Indicating Broader Crisis
Anne Barnard, The New York Times
Around Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey’s largest lake, workers have been laid off, sailing lessons canceled and summers ruined. The reason: clouds of electric-green algae in the water, blooming in quantities never before recorded.
Seeking a Culprit When Bumblebee Carcasses Pile Up
JoAnna Klein, The New York Times
“Not all bee death is related to humans,” said Claire Lande, a co-author of the study who also runs an apiary in Minnesota. “Sometimes it just happens.”
Oil prices fall as trade war concerns hit demand outlook
Noah Browning, Reuters
Oil prices fell on Monday on renewed global economic growth concerns after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to escalate a trade war with China with more tariffs, which could limit fuel demand in the world’s two biggest crude consumers.
Oil and Natural Gas
US identifies Chinese tankers carrying Iranian oil
David Sheppard et al., Financial Times
The Trump administration is tracking the movement of tankers linked to China’s biggest state-run oil company amid signs that the vessels are helping to transport Iranian crude to China in defiance of US sanctions against Tehran.
Australia Looks to Siphon U.S. Oil Stockpile to Avoid Running Out of Gas
Rob Taylor, The Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is considering opening its emergency oil reserves to Australia, as concerns grow about shipping security and this Washington ally’s ability to withstand a global oil-supply shock.
US crude unlikely to figure on China’s possible counter tariff radar
Philip Vahn et al., S&P Global Platts
China is unlikely to target US crude oil if it decides to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to Washington’s latest announcement to put additional tariffs on Chinese goods, as any impediment to the sale of North American oil to Chinese refiners would not inflict much damage to the US upstream companies.
Shut Philadelphia refinery begins risky job of removing toxic chemical
Laila Kearney, Reuters
Workers at the fire-damaged Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery took the first steps this week toward ridding the plant of roughly 30,000 barrels of modified hydrofluoric acid, a dangerous undertaking that has rarely, if ever, been performed under similar circumstances.
Nevada Becoming Wild West for Oil Speculation
Bobby Magill, Bloomberg BNA
The administration has put more than 1.8 million acres of federal lands in Nevada on the auction block for leasing since March 2017, more than double the 818,000 acres leased in Nevada during the last four years of the Obama administration.
U.S. shale shippers will pay surcharge for Trump steel tariffs
Collin Eaton, Reuters
Plains All American Pipeline LP said on Friday it will tack on a fee for users of a new oil pipeline to pay for the cost of the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported steel, with analysts and traders calling it the first U.S. energy pipeline operator to do so.
Utilities and Infrastructure
Trump Officials Still Pushing for a Coal Bailout, Regulator Says
Stephen Cunningham, Bloomberg
“We certainly still see people in the administration — highly placed people in the administration — make comments about the need to sustain U.S. coal so I’m not sure the issue is gone,” LaFleur said in an interview.
Sempra touts LNG projects, California wildfire law as key points of progress
Kate Winston, S&P Global Platts
California’s new law on wildfire liability has greatly improved the operating environment and financial health of electric utilities like San Diego Gas & Electric, Sempra Energy said Friday on its second quarter earnings call.
A Deluge of Batteries Is About to Rewire the Power Grid
David Stringer, Bloomberg
Lithium-ion batteries continue to have limits in terms of the amount of energy they can store, and they’re typically able to supply energy to grids for just hours at a time, not days or weeks.
Renewables
Oil Needs to Fall Below $20 to Compete With Green Alternatives
Mathew Carr, Bloomberg
For the same investment, new wind and solar energy projects combined with battery-powered electric vehicles will eventually produce as much as seven times more useful energy than gasoline cars with oil priced near current levels, according to BNP Paribas SA.
Electric Vehicles Are Still Waiting for Hollywood’s Casting Call
Kyle LaHucik, Bloomberg
Plug-ins may be capturing more cool factor, especially Tesla Inc. and its high-tech rides, but they’ve yet to land much time on screen. Since these models typically lose money and still make up less than 2% of the U.S. market, automakers still devote much of their precious marketing dollars promoting combustion cars by getting them cast for roles on make-believe roads.
Coal
Blackjewel’s coal assets sold at auction; hearing Monday
John Raby, The Associated Press
Contura Energy has made a successful bid at an auction for the assets of three Blackjewel LLC coal mines, including two of the top producers in the country. The results are subject to a federal bankruptcy judge’s approval Monday in Charleston.
Nuclear
Energy secretary returns to Nevada nuke site in legal fight
Scott Sonner, The Associated Press
Perry confirmed his team gave Gov. Steve Sisolak classified and unclassified briefings during Thursday’s tour of the Nevada National Security Site. The facility is at the center of a legal battle over plutonium the department secretly shipped to Nevada last year over the state’s objections.
Nevada’s veto power a sticking point in congressional negotiations on Yucca Mountain
Humberto Sanchez, The Nevada Independent
House proponents of storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain are unwilling to negotiate with members of the state’s congressional delegation over whether to give the state veto power over building the repository. But key members of the Senate, led by Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, who are frustrated with the lack of progress on the long-delayed project, are working with Nevada’s senators to pass nuclear waste legislation that would include a consent provision for the state.
Nuke plants’ rescue jolts conservatives, environmentalists
John Seewer, The Associated Press
Advocacy groups and investors, incensed by what they call a bailout and how it will diminish the state’s natural gas and green energy options, are looking at mounting a campaign to overturn it and targeting Republicans who backed it. Organizations representing the state’s seniors and manufacturing plants are upset, too.
Climate
US Northwest towns ‘woefully unprepared’ as fire risk grows
Tom James, The Associated Press
The region, famous for its rainfall, has long escaped major burns even as global warming has driven an increase in the size and number of wildfires elsewhere in the American West.
States sue Trump administration over fuel economy penalties
Don Thompson, The Associated Press
Twelve states and the District of Columbia sued the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for replacing an Obama-era regulation that imposed a penalty of $14 for every tenth of a mile-per-gallon that an automaker falls below the standards.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Yes, adopt those California zero-emission vehicle standards (imperfections and all)
The Editorial Board, The Denver Post
There are two compelling reasons for Colorado to join California and nine other states in mandating auto manufacturers to sell more zero-emission vehicles: climate change and air quality.
The U.S. Might Sanction a Russian Pipeline to Germany. That’s a Terrible Idea.
Eugene Rumer, Politico Magazine
Ostensibly intended to protect Europe from Russia’s malign influence by halting pipeline construction, this legislation will do nothing of the sort. It is far more likely to undermine U.S. relations with Germany and push Russia even closer to China.
Research Reports
Novel data show expert wildlife agencies are important to endangered species protection
Michael J. Evans et al., Nature Communications
We provide a comprehensive assessment of how a key provision of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) is implemented: consultation to ensure federal actions do not jeopardize the existence of listed species. Data from all 24,893 consultations recorded by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) from 2000–2017 show federal agencies and NMFS frequently agreed (79%) on how federal actions would affect listed species. In cases of disagreement, agencies most often (71%) underestimated effects relative to the conclusions of species experts at NMFS.
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