• David Legates, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who has downplayed the effects of carbon dioxide and climate change, has been chosen to serve as the head of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which oversees the National Climate Assessment, according to two people familiar with the move. Legates, who would serve until the end of President Donald Trump’s term, has previously said that high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are beneficial for plants and that global warming is harmless. (The Washington Post)

• Arun Majumdar, who served as vice president for energy at Google and led the Energy Department unit that funded experimental power research, is considered to be one of President-elect Joe Biden’s front-runners to lead the agency, according to two people familiar with the matter. Biden is said to be also considering former deputy Energy secretary Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall for the role, the people said. (Bloomberg)

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries lowered its global oil demand forecast for the rest of 2020 and next year as a result of a weaker economic outlook and increases in COVID-19 cases, with the cartel saying global demand will contract by about 9.8 million barrels per day in 2020 compared to a year earlier. OPEC said worldwide demand growth will increase by 6.2 million bpd on an annual basis next year, which is down from its initial projection in July of 7 million bpd. (CNBC)

• The International Energy Agency expects global oil demand for this year to drop by 8.8 million bpd as a result of surging COVID-19 cases in the United States and Europe, which is 400,000 bpd higher than the IEA’s last forecast. The agency also cut demand forecasts for the first quarter of 2021 and said it does not expect a COVID-19 vaccine to significantly affect global demand in the first half of next year. (The Wall Street Journal)

Former Iowa Governor Culver Eyed for Energy Post Under Biden
Jennifer Jacobs and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has spoken to former Iowa Governor Chet Culver about joining the new administration, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Interior shortlist puts focus on New Mexico lawmakers, tribal issues
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

The shortlist of potential nominees to lead the Interior Department is heavily focused on the New Mexico congressional delegation, setting up a potential battle between a senator whose father once led the agency and a House lawmaker who would be the first ever Native American in the Cabinet post.

EPA nominees may face challenging Senate confirmation path
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

Filling the top spot at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be one of the more challenging Senate confirmation efforts facing the incoming Biden administration as the team eyes picks that have been vocal Trump administration critics.

Senate proposes spending increase at environmental agencies
Rachel Frazin, The Hill

The Republican-led Senate is proposing modest spending increases for environmental agencies compared to last year’s budget, diverging from proposed cuts that the Trump White House put forward earlier this year.

Oil Near $41 With IEA Warning on Outlook, OPEC+ Edging to Accord
Saket Sundria and Alex Longley, Bloomberg

Oil steadied as the International Energy Agency warned the coronavirus vaccine breakthrough won’t quickly revive markets.

Shell Wants Biden to Reverse Methane Emissions Rollback
David Wethe, Bloomberg

Royal Dutch Shell Plc will push for the reversal of President Donald Trump’s rollback of methane emissions rules and the introduction of carbon pricing when Joe Biden moves into the White House next year.

Top U.S. Gas Driller Weighs First Step Toward Net-Zero Emissions
Gerson Freitas Jr. and Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg

The chief executive of the largest U.S. natural gas producer said the company is considering a path to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, but only from its own operations for now.

San Francisco to ban natural gas in new buildings
The Associated Press

San Francisco will ban natural gas in new buildings becoming the latest in a string of cities in California to impose such restrictions.

Big Oil execs say they’re not worried about Biden’s energy plan, hope to ‘get his staff on board’
Sam Meredith, CNBC

The prospect of a Joe Biden presidency and the most progressive climate strategy the U.S. has ever attempted is not something that should concern the energy industry, oil and gas executives have told CNBC.

How One Firm Drove Influence Campaigns Nationwide for Big Oil
Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times

An examination of FTI’s work provides an anatomy of the oil industry’s efforts to influence public opinion in the face of increasing political pressure over climate change, an issue likely to grow in prominence, given President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s pledge to pursue bolder climate regulations. The campaigns often obscure the industry’s role, portraying pro-petroleum groups as grass-roots movements.

US nuclear lab partnering with utility to produce hydrogen
Keith Ridler, The Associated Press

Idaho National Laboratory and Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy will work on devising and building the facility, most likely at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Station in Red Wing, Minnesota.

Chatterjee talks mistakes, lessons learned and energy transition with state regulators
Jasmin Melvin, S&P Global Platts

While speaking at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ annual meeting, Chatterjee stood by his positions on market reforms that have angered some states and had no regrets over his stance on diversity training at the agency that has been listed among the possible reasons for his Nov. 5 ouster from the chairman’s role. Yet, he acknowledged areas where, in hindsight, he could have done better, particularly referencing the absence of any state regulators on panels convened for a recent technical conference on carbon pricing.

Renewable Power Grows Strongly, Despite the Pandemic
Stanley Reed, The New York Times

The energy industry has experienced its worst year in decades because of the pandemic, but clean sources for generating electricity have still managed to grow, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

EV maker Rivian to start taking pre-orders for electric pickup, SUV
Sanjana Shivdas, Reuters

Electric vehicle startup Rivian said on Wednesday it would begin taking pre-orders for its electric pickup truck and SUV, with deliveries for both EVs scheduled for next year.

Biden’s Win Means Help for Automakers Selling Electric Vehicles
David Welch and James Ellis, Bloomberg Businessweek

Although President Obama threw a lifeline to U.S. automakers after the financial crisis, many in the industry were unhappy that his administration also was responsible for fuel economy rules that pushed carmakers to their limits. But the inauguration of former Vice President Joe Biden, who worked hand in hand with Obama to set the tough regulations, will be a welcome event for the industry. 

Siemens, Toshiba Pulling Out of Coal-Fired Generation
Darrell Proctor, Power

Toshiba Corp. and Siemens Energy are the latest major power industry companies to move away from coal. Toshiba on Nov. 11 announced it will stop taking new construction orders for coal-fired power plants, and Siemens on Nov. 10 said it will stop selling turbines for new coal-fired facilities.

Biden faces surge in US coal use and carbon emissions in first year
Gregory Meyer, Financial Times

Dirtiest fossil fuel set for sharp, if fleeting, rebound as price becomes more competitive.

Federal Reserve applies to join group of banks managing climate risks
Rachel Frazin, The Hill

The Federal Reserve has applied to be part of a group of government banks that collaborate on managing the financial risks from climate change, a top official said Tuesday.

BlackRock CEO backs mandatory climate reporting, urges U.S. action
Simon Jessop and Matthew Green, Reuters

Larry Fink, chief executive of the world’s largest asset manager BlackRock, said on Tuesday he backed the UK’s recent move to make the reporting of corporate risk related to climate change mandatory, and urged the United States to follow suit.

Warming May Make Hurricanes Weaken More Slowly After Landfall
Henry Fountain, The New York Times

The research suggests that climate change is affecting storms during this phase of their life as well, causing them to weaken more slowly and remain destructive for longer. The findings could have implications for how emergency-management agencies prepare for storms post-landfall.

The 40 Things Biden Should Do First on Climate Change
Bloomberg

Joe Biden’s victory gives the people who dream up big climate ideas something they haven’t experienced in years: an opportunity to wield power in U.S. and shape the future of the world’s second-biggest source of greenhouse gases.

Here’s what congressional Republicans are thinking on climate following the election
Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner

Republicans in Congress are poised to block some of President-elect Joe Biden’s most aggressive climate policies, such as a carbon tax or clean energy mandate, if Mitch McConnell keeps control of the Senate, but they are willing to support smaller policies that could garner bipartisan support.

Biden’s Big Climate Opportunity
Michael R. Bloomberg, Bloomberg

This time, it’s imperative that President-elect Biden take a whole-government approach to climate action right from the get-go. To his credit, his ambitious climate plan recognizes that there is much he can accomplish without Congress — and some of the most important steps he can take have nothing to do with the Environmental Protection Agency.

When Will Electricity Companies Finally Quit Natural Gas?
Justin Gillis and Michael O’Boyle, The New York Times

As they shut down costly and dirty coal-burning power plants, the electrical companies are planning to build 235 gas-fired power stations across the country, according to our analysis of figures compiled from commercial databases by the Sierra Club. The companies claim these are needed to replace the coal plants, and to balance fluctuations in electricity generation from rising levels of wind and solar power. 

Slower decay of landfalling hurricanes in a warming world
Lin Li and Pinaki Chakraborty, Nature

In contrast to the effect of a warming climate on hurricane intensification, many aspects of which are fairly well understood, little is known of its effect on hurricane decay. Here we analyse intensity data for North Atlantic landfalling hurricanes over the past 50 years and show that hurricane decay has slowed, and that the slowdown in the decay over time is in direct proportion to a contemporaneous rise in the sea surface temperature.