General
White House: Climate change won’t be on agenda when Trump hosts G-7
Brett Samuels, The Hill
Climate change will not be on the agenda at next year’s Group of Seven (G-7) summit hosted by the United States, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Thursday.
Ukrainian energy giant was a focus for Rick Perry and Giuliani associates
Michael Warren and Rene Marsh, CNN
In the months leading up to President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, multiple people associated with Trump, both inside and outside of his administration, were engaged in efforts to change leadership at Naftogaz, Ukraine’s geopolitically important state-owned oil and gas company.
Democrats vow to push for repeal of other Trump rules after loss on power plant rollback
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill
“Any one that we can, we will,” Schumer said of future agency rules.
Koch alumnus at EPA worked on toxic chemical despite recusal plan
Annie Snider, Politico
David Dunlap, a former chemicals expert for Koch Industries, participated in email discussions related to the assessment at least twice after he had informed agency ethics officials that he intended to steer clear of the issue, according to documents POLITICO obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
EPA Seeks IRS Help to Push Investors to Contaminated Sites
Sylvia Carignan, Bloomberg Environment
Existing regulations for the Internal Revenue Service’s “opportunity zones” distressed community investment program aren’t clear enough to spur investors to confidently sink funds into brownfield sites, an Environmental Protection Agency official said Oct. 17.
BLM chief scorned ‘deep state,’ ‘Pocahontas,’ ESA ‘hammer’
Jennifer Yachnin, E&E News
“All these oil and gas leases that Ryan Zinke has issued will be gone [snaps fingers] in a fortnight if Pocahontas becomes our president. I guess not likely now given her DNA results,” Pendley said, apparently referring to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) with a slur that Trump often uses to criticize the Democratic presidential primary contender.
Oil Set for Weekly Loss as China Growth Slows, U.S. Supply Jumps
Elizabeth Low and Grant Smith, Bloomberg
Oil headed for a weekly loss amid swelling U.S. crude inventories, concerns over the demand outlook and the ongoing struggle between Washington and Beijing to finalize a trade deal.
Oil and Natural Gas
Colorado Tightens Restrictions on Oil, Gas Drilling Near Homes
Catherine Traywick, Bloomberg
It wasn’t so long ago that Coloradans voted against a bid to block oil and gas development near homes. The state — one of the nation’s top crude-producing regions — is cracking down anyway.
Aramco IPO lures dealmakers to kingdom despite headwinds
Andrew England, Financial Times
Bankers are being kept busy in the region as slower growth leads to consolidation.
Foreign governments may rent US SPR space, commercial leasing may be too costly: DOE official
Brian Scheid, S&P Global Platts
US Department of Energy study on the future of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is likely to recommend leasing unused portions of the reserve to foreign governments, but will show the high cost of leasing space to companies, Steven Winberg, DOE’s assistant secretary for fossil energy, said Thursday.
Saudi Arabia’s privatisation goals fall short on progress
Ahmed Al Omran, Financial Times
Most business remains tied to the government, despite the kingdom’s push to diversify.
It’s the Only Way to Get Paid’: A Struggle for Citgo, Venezuela’s U.S. Oil Company
Clifford Krauss, The New York Times
Citgo has long been a mainstay of the American oil industry, with three major refineries, 4,500 gasoline stations and an iconic sign looming over Fenway Park’s left field wall. Now, the company could be splintered into pieces, a casualty of the turmoil in Venezuela.
Oil services providers eye low-carbon transformation
Harry Dempsey, Financial Times
European groups including Saipem and TechnipFMC accelerating shift towards renewables.
Utilities and Infrastructure
Chatterjee Denies Resignation Rumors
Michael Brooks, RTO Insider
“Let me say it right now: I’m not going to take a job at an RTO or a company or an environmental group or a consumer advocacy,” Chatterjee told reporters after the commission’s monthly open meeting Thursday.
PG&E noteholders, wildfire victims file formal reorganization plan
Jim Christie, Reuters
Noteholders of PG&E Corp and a committee for victims of the wildfires that pushed the power producer into bankruptcy filed a formal reorganization plan on Thursday for the company, proposing they get effectively all of its new shares.
PG&E executives to appear before California regulatory board
Janie Har, The Associated Press
Top executives of California’s largest utility are expected at an emergency meeting Friday to answer hard questions by state regulators about a massive pre-emptive power shutdown last week that has been criticized as poorly executed and unacceptable.
PG&E blackout is latest leverage in fight over California’s energy mix
Abby Smith, Washington Examiner
The blackout, a preventative measure imposed by Pacific Gas & Electric, is raising new questions about whether the Golden State is going too far too fast on climate change, without diversifying what energy technologies for which it relies upon to keep the state running.
FERC to Probe Order 1000 Competition Exemptions
Rich Heidorn Jr., RTO Insider
PJM, ISO-NE and SPP appear to be thwarting Order 1000’s intent to open transmission projects to competition by abusing the “immediate need” exemption for reliability projects, FERC said Thursday.
Renewables
Ford partners with Volkswagen, Amazon to build charging network for cars
Dominic Roshan K.L., Reuters
Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it was teaming up with Volkswagen AG and Amazon.com to give its future electric car customers a range of charging options from highways to homes.
GM Transforms Who Wins, Who Loses in the Future of Work
Danielle Bochove, Bloomberg Businessweek
While GM has offered to relocate some of the Canadian workers affected by the plant closings, the shift in strategy means that after more than a century, it will stop making cars in Oshawa.
Electric revolution: How are cities overcoming EV range anxiety?
Chris Teale, Smart Cities Dive
As environment and transportation goals drive cities to foster the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), they face a major challenge in ensuring there is enough charging infrastructure to meet demand.
Coal
America’s Coal Country Is Heading for Another Wave of Layoffs
Will Wade, Bloomberg
The clearest sign yet that America’s Coal County is headed for widespread job cuts: The amount of coal being produced per U.S. miner is at the lowest level in eight years.
Nuclear
Ohio’s bizarre nuclear bailout brawl might be just getting started
Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer
Monday is the deadline for Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts to submit 265,774 valid signatures from at least 44 counties to block a $1 billion bailout of two nuclear plants in northern Ohio.
Climate
Bank Regulators Present a Dire Warning of Financial Risks From Climate Change
Christopher Flavelle, The New York Times
The collection of 18 papers by outside experts amounts to one of the most specific and dire accountings of the dangers posed to businesses and communities in the United States — a threat so significant that the nation’s central bank seems increasingly compelled to address it.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Here’s How ‘Green Finance’ Aims to Save the Planet
Tom Freke, Bloomberg Businessweek
The field known as green finance could be at a tipping point. After a decade of explosive growth, it’s running into a perhaps surprising roadblock: a shortage of projects that are green enough
How the Battery Sector is Looking to Improve Lithium-Ion
Jason Deign, Greentech Media
Concerns over cobalt, in particular, are forcing battery makers to move toward cobalt-light lithium-ion formulations, said Hans Eric Melin, founder of Circular Energy Storage, a consultancy focused on battery end-of-life management.
Research Reports
Enacting a Federal High-Penetration Renewable Energy Standard
American Council on Renewable Energy and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Following the recent enactment of multiple state-level 100% clean energy standards (CES), and fueled by debate regarding a Green New Deal and other recently introduced federal legislation, policymakers and the public are increasingly interested in national initiatives to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy economy.
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