• Negotiations between PG&E Corp. and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) have been complicated by Newsom’s push for the utility to add a provision to its reorganization plan that would let California take over its assets if PG&E does not attain certain performance and safety standards, according to people familiar with the matter. The company needs the governor’s approval for its reorganization and in order to participate in California’s wildfire insurance fund. (Bloomberg)

• Fuel storage and gas station company Puma Energy said it will sell most of its Australian assets to Chevron Corp. for about $291 million, giving Chevron access to storage and import terminals there. The agreement is expected to be finalized in mid-2020. (Financial Times)

• The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has taken what meeting participants described to a media outlet as uncommonly close interest in the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to prevent the agency from using unpublished science, with federal staff asking many more questions than is typical. OIRA denied it is scrutinizing the rule more than usual. (Bloomberg Environment)

Congress set to pass its ‘most important climate bill’
Nick Sobczyk et al., E&E News

The $1.4 trillion appropriations and tax extenders package deal that passed the House yesterday contained a host of clean energy and environmental wins on the spending side, including large funding boosts for Department of Energy research programs and more money for EPA and the Department of the Interior.

Committees Stuck in Neutral During January Impeachment Trial
Dean Scott and Tiffany Stecker, Bloomberg Environment

Don’t expect bill markups or votes on presidential nominees in January during the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, the chairmen of Senate committees responsible for energy and environment legislation and related nominees said Dec. 18.

Lawyer who fought Monsanto arrested on extortion charges
Ariana Figueroa, E&E News

Federal prosecutors yesterday filed a criminal complaint against Timothy Litzenburg, who represented people affected by the herbicide Roundup, on charges that the Virginia attorney atte

GM and Ford joining push for GOP-backed carbon tax
Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner

The carmakers, along with technology company IBM, are giving $100,000 each to Americans for Carbon Dividends, the lobbying arm of the Climate Leadership Council, a group led by former Republican Secretaries of State James Baker III and George Shultz.

Agency says it will review Trump Jr.’s sheep hunt in Mongolia
Jacob Holzman, Roll Call

Animal conservation activists said President Donald Trump’s eldest son may have violated a federal wildlife anti-trafficking law after ProPublica reported last week that he shot and killed an argali sheep without proper permits during a personal trip in August.

Oil Rally Stutters as Plentiful Gasoline Muddies Demand Outlook
Elizabeth Low and Alex Longley, Bloomberg

Oil hovered near $61 a barrel for a second day after capping its longest streak of gains in almost two months as traders weighed bearish signs of swelling U.S. fuel inventories against a decline in domestic crude stockpiles.

Angela Merkel hits out at US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 pipeline
Guy Chazan, Financial Times

German chancellor criticises new curbs but says Berlin will not seek to retaliate.

Oil Trader Vitol Sues U.S. Demanding $52 Million Tax Refund
Andy Hoffman, Bloomberg

A subsidiary of Vitol Group, the biggest independent oil trader, is demanding that the U.S. government return more than $52 million in fuel taxes the Rotterdam-based company says was improperly collected.

Five things to watch in the oil industry for 2020
David Sheppard, Financial Times

Traders debate whether US shale can really keep growing — and how the market might react.

Georgia approves almost $1.8B in rate hikes to cover coal ash clean up
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive

The rates will allow Georgia Power to charge customers an extra $4 monthly by 2022, with an initial $2 hike beginning 2021. 

Impact of ESG on US utility sector could be profound; promised CO2 reductions transformative
Jeffrey Ryser, S&P Global Platts

A drive by dozens of US electricity utility holding companies to provide environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports has brought to the forefront numerous new commitments to zero carbon emission goals, and an accompanying surge in plans to install thousands of megawatts of wind and solar generation over the next few decades.

First US long-duration liquid air storage project planned in Vermont
Kavya Balaraman, Utility Dive

The proposed project will be at least 50 MW, Highview Power Storage — the developer of the emerging technology — and Encore Renewable Energy announced on Wednesday. It will be capable of providing more than eight hours of storage, helping to integrate renewables into the grid and ensuring reliability during storms and other conditions.

Does Texas have too many renewables?
Edward Klump, E&E News 

No state can match its installed wind power capacity. Solar generation is about to surge. And a new report shows both wind and solar helping to push the reserve cushion for Texas’ main electricity market to 10.6% and beyond.

Warren Buffett’s power company takes flak for coal plant closures
Gregory Meyer, Financial Times

Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s switch to renewables is under scrutiny in Wyoming.

Floating nuke plant sends first power to Arctic Russia
The Associated Press

The floating plant, named the Akademik Lomonosov, was sent in August to the Chukotka Peninsula, an area 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles) northeast of Moscow. 

Michael Bloomberg on Climate Change: Where the Candidate Stands
Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News

switched parties to run for mayor as a Republican and then switched back to Democrat, has more experience in international climate diplomacy than any other Democratic candidate with the possible exception of former Vice President Joe Biden.

Unauthorized air emissions in Texas more than doubled in 2018, environmental group says
Erin Douglas and Perla Trevizo, Houston Chronicle

Texas companies last year spewed more than 135 million pounds of toxic pollutants beyond what is permitted, a doubling of emissions over 2017, according to a new analysis by an environmental nonprofit.

BP Follows Total With Drive to Improve Recycling of Plastics
Olivia Konotey-Ahulu, Bloomberg

BP Plc is the latest oil giant to announce it would join forces with companies across the plastic value chain to speed up efforts to improve recycling technology.

Tesla, Saudi Aramco and the Stock Price Bros
Liam Denning, Bloomberg

The leaders of two opposed industries have unusually rabid fan bases.

The US Residential Solar Market Is Set For Major Change in the 2020s
Austin Perea, Greentech Media

Though the ITC has provided foundational support to the solar industry across all segments, several states have gone further to provide additional in-state incentives for homeowners to purchase solar.

Decarbonizing Space Heating With Air Source Heat Pumps
Noah Kaufman et al., Columbia University

In the United States, commercial and residential buildings produce roughly 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these emissions come from burning fossil fuels for space heating.