• PG&E Corp. said in a filing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco that it would cost $75 billion to $150 billion to fully comply with Judge William Alsup’s order to inspect its power grid and remove or trim trees that could fuel wildfires. The company said it would have to pass on the cost to ratepayers, which would result in an estimated one-year increase of “more than five times current rates in typical utility bills.” (Reuters)

• The White House is considering new executive orders that would weaken states’ authority to block energy projects and would help speed the construction of pipelines, according to sources familiar with the matter. Possible actions include changing Obama-era draft guidance for complying with a section of the Clean Water Act as a way to hinder state governors who have used the law to oppose energy projects, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. (Politico)

• Carlos Ghosn, who remains in a Japanese prison cell as he battles charges of financial misconduct, resigned as chairman and chief executive of Renault SA, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The company said Ghosn was replaced as chairman by Michelin chief Jean-Dominique Senard, and as CEO by Thierry Bollore, formerly the interim leader. (Bloomberg)

Break in US-Venezuela relations raises fresh concerns for oil market and OPEC
Tom DiChristopher , CNBC

A sudden escalation in long-burning tensions between the United States and Venezuela could have far-reaching ramifications in the oil market, where the Bolivarian Republic remains a significant player despite its plunging output.

Democrats Probe Trump ‘Favoritism’ of Oil Industry in Shutdown
Jennifer A Dlouhy, Bloomberg

Lawmakers are intensifying their scrutiny of the Interior Department’s decision to keep churning out drilling permits and restart work on offshore oil leasing despite the government shutdown. At best the activity represents unfair favoritism for the oil industry, Democrats argued Wednesday, and at worst it’s a violation of federal laws that generally bar agencies from spending money they don’t have except in emergencies.

Ocasio-Cortez invokes Bible in response to White House on climate change
Owen Daugherty, The Hill

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y) on Wednesday responded to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders telling her to leave climate change up to a “much higher authority” by invoking the Bible. While not quoting specific verses, the freshman lawmaker invoked scripture in defense of her impassioned pleas to address climate change.

Greens want 2020 Democrats to go beyond vague ‘Green New Deal’ support
Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner

Progressives and environmentalists hoping to push climate change to the top of the 2020 agenda are pressuring Democratic candidates not to settle for platitudes about a “Green New Deal,” and instead propose specific plans for eliminating carbon emissions.

Hill Task Force on Contaminating Chemicals Seeks Cleanup ‘Focus’
Tiffany Stecker and Sylvia Carignan, Bloomberg Environment

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers wants to raise the profile of cleaning up pervasive chemicals in U.S. water supplies. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) will unveil a task force Jan. 23 to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS.

Oil Slides as Economic and Supply Fears Offset Venezuela Risk
Grant Smith, Bloomberg

Oil fell as a darkening outlook for the global economy offset the risk of American sanctions on OPEC member Venezuela’s crude.

Total’s CEO names his top risk for oil markets — and it’s not what you think
Holly Ellyatt, CNBC

Global oil markets are facing an uncertain year with slowing global growth driving less global demand for oil while the supply picture looks unclear with production cuts by OPEC and Russia potentially counteracted by the growth in U.S. shale oil output. But it’s not supply, demand, sanctions on Iran’s oil industry or political upheaval in oil producer Venezuela that the chief executive of Total is worried about.

Broomfield Activists Sue Colorado Over ‘Forced Pooling’ Of Oil And Gas Rights
Grace Hood, Colorado Public Radio

A group of Broomfield homeowners sued the state of Colorado Thursday to stop a practice that allows companies to force mineral rights owners into contracts to extract oil and gas from their properties.

Water Is Almost as Precious as Oil in the Permian Basin
David Wethe, Bloomberg

Toby Darden stomped on the ATV’s gas pedal, carving through blustery winds to reach the far northern corner of his 37,000-acre West Texas ranch. He wanted to show off the crown jewel.

PG&E May Be Selling California Assets Nobody Wants in 20 Years
David R Baker, Bloomberg

On paper, PG&E Corp.’s natural gas network looks like it could fetch a nice price as the company prepares to file for bankruptcy: The system has 4.3 million customers and generates $4 billion in annual revenue.

Power plants may shut down if court rolls back reg changes
Sean Reilly, E&E News

Utilities and other power producers say they may have to halt operations at coal-fired plants around the country if a court rolls back a Trump administration extension to the deadline for closing some coal ash dumps.

Officials Worry Con Ed Moratorium On New Gas Lines Puts Chill On Development
CBS New York

Con Edison has put a moratorium on new gas lines, a move some say is stifling growth amid a building boom in Westchester County.

Pritzker calls for more renewable energy, expert warns of consumer costs
Illinois News Network

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order Wednesday to join the U.S. Climate Alliance to get all of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2050, but a critic said the plan will lead to higher utility prices for consumers rather than reversing climate change.

The Solar Revolution Is Coming—But Not to Everyone
David Grossman, Popular Mechanics

While the United States has seen substantive growth in homes using photovoltaic (PV) solar energy over the last several years, this growth has been uneven. According to a new study from Tufts, fewer African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods are gaining the benefits of solar power, even when controlling for home ownership and income level.

Whales Will Get Right of Way at Huge Martha’s Vineyard Wind Farm
Chris Martin, Bloomberg

Migrating whales will have the right of way off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard starting this month under a new agreement between a wind developer and environmental groups.

Energy Department to Invest $38 Million in Updating Coal Plants
Rebecca Kern, Bloomberg Environment

Existing coal plants could boost their energy efficiency and responsiveness to electricity demands with the help of $38 million in new Energy Department funding, the government said.

There’s Still One Hot Spot for U.S. Coal: Pizza Ovens
Joe Ryan, Bloomberg

America’s love of pizza is helping keep the beleaguered coal industry afloat. Blaschak Coal Corp., a closely held Pennsylvania miner, reported its best-ever sales in 2018, thanks to demand from steelmakers, home heating — and coal-fired pizza restaurants.

PSEG: Without subsidies, 3 Salem County nuclear plants will close
Avalon Zoppo, Press of Atlantic City

Without financial help from ratepayers, Public Service Enterprise Group says it will have to begin shuttering its three nuclear plants in South Jersey by 2022.

Feds agree to delay relicensing New Hampshire’s Seabrook nuclear power plant
Mary C. Serreze, The Republican

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday agreed to temporarily delay issuing a new operating license for Seabrook Nuclear Power Station, a massive 1,244-megawatt generator owned by NextEra. In a notice, the NRC said it would delay relicensing the coastal New Hampshire plant through 2050 until the commission meets with the public.

Monetizing climate change
Amy Harder, Axios

The storylines dominating climate change news are usually doom and gloom, but corporate America sees some new ways to integrate a warmer world into its business models.

Apple just dismissed more than 200 employees from Project Titan, its autonomous vehicle group
Lora Kolodny and Christina Farr, CNBC

Apple dismissed just over 200 employees this week from Project Titan, its stealthy autonomous vehicle group, people familiar with the matter told CNBC. An Apple spokesperson acknowledged the lay-offs and said the company still sees opportunity in the space:

So Uber Wants Self-driving Bikes and Scooters. Why? And How?
Alex Davies and Aarian Marshall, Wired

REALLY, IT WAS only a matter of time before somebody thought to combine today’s hottest transportation trends: shared electric scooters and autonomous driving. Over the weekend, Uber reportedly unveiled a micromobility robotics division at a robotics meetup in the Bay Area. Though the company declined to confirm or comment on the new addition, the division will reportedly explore how to make the scooters and shared bikes it’s now deploying alongside its cars capable of riding themselves.

Airbus’s Flying Taxi Is Poised for Takeoff Within Weeks
Christopher Jasper, Bloomberg

Airbus SE’s prototype flying taxi will take to the skies in coming weeks after powering up for the first time toward the end of last year.

Actually, the United States already has a carbon tax
Cary Coglianese and Mark Nevitt, The Washington Post

Americans would be outraged if the federal income tax system operated like a reverse lottery — with the IRS randomly seizing only a subset of the population’s property and forcing others to lose their homes, while the rest of us escaped from paying anything. And yet, that is how the nation deals with the costs of climate change.

Climate, conflict and forced migration
Guy J. Abel et al., Elsevier Ltd.’s Global Environmental Change

Our results indicate that climatic conditions, by affecting drought severity and the likelihood of armed conflict, played a significant role as an explanatory factor for asylum seeking in the period 2011–2015. The effect of climate on conflict occurrence is particularly relevant for countries in Western Asia in the period 2010–2012 during when many countries were undergoing political transformation.