• A BloombergNEF study released today projects that U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will decrease 9.2 percent this year to 5.9 billion metric tons, the lowest level since 1983, as a result of the stalled economy caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The report said the drop in emissions could be partially offset by an economic rebound next year, noting that 2020 emissions would have been just 1 percent lower than the previous year if not for the pandemic’s economic impact. (The Washington Post)

• Patti Poppe, chief executive of the Michigan utility CMS Energy Corp., has been tapped to lead Northern California’s PG&E Corp., replacing the interim chief who has run the utility since July. Poppe will take over on Jan. 4 in the midst of a challenging period for PG&E, which has been trying to reduce wildfire risk from its power lines during increasingly severe fire seasons impacting its 70,000-square-mile service territory. (The Wall Street Journal)

• Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said he plans to take on the role of chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, potentially replacing Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is stepping down and anticipated to lead the Indian Affairs committee. Barrasso, who is also GOP Conference Chairman, was a sharp critic of Obama-era climate policies. (Roll Call)

• The Trump administration finalized a rule allowing the U.S. Forest Service to use certain exemptions for environmental reviews for its projects, a move that Agriculture Department Secretary Sonny Perdue said “will ensure we do the appropriate level of environmental analysis to fit the work, locations and conditions.” Critics say the rule change weakens certain requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act. (The Hill)

Green Economy Faces Challenge to Replace Carbon Energy Sources
Thomas Black, Bloomberg

The march toward a greener global economy is headed into a more difficult second phase that will aim to replace carbon as an energy source, said panelists during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

Biden eyes new leadership at troubled public lands agency
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

The Biden transition team is in the early stages of developing a shortlist of potential nominees to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a public lands agency critics say has slipped into disarray during the Trump administration.

Trump Names Ex-Northrop Exec as Chemical Safety Board Adviser
Fatima Hussein, Bloomberg Law

President Donald Trump‘s late-in-term appointment of a former Northrop Grumman Corp. vice president as an adviser to the federal chemical safety board has raised eyebrows in the worker advocacy community.

Oil Falls With Virus Measures Tightening, OPEC+ Cracks Appearing
Elizabeth Low and James Thornhill, Bloomberg

Oil dropped from a two-month high after U.S. coronavirus restrictions tightened and cracks emerged in the united front presented by OPEC+.

Enbridge to Buy Rest of Spectra Energy for $3.3 Billion
Allison Prang, The Wall Street Journal

Oil and gas pipeline operator Enbridge Inc. has reached a deal to buy the rest of Spectra Energy Partners LP for about $3.3 billion in stock. Calgary-based Enbridge, which owns about 83% of Spectra, is offering about 1.11 of its shares for each unit of Spectra it doesn’t already own.

Gunvor to end use of agents to win business
Neil Hume, Financial Times

Gunvor is the latest commodity trader to cut back on intermediaries as sector faces scrutiny from regulators.

Venezuelan oil could become world’s biggest stranded asset, say experts
Michael Stott, Financial Times

Climate change poses a mortal threat to the shattered country’s only economic lifeline.

Climate action investor group adds Saudi Aramco to focus list
Simon Jessop, Reuters

One of the world’s leading investor groups pushing for more corporate action on climate change said it has added Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, to its list of target companies.

Burning Fossil Fuels Helped Drive Earth’s Most Massive Extinction
Lucas Joel, The New York Times

Massive volcanic eruptions ignited oil and coal deposits in Siberia in the events that led to the Permian-Triassic “Great Dying” event.

Senate advances energy regulator nominees despite uncertainty of floor vote
Rachel Frazin, The Hill

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on Wednesday to advance the nominations of Allison Clements and Mark Christie to be commissioners at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Glick vows to prioritize transmission, reassess capacity markets if named FERC Chair
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive

Commissioner Richard Glick said Tuesday that updating transmission policy, reassessing capacity market operations in relation to their impacts on state policies, and continuing to lower barriers to nascent clean energy technologies would be top priorities if he is named head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2021.

Climate risks are accelerating. Here’s what Duke, PG&E and 16 other utilities expect to pay.
Utility Dive

The risks and liabilities from climate change-related events have taken center stage for financial institutions and investors in the energy space. Such risks and liabilities are also not far from mind for electric utilities, but how do these companies weigh the impact and mitigation costs of their generation, distribution and transmission activities?

Ørsted strikes deal with labor union on U.S. offshore wind development
Valerie Volcovici, Reuters

Danish renewable energy group Ørsted and North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) announced on Wednesday a deal to train an offshore wind construction workforce to build the firm’s pipeline of projects down the U.S. East Coast.

Electric Last Mile Said to Be In Merger Talks With Forum SPAC
Gillian Tan, Bloomberg

Electric Last Mile Solutions, an electric vehicle startup, is in talks to go public through a merger with Forum Merger III Corp., according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Green is the new black in boom for clean energy funds
Tommy Wilkes and Ritvik Carvalho, Reuters

Investors are pouring money into green funds, banking on a Joe Biden presidency in the United States for a further boost to the renewable and alternative energy industry at the expense of traditional oil and gas businesses.

With Biden headed to the White House, solar advocates aim to turn wish lists into practical policy goals
Emma Penrod, Utility Dive

Anticipating the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a series of policy priorities to guide the coming decade.

Nuclear Waste Startup Gets Backing for Underground Storage Holes
Will Wade and Catherine Traywick, Bloomberg

Deep Isolation Inc. raised $20 million from backers including NAC International Inc. to develop its system for storing deadly nuclear waste miles below the surface of the earth.

Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants
Darrell Proctor, Power

A U.S. subsidiary of one of France’s largest providers of solar power has given New Mexico officials more detailed information about the company’s plans for developing a series of solar projects. The installations would help offset the loss of generation from retiring coal-fired power plants in the state, including the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) near Farmington.

Biden to enlist Agriculture, Transportation agencies in climate fight
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill

President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing the departments of Agriculture and Transportation as key partners for achieving his climate goals, exciting progressives by broadening efforts beyond traditional environmental agencies.

How climate change is complicating a Thanksgiving staple
Tatiana Schlossberg, The Washington Post

More extreme heat in summer, warmer winters with less ice, and wild fluctuations between heavy rain and drought are taking a toll on cranberry plants here, where many of the plants are 100 years old or more. 

People keep moving to fire-prone counties in the US
Michael J. Coren, Quartz

Americans are moving to homes that are more likely to burn as the climate warms. The flammable frontier between human settlement and wilderness, known as the wildland-urban interface, has become an increasingly popular destination for people seeking affordable housing in desirable locales.

A record 6 Native Americans were elected to Congress. Here’s where they stand on climate.
Angely Mercado and Naveena Sadasivam, Grist

Native Americans make up about 1 percent of the U.S. population, but they’ve long been underrepresented in Congress. Since the founding of the country, just 23 Native Americans have served in the legislative body. That slow pace is starting to pick up, however. The 2020 election resulted in victories for a record six Native Americans who will serve as voting members of Congress.

Inside one of Jeff Bezos’ climate change grants
Amy Harder, Axios

Jeff Bezos’ $100 million grant to the Environmental Defense Fund is tied as the biggest donation the group has ever received in its more than 50-year history, its president Fred Krupp told Axios Tuesday.

For Biden, ending U.S. climate retreat is just a start
Editorial Board, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Biden has promised the United States will rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. This non-binding international pact seeks to cooperatively fight climate change through individual national targets and benchmarks for reducing greenhouse gas and other emissions. Biden has repeatedly said he will take action on Paris on “day one” of his new administration; President Trump pulled the nation out of the accord in 2017.

State of Climate Action: Assessing Progress Toward 2030 and 2050
Katie Lebling et al., World Resources Institute

The world’s leaders now recognize that to protect future prosperity and well-being we must limit global warming to an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius. This requires not incremental change, but radical change—roughly a halving of carbon emissions each decade through 2050. All sectors must play a part in this massive and exciting transition. But which sectors are doing their part? And which are falling short?