• The Biden administration and a group of major carmakers plan to voluntarily pledge that at least 40 percent of all cars and SUVs in the country will be electric by 2030, a share that could potentially be raised to 50 percent with significant federal investment, according to three people briefed on the plan. The transportation sector is the United States’ largest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, at 29 percent. (The Washington Post)
• The Interior Department said it plans to undertake an environmental review of a proposed wind energy project off the coast of North Carolina, which was submitted by Kitty Hawk Wind LLC and would include up to 69 turbine generators and two transmission cables. If approved, the offshore wind project would be North Carolina’s first, though it would make landfall in Virginia Beach, Va., and could potentially provide power to Virginia in the future as well. (The Hill)
• A group of more than 50 investors that collectively manage more than $14 trillion in assets are calling on companies to publish the details of their plans to take on climate change and allow shareholders to vote annually on their plans. The joint statement argues that many businesses have made “net zero-by-2050” pledges but have yet to take concrete action. (Financial Times)
• The founder of the embattled electric truck startup Nikola Corp., Trevor Milton, was indicted on charges of securities fraud after allegedly lying “about nearly every aspect of his business” to investors, per Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. Milton, who pleaded not guilty and has been released on $100 million bond, is also facing a civil complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (The Wall Street Journal)

The Infrastructure Plan: What’s In and What’s Out

The New York Times

Infrastructure bill would transform energy, but maybe not enough

Benjamin J. Hulac and Joseph Morton, Roll Call

The bill would spend billions to shift to a lower-carbon power sector. Some say more needs to be done.

Schumer says he has votes for moving $3.5 trillion package

Marianne Levine, Politico

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that all 50 Democrats will vote to move forward on the party’s $3.5 trillion social spending proposal.

Climate bid faces tricky path over money for electric cars

Hope Yen and Tom Krisher, The Associated Press

The bipartisan compromise on infrastructure cuts in half President Joe Biden’s call for $15 billion to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging outlets, raising the stakes as the administration seeks to win auto industry cooperation on anti-pollution rules to curb climate change.

For FEMA head, trip to wildfire regions reaffirms drive to address climate change

Andrew Freedman, Axios

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell’s first trip out West since being confirmed in April reinforced her view that the agency must tackle climate change’s influence on disasters, such as wildfires and droughts.

EPA Agrees to Deadlines in ‘Good Neighbor’ Ozone Pollution Suit

Jennifer Hijazi, Bloomberg Law

The EPA has agreed to act on multiple ozone air plans by next year in response to a ‘good neighbor’ lawsuit filed by New York and a group of other East Coast states.

Far-reaching study spells out how to drastically cut the energy footprint of buildings

Prachi Patel, Anthropocene

The formula, which calls for a combination efficiency technology and peak load management, could eliminate need for one third of US coal and natural gas power plants

At Least 80 Killed as Flash Floods Destroy Village in Afghanistan

Christina Goldbaum et al., The New York Times

The casualty toll from the flood in a Taliban-controlled district in Nuristan Province was expected to rise beyond the 80 confirmed deaths as the search for victims continues.

California Wine Country Rebuilds as Threats Persist

Eric Asimov, The New York Times 

The drought in Northern California is severe, and the risk of fires remains high. But winemakers are trying to adapt to climate change.

Enough ice melted in Greenland in single day to cover Florida in two inches of water

Brooke Seipel, The Hill

Researchers say high temperatures in the Arctic are melting Greenland’s ice sheets so rapidly that the ice melt from Tuesday of this week alone would be enough to cover the entire state of Florida in two inches of water.

California Nimbys Threaten Biden’s Clean Energy Goals

Mark Chediak, Bloomberg

Ranchers, farmers and environmentalists are coming together to oppose what would be the largest solar plant built in the San Francisco Bay area, a project local officials say is critical to the state meeting its climate goals.

NYC Is More Addicted To Fossil Fuels Than Ever. Now It May Make Solar Harder To Build.

Alexander C. Kaufman, Huffington Post

First, a loophole let fossil fuels eat up funding meant for community solar. Now proposed new fire codes pose new challenges for rooftop panels.

Tesla reports over $800M in energy business revenue in second quarter

Mychael Schnell, The Hill

Tesla reported more than $800 million in revenue from its energy business in the second quarter.

The Recycling Myth: Big Oil’s Solution for Plastic Waste Littered With Failure

Joe Brock et al., Reuters

In early 2018, residents of Boise, Idaho were told by city officials that a breakthrough technology could transform their hard-to-recycle plastic waste into low-polluting fuel. The program, backed by Dow Inc, one of the world’s biggest plastics producers, was hailed locally as a greener alternative to burying it in the county landfill.

Chevron tops profit estimates, joins share buyback stampede

Shariq Khan, Reuters

Chevron Corp on Friday reported its highest profit in six quarters and joined an oil industry stampede to reward investors with share buybacks, as rebounding crude oil prices carried earnings and cash flow to pre-pandemic levels.

Big Oil back to boom after pandemic bust, aiding climate push

Ron Bousso, Reuters

Europe’s top energy companies signalled confidence in a lasting recovery from the pandemic impact by drawing on higher oil prices to boost shareholder returns and reassure investors as they roll out risky climate strategies.

Big Oil Is Vulnerable to Climate Change. Literally.

Jinjoo Lee, The Wall Street Journal

Energy companies already faced reputation and legal challenges in the fight against climate change. Now they are grappling with their own exposure to unusual and extreme weather.

Oil Giants Want Rhode Island Climate Suit Sent to Federal Court

Maya Earls, Bloomberg Law

Oil and gas companies including Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., and others said the First Circuit should consider two new factors and determine that Rhode Island’s climate lawsuit should stay in federal court.

Eni becomes latest energy major to raise dividend as prices jump

David Sheppard, Financial Times

Italian group’s chief executive says renewable business can mitigate any future oil decline.

Why Texas fossil fuel unions signed onto a climate plan

Emily Pontecorvo, Grist

“We get these narratives that the fossil fuel unions are against climate action. I think it’s a lot more complicated than what we hear.”

Exxon sting ensnares think tanks with climate credentials

Corbin Hiar, E&E News

In May 2018, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on the geopolitical implications of oil and gas production in the United States. The four witnesses who testified all had one thing in common: Their institutions each had received money that year from Exxon Mobil Corp.

The Race for EV Parts Leads to Risky Deep-Ocean Mining

Tatiana Schlossberg, Yale Environment 360

The electric vehicle boom is driving a surge in demand for prized metals needed for batteries and other components. Some companies say the solution lies in mining the deep oceans, but scientists say that could irreversibly damage a vast, largely pristine ecosystem.

The EV SPAC Boom Could Have Been Even Bigger

Colin McKerracher, BloombergNEF

Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, are still a hot ticket right now for the electric-vehicle sector. Though many of the companies that went public via this route haven’t fared especially well the last few months, there are still plenty more planned.

Electric Utilities, Formed Decades Ago, Struggle to Meet Climate Crisis

Brad Plumer and Ivan Penn, The New York Times

Power companies are fighting to keep the lights on amid extreme wildfires, heat and flooding fueled by global warming.

How to redesign our cities to make them heatwave-proof

Tim Harford, Financial Times

‘A city block with tarmac and concrete can be several degrees hotter than one with shady trees.’

PG&E disputes plan for criminal charges in 2020 wildfire

Reuters

PG&E Corp said late on Thursday it disagreed with a Northern California prosecutor who said that criminal charges will be filed in last year’s Zogg Fire, arguing the California grid operator had already resolved civil claims with the affected county.

Texas regulators mull scarcity pricing, outage planning, generation performance

Mark Watson, S&P Global Platts

To address issues arising from the deadly mid-February winter storm which left about 4 million Texas electricity customers without service, some for days, Texas regulators on July 29 discussed potential changes to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ scarcity pricing and outage scheduling rules.

Fighting Fire with Fire

Amanda Monthei et al., The Washington Post

Wildfires need fuel to burn. A key way to get rid of that fuel is to set it ablaze, very carefully.

Haaland, Native American leaders press for Indigenous land protections

Jackson Walker, The Hill

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland joined other Native American leaders and activists at the National Mall on Thursday to accept the delivery of a totem pole transported across the country as part of a push to protect sites that are sacred to Native Americans.

Want Quick Progress on Climate Change? Clean Up ‘Hyper-Polluting’ Coal Plants

Tim Dickinson, Rolling Stone

Just 5 percent of the globe’s power plants generate nearly 75 percent of the carbon pollution from electricity.

Tesla Turned the Streets Into a Lab. Guess What Happened Next.

Greg Bensinger, The New York Times

One of the greatest tricks technology companies ever played was convincing their human guinea pig users that they were a privileged group called beta testers.

U.S. Can Build and Fight Climate Change at Same Time

Ellen R. Wald, Bloomberg

Waiving Trump-era tariffs on imports of materials that are produced using low-carbon-intensive methods would promote sustainability as the U.S. ramps up spending on infrastructure.