Biden can’t break fossil fuel subsidies’ momentum

FOSSIL FUELS: President Biden campaigned on ending fossil fuel industry subsidies but has so far failed to break a century-old trend and keep them out of the federal budget. (New York Times)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Electric vehicle prices have plummeted over the last two years, with the average purchase price now only $5,000 higher than the average for gasoline-powered vehicles. (Washington Post)
• The U.S. Energy Department will loan more than $2 billion to the controversial Thacker Pass lithium mine under development in northern Nevada, which would produce electric vehicle battery materials. (Associated Press)
• The United Auto Workers tries for the third time to unionize Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but so far sees diminishing returns. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

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HYDROGEN: An analysis concludes that “blue” and “green” hydrogen could be cost competitive with natural gas by 2030, but that meeting national demand might consume two-thirds of the country’s current renewable electricity. (Utility Dive)

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EMISSIONS:

• A federal court temporarily strikes down the Securities and Exchange Commission’s new rules that would require public companies to disclose their climate risks and emissions. (The Hill)
• Republican attorneys general from 24 states suing over the Biden administration’s new rule to limit methane emissions say the policy is a “blatant attack on America’s oil and gas industry.” (E&E News, subscription)

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POLICY:

• House Republicans plan a slew of energy-related bills that would repeal a federal greenhouse gas reduction fund and deter challenges to energy projects from environmental groups, among other priorities. (E&E News)
• The Biden administration looks to finalize and implement new energy rules in the next few months, before they become vulnerable to a potential Republican administration. (E&E News, subscription)

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OFFSHORE WIND: Federal ocean energy officials officially designate a 32 GW wind energy area in the Gulf of Maine that is 80% smaller than what was first marked as a potential leasing area and excludes fishing and lobstering areas. (Maine Public)

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NUCLEAR: Oregon small modular reactor firm NuScale shifts from providing grid-scale power facilities to catering to “enormous energy consumers” such as data centers. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR:

• Researchers studying blueberry production under a 4 MW solar farm in Rockport, Maine, find that the array “makes farming difficult and constricts blueberry production” but hope results will guide further investigations. (Maine Monitor)
• Texas added 6.5 GW of solar in 2023, surpassing California now twice in the last three years as the leading state for new solar installations. (Dallas Morning News)

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UTILITIES: Minnesota regulators will soon require the state’s three largest gas utilities to file long-term plans that forecast how they will meet demand while aligning with state policy priorities. (Energy News Network)

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