States led a record year for clean energy policy

CLIMATE: Clean electricity standards enacted in Minnesota and Michigan bookended a year of state-level climate progress that included gas hookup restrictions and new funding for clean energy manufacturing. (E&E News)

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OIL & GAS:

• U.S. gas utilities serving more than 35 million customers offer builders and contractors incentives to keep fossil fuels in new buildings, part of a longstanding relationship that could impede electrification. (The Guardian)
• The oil and gas industry achieved key legal victories this year against environmentalists who contended fossil fuel development violated the National Environmental Policy Act. (E&E News)
• The latest U.S. oil and gas lease in the Gulf of Mexico garners nearly $382.2 million in top bids, the highest amount in eight years. (Offshore Energy)
• A small Colorado town’s proposal to decarbonize buildings by banning natural gas hookups in new construction runs up against a major natural gas utility’s opposition and political power. (NPR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• U.S. gas-electric hybrid vehicle sales soar as electric vehicle sales grow slower than automakers’ forecasts. (Associated Press)
• The Biden administration allows Tesla electric vehicle chargers to receive federal funding, likely putting the company’s technology on a path to becoming a national standard. (E&E News)
• New vehicles in the U.S. hit a fuel economy record in 2022 and emissions fell to record lows as more electric vehicles hit the roads, the U.S. EPA finds. (The Hill)
• Massachusetts begins soliciting companies to file subsidy applications to improve the state’s highway electric vehicle charging network as lawmakers and climate activists say the state needs to move faster. (Boston Globe)

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EMISSIONS: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the U.S. EPA’s anti-air-pollution “good neighbor” rule that limits power plant emissions that drift into other states. (Associated Press)

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WIND:

• Offshore wind industry analysts recall a “tumultuous” year that has seen once-promising developments sidelined. (Canary Media)
• A Cleveland-area company aims to grow the market for its benches, picnic tables and other outdoor furniture crafted from recycled wind turbine blades. (Energy News Network)

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SOLAR: A California appeals court rejects a petition to overturn a new state policy cutting compensation for rooftop solar; petitioners say they may take the case to the state Supreme Court. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

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UTILITIES: North Carolina regulators consider Duke Energy’s green tariff proposal, which would allow the utility to count customers’ renewable energy purchases toward compliance with its state carbon emission goals. (Energy News Network)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A Minnesota agency overseeing the state’s clean energy transition adds 64 positions to its staff of roughly 90 to help manage new state programs and capitalize on federal funding opportunities. (Energy News Network)

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FINANCE: Industry analysts say cleantech investing is poised for a strong 2024 after a slow start to 2023 rebounded in the second half of the year. (Canary Media)

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