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Fossil Fuel Companies Scored Billions In Tax Breaks, Laid Off Thousands Of Workers: Fossil fuel companies got billions in tax breaks and laid off more than 58,000 workers last year, a report from BailoutWatch found. Provisions in the CARES Act passed last March, gave 77 fossil fuel companies $8.2 billion in tax breaks, and their laid off workers a $1,200 stimulus check. Using SEC data, the report shows Marathon Petroleum, the biggest single beneficiary, got more than $2 billion before laying off almost 2,000 workers — about 9% of its workforce at a rate of around $1 million per laid off worker. Five companies went bankrupt after receiving $308.7 million in tax bailouts and laid off a total of 5,683 workers. “I’m not surprised that these companies took advantage of these tax benefits, but I’m horrified by the layoffs after they got this money,” said Chris Kuveke, a researcher at BailoutWatch, told The Guardian. “Last year’s stimulus was about keeping the economy going, but these companies didn’t use these resources to retain their workers. These are companies that are polluting the environment, increasing the deadliness of the pandemic and letting go of their workers.” (The Guardian, InsideClimate News)

Get Ready For A Dry, Conflagrated Year: California's snowpack is only 60% of the average — again. The Sierra Nevada snowpack normally supplies about 30% of the state's water, and low levels are prompting worries over water supplies and extreme wildfires — again. The April 1 measurement typically shows snowpack at its peak before it begins to melt and is important for water supply forecasting. “We’re comparing this year a lot, hydrologically speaking, to 2014-2015, which was the height of the drought,” said Chris Orrock, spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources, told the San Francisco Chronicle. Climate change worsens wildfires in multiple ways, including by making droughts more likely to occur. The National Interagency Fire Center also predicted wildland fire potential across the U.S. with 11 western states having areas of severe drought. That includes North Dakota, where multiple fires are currently burning. The Governor has declared a statewide emergency and the town of Medora was evacuated Thursday. (California: San Francisco Chronicle, Sacramento Bee, Bloomberg $, AP, San Francisco Chronicle, KTLA, KPIX, LAist; Western droughts and wildfire risk: Wildfire Today; North Dakota: Grand Forks Herald, Billings Gazette, CNN, ABC, Inforum; Climate Signals background: Drought, Wildfires)

Climate Hurting Ag Production, Driving Migration: A pair of new studies find that not only will climate-fueled heatwaves cause far greater agricultural losses than previously thought, but global warming has already slashed agriculture productivity growth. Research published Thursday in Nature Climate Change found climate change has — despite significant gains in farming technology and fertilizers — already reduced global agricultural productivity growth by about 21% since 1961, with even more severe impacts in warmer regions such as Africa,Latin America and the Caribbean. Research published by scientists at the universities of Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Journal of the European Economic Association, also found future agricultural losses from heatwaves could be 10 times greater than previously thought. These changes have devastating consequences for inhabitants of impacted areas — acute hunger, along with the devastation wrought by climate-fueled storms, is contributing to the increased migration of so-called climate refugees from Guatemala, where the price of beans shot up nearly 20% last year, as well as other Central American countries. (Productivity growth: Bloomberg $, The Guardian; Heatwave losses: E&E $; Guatemala hunger crisis: Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Heatwaves; Hurricanes)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Derek Chauvin’s murder trial: eyewitnesses relive the trauma of watching George Floyd die (NewsOne), 'he's a sizable guy': jurors see footage of Derek Chauvin justifying his actions to a horrified witness on day 3 of trial (The Root)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Court upholds dismissal of New York City lawsuit against oil companies (The Hill, Reuters, Politico Pro $)

TEXAS DENIAL: Texas officials circulated climate skeptic's talking points on power failures during storm (NBC, Earther)

OPENING DAY: How climate change is affecting America's pastime (CBS)

ELECTRIFICATION: How your gas stove sparked a battle over climate change (The Verge)

PIPELINES: 'I live with Standing Rock in my heart': massive pipeline protest resonates 5 years later (MPR), Michigan tribe seeks cultural property protection in path of Line 5 project (Energy News Network), progressives renew call for Dakota Access shutdown (E&E $)

ACTIVISM: Texas activists took their fight against a natural gas project abroad—and they’re winning (Texas Observer), climate activists spray black dye at Bank of England in 'Money Rebellion' (Reuters)

VOTER SUPPRESSION: Texas Republicans' response to Georgia's voter restriction laws: hold my beer (The Root), ‘election integrity’ becomes key buzzword in VA GOP race (AP)

(ALLEGED) UTILITY CORRUPTION: [Ohio] Gov. Mike Dewine signs repeal of nuclear bailout, other parts of scandal-tainted House Bill 6 (Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

AMERICAN JOBS PLAN: Inside the Biden infrastructure plan (New York Times, The Daily $), Biden taps multiple sources for his climate-proofing plans (E&E $), for climate progressives, Biden’s $2.25 trillion isn’t enough (Bloomberg $), Biden infrastructure plan aims to boost economy’s productivity over time (Wall Street Journal $), Buttigieg says $2 trillion infrastructure plan is a 'common sense investment' (NPR), Biden’s infrastructure plan: which sectors would benefit? (Wall Street Journal $), how Biden's $2T plan would spur EVs, 100% clean power (E&E $), how Biden’s bold vision attacks climate change (New York Daily News), paper plates and school buses: What you might have missed in Biden's infrastructure plan (Politico Pro $), the top climate takeaways from Biden's sweeping infrastructure plan (Axios)

POLITICS: White House could attempt to advance $2 trillion infrastructure package without GOP votes (Washington Post $, Politico), 'every step of the way': McConnell pledges battle over Biden infrastructure plan (Reuters, Politico Pro $), Biden’s ‘Jobs Cabinet’ to sell infrastructure as GOP resists (AP, E&E $)

AGENCIES: Federal agencies begin crafting 'equity' plans (E&E $), FEMA pitches 'equitable' flood insurance revamp amid threat from Congress (Politico Pro $), Biden’s climate plan means tough choices: which homes get saved? (New York Times $), Army Corps taps Trump rule, stiff-arms tribe on Arizona mine (E&E $), DOE issues rule to undo Trump efficiency rollback (E&E $)

LAWSUITS: New Mexico tribes sue US over federal clean water rule (AP)

THE HILL: White House leans on Congress to back climate infrastructure plan (Politico Pro $), Democrats, Republicans and businesses gird for battle over Biden’s proposed tax hikes (Washington Post $), how Biden's plan squares with congressional intentions (E&E $), Lawmakers praise Biden's Civilian Climate Corps proposal (E&E $), Dems welcome [EPA] advisory panel firings; GOP to investigate (E&E $), lawmakers re-up carbon fee bill — without Republicans (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Canada, U.S. vow to work together on methane and vehicle emissions, clean electricity (Politico Pro $), UK pledges to make scaling up adaptation finance a priority at G7 summit (Climate Home)

CITIES AND STATES: In a record year for clean energy purchases, Southeast cities stand out (Energy News Network), Texas seeks $1.6 million from Atmos after fatal Dallas gas explosion (Dallas Morning News), New York state's climate goals are achievable, research finds (Yale Climate Connections), New York's outgoing climate tsar hopes Biden can help save city from sea rise (The Guardian)

CORONAVIRUS: If you build it, they will bike: pop-up lanes increased cycling during pandemic (New York Times $)

IMPACTS: The countries most vulnerable to global warming (Axios), monthly temperature records smashed in Europe beneath sprawling heat dome (Washington Post $), then and now: 25 years of disasters, responses, and risk management (The New Humanitarian)

RENEWABLES: Biden’s big infrastructure plan would further boost renewable energy (Wall Street Journal $), what happens when solar power gets much, much cheaper? (InsideClimate News), solar energy set to more than double in Colorado in 2021 (Axios)

BATTERIES: California to test whether big batteries can stop summer blackouts

(Bloomberg $)

OIL & GAS: The oil and gas industry is in denial about its own demise (Fast Company/Nexus Media News), Canada's cash-rich oil sands firms face pressure to spend on transition (Reuters), U.S.-Saudis discuss energy affordability before OPEC+ talks (Bloomberg $), Exxon sees up to $800 million earnings hit from Texas freeze (Bloomberg $)

ORPHANED WELLS: A quake-causing injection well in Youngstown remains unsealed 2 years after its deadline. Here's why. (Mahoning Matters), Biden's well cleanup plan: Climate solution or gift for oil? (E&E $), Colorado Oil & Gas Commission gets earful on orphaned wells (The Gazette)

COAL: Germany awards second round of permits to close hard coal plants (Reuters)

UTILITIES: State of the Electric Utility 2021: Gas doubts rise, DER focus wanes, and 5 other key takeaways (Utility Dive), White House will seek law to require carbon-free power from U.S. utilities (Reuters)

GRID: Biden $2 trillion infrastructure proposal includes billions in spending on transmission, clean energy (Utility Dive), transmission could make or break Biden's clean energy plan (E&E $)

EVs: ‘Chargers everywhere’: Biden maps $174 billion path for EV boom (Bloomberg $), Biden aims to juice EV sales, but would his plan work? (AP), Biden’s push for electric cars: $174 billion, 10 years and a bit of luck (New York Times $), White House asks EPA to study how EVs can generate renewable fuel credits (Reuters)

TRAINS: Amtrak made a bigger map (Earther)

AVIATION: Electric plane startup Lilium goes public in bid to take commercial flight by 2024 (Axios), U.S. airlines push sustainable fuel credits for Biden's infrastructure plan (Politico Pro $)

AGRICULTURE: Farmers see opportunity in Biden plan but fret over the tab (E&E $)

CONSUMER GOODS: Carbon labels are coming to your shampoo bottle (Wall Street Journal $)

FINANCE: Banking regulators know climate is a risk. Now what? (E&E $)

METHANE: Those who worry about CO2 should worry about methane, too (Economist)

INTERNATIONAL: How Britain’s ‘build back better’ plan went very, very wrong (Grist), Pakistan sends in armed force to stop logging in northern forests (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

• Biden wants to spend billions to fight climate change. It’s not enough. (New York Times, Farhad Manjoo column $)
• Biden’s plan for electric cars is already outdated (Washington Post, Levi Tillemann op-ed $)
• How Biden’s tax pledge undercuts his own initiatives (Washington Post, Catherine Rampell column $)
• Biden defines infrastructure down (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)
• It took the Suez Canal crisis to highlight the scale of the polluting shipping sector (Climate Home, Madeline Rose)
• Does Biden's $2 trillion plan to rebuild infrastructure and stop climate change go far enough? (The Hill, Robert Reich op-ed)

Science Board Spring Cleaning IsThe Other 'Giant Step Forward' the Biden Admin Took This Week

Hey nerds esteemed PhD readers! Any of you think you've got what it takes to be on the EPA’s soon-to-be once-again science- and fact-based Science Advisory Board? If so, now’s your chance! 

Since polluters (illegally) muddied the panels that inform the EPA’s regulatory process, incoming administrator Michael Regan has decided to do some much-needed spring cleaning and is resetting the membership! 

Nominations opened up yesterday, and you have until May 3rd to nominate people who think pollution is actually real, and bad, and who don't think — and we wish we were exaggerating — radiation is good for you. 

In an interview with the AP, Regan said, without any suggestion of sarcasm or effort conceal the truth like we became accustomed to from the Trump-era administrators, that “scientific integrity is a foundational value for the EPA, and I am committing to ensuring that every single decision we make meets rigorous scientific standards.” 

“Science is back” has been something of a catchphrase, but the shake-up of the 40 members of the two main science advisory boards are pretty solid evidence for his statement that “the actions we’re taking are indicative of how serious we are about repairing the scientific integrity at EPA.” 

The move to reset the panels, and once again allowing the researchers who win grants to receive funding from the EPA to advise it on that science, is great news and was well-received by pretty much anyone who isn’t financially benefiting from pollution. 

Chris Zarba told E&E News that the reset was not only “absolutely the right thing to do,” but also “a giant step forward that the administration is taking to ensure that on environmental and public health, science will be driving” the decision-making process once again. 

And he would know. Zarba was the former head of one of the advisory board’s staff offices before retiring in 2018 and joining other former EPA career staff at the Environmental Protection Network, where he co-authored a report on this very subject! 

Seems like they’re even listening to the experts about listening to the experts!

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