FIRST LOOK:

More than 2 million Americans lack running water and basic indoor plumbing. Although many rural areas and Indigenous communities have never had indoor plumbing, most unplumbed households are located in major urban areas.

Rittenhouse Acquittal 'Saddening, Infuriating, And Utterly Unsurprising': Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges, Friday, following a trial marred by a judicial system enveloped in systemic racism and the perpetuation of white privilege. On August 23, 2020, a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back, leaving him partially paralyzed. Two days later, Rittenhouse traveled across state lines, obtained an assault rifle, and shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz — all there to protest Blake's shooting. “Make no mistake," a representative of Huber's family said in a statement, "if Kyle Rittenhouse had been Black, or had been wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, there is no way on God’s green earth he would have been allowed to walk away. More likely he would have been shot dead in the street.” Rittenhouse argued he shot the men in self-defense, a doctrine with a troubled, and frequently racist, application. The "saddening, infuriating, and utterly unsurprising [verdict] came at the end of a trial in which Judge Bruce Schroeder went out of his way to favor Rittenhouse in ways that would have been inconceivable were the defendant a Black person who had taken a semi-automatic rifle to a protest and killed two people,” the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement. Republicans have made Rittenhouse a cause célèbre, supporting him financially and in the media. Huber's family is suing Rittenhouse and the Kenosha Police Department and the County Sheriff’s office, for what they describe as those departments' authorization of the shootings. "Tamir Rice had a toy gun, shot no one, yet he was murdered," Malynda Hale, creator of the Black Voices Heard project and host of the #WeNeedToTalk podcast, wrote on Twitter, of the Black 12-year-old boy gunned down by a white Cleveland police officer seven years ago today. "Kyle Rittenhouse had an AR-15, murdered 2 people and is going to go to college. I wonder what Tamir wanted to be and where he would have gone to college." (Verdict: The Root, Atlanta Black Star, The Real News, NewsOne, Black Wall Street Times, AP, ABC, New York Times $, TIME, Reuters, Blavity, Al Jazeera, Axios, Wall Street Journal $, BBC; Charges: AP, explainer; Self defense: The Atlantic; Rightwing groups and funding: NPR, Politico; Victims and civil liability: NPR, NBC Chicago, CNN, Yahoo; Commentary: The Grio, Stephanie Willis op-ed, Bangor Daily News, Editorial Board, The Cap Times, Editorial Board, NewsOne, Angela Lang op-ed, Prism Reports, Cat Brooks op-ed)

House Sends Build Back Better Act To Senate: The House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act on Friday. The bill includes more than $550 billion of investments to address climate change, with the rest of the roughly $2 trillion going to health care, education, and immigration. The bill, which is paid for with tax measures targeting corporations and the wealthy, represents Congress' largest investment in cutting climate pollution and improving resilience to climate change and would impose a fee on methane pollution from oil and gas operations. It also includes four weeks of paid family leave. Every Republican in the House opposed the bill, and every Republican senator opposes it as well, so Democrats will need to pass the legislation using the parliamentary process known as budget reconciliation. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told NPR he hopes the Senate will pass the bill this year. To do so, Democrats will need to keep Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema — both of whom have accepted substantial campaign contributions from traditionally GOP donors — on board. (BBBA: AP, Washington Post $, Teen Vogue, New York Times $, PBS NewsHour, Reuters, Factbox, Bloomberg $, New York Times $; Climate provisions: Bloomberg $, E&E News, New York Times $; Methane fee: AP; Family leave: Reuters; Senate: NPR, Bloomberg $, Gizmodo; GOP Donors: New York Times $)

Heavy Rains In Southern Indian State Kill 17, Dozens Missing: Torrential rains caused massive flooding across Andhra Pradesh state in southern India, killing at least 33 people with at least a dozen more missing. Officials issued immediate emergency evacuations orders, citing concerns that cracks in the walls around one of the state's largest and oldest reservoirs could lead to failure and the catastrophic deluge of nearby communities. The flooding is the worst since 1882, according to the Central Water Commission, and comes less than two weeks after deadly flooding driven by torrential downpours inundated the nearby Tamil Nadu state. Climate change, caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels is making extreme precipitation and flooding more common. (News Minute, Hindustan Times, AP, Weather.com, The Hindu; Reservoir: NDTV; Records: NDTV; Climate Signals background: Flooding, Extreme precipitation increase)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: 'No matter what, you keep these dances going': the Hoopa tribe's struggle for water (ABC10), at the Sierra Club, a fierce dispute over founder's legacy continues (HuffPost), Chemours’ process for curtailing greenhouse gas emissions could produce hazardous air pollutants in Louisville (InsideClimate News)

COP27: Fearing liability, US resists UN fund for climate damages (E&E $), why COP27 needs a bigger circus and more solar panels (Bloomberg $)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Dems urge Biden DOJ to align with climate law activists (E&E $)

DENIAL: Climate change deniers are over attacking the science. Now they attack the solutions. (Grist), climate denial is waning on the right. What’s replacing it might be just as scary (The Guardian), how Facebook and Google fund global misinformation (MIT Technology Review), dozens of academics shun Science Museum over fossil fuel ties (The Guardian), 'miseducation': how fossil fuel lobbyists push climate denialism to kids in US schools (Democracy Now)

PUBLIC OPINION UNDERSTANDING: More Americans than ever understand climate change is real and harmful (HuffPost), to breed or not to breed? (New York Times $), what moves the climate communications needle (Axios)

MENTAL HEALTH: Air pollution can alter our brains in ways that increase mental illness risk (Environmental Health News), how contaminated water contributes to mental illness (Environmental Health News), feeling anxious about climate change? Experts say you're not alone (Environmental Health News), ​​how to address the looming crisis of climate anxiety (Environmental Health News), seeking solutions: pollution and mental health in western Pennsylvania (Environmental Health News), anxiety and grief comes with climate change (NPR)

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?: Texas plans to become the Bitcoin capital, vulnerable power grid and all (Bloomberg $), Texas grid vulnerable to blackouts during severe winter weather, even with new preparations, ERCOT estimates show (Texas Tribune, Reuters)

OH, CANADA: Canada’s tar sands: destruction so vast and deep it challenges the existence of land and people (InsideClimate News), Canadian police raid Wet’suwet’en pipeline blockade, arrest 15 land defenders (Democracy Now), from fire to floods, climate change hits Canada's fragile supply chain (Reuters)

• BC FLOODING: Vancouver is marooned by flooding and besieged again by climate change (New York Times $), Canada flood shows how climate change could fuel atmospheric river storms (Reuters), flood-hit Canadian province limits fuel, non-essential travel (Reuters)

OVERLAPPING PROBLEMS: Extreme weather, low hydro and fuel shortages could threaten grid in multiple regions this winter: NERC (Utility Dive)

INSURRECTION: Leaked texts: Jan. 6 organizers say they were ‘following POTUS’ lead’ (Rolling Stone)

EPA: EPA mileage report highlights need for EVs to meet Biden’s goals (Bloomberg $)

DOE: DOE: Federal role in grid expansion more 'carrot' than 'stick' (E&E $)

DOI: At Alcatraz Island, Haaland highlights Indigenous progress (AP), Interior Secretarial Order declares 'squaw' a derogatory term, announces process to remove term from federal usage (Cherokee One Feather, HuffPost, Colorado Politics, The Hill, NPR, CNBC, Axios, Reuters, E&E News), NPS finally has a director — with many promises to fulfill (E&E News), Trump official who was ex-nra lobbyist repeatedly broke ethics pledge: watchdog (HuffPost)

THE HILL: Rep. Ilhan Omar claps back at GOP white woman who called her a ‘Jihad Squad member’ (NewsOne),  Biden faces tougher sell to Manchin as coal hits 12-year high (Bloomberg $), what is the US Senate's 'budget reconciliation' process? (Reuters, explainer), Democrats plow ahead as Manchin yo-yos (The Hill)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden administration aims to close gaps among lawmakers for reconciliation bill (Wall Street Journal $), Kamala Harris is the first woman to officially be acting US president (The 19th* News, The Root, Atlanta Black Star) 

FED (CHAIR): Fed programs have kept finance flowing to fossil fuels (Wall Street Journal $), Biden nears endgame on Fed chair decision (Wall Street Journal $), Senators weigh in on potential Fed chair candidates as Biden nears pick (Reuters), two democratic senators oppose Powell as Fed chair (AP, Wall Street Journal $, The Hill)

BUILD BACK BETTER ACT: US climate pledge faces test in Senate with global impact (AP), what the Build Back Better Act means for agriculture (Modern Farmer), what’s in the $2.2 trillion social policy and climate bill (New York Times $, Bloomberg $, Wall Street Journal $), what’s inside Biden’s $2T social and climate measure (AP), with back channels to Manchin and sinema, pelosi found a path to a deal (New York Times $) 

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT: One historic Black neighborhood’s stake in the infrastructure bill (New York Times $), Biden administration signals its infrastructure priorities with $1 billion in transportation grants (Wall Street Journal $), a quarter of US roads could be regularly flooded in 30 years (Gizmodo)

POLITICS: Biden's conundrum: high energy prices are unpopular but could aid climate agenda (Houston Chronicle), behind the GOP plan to blame climate action for rising prices (E&E News), Biden’s oil price approach is working and he hasn’t even acted (Bloomberg $), energy prices are squeezing Biden. now there's a grid warning (E&E $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: 'Professor or comrade': GOP attacks finance nominee's past (E&E News, Wall Street Journal $), Senate confirms Charles Sams to lead National Park Service (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Ohio Republicans ignore opportunity to ‘restore voters’ faith Democratic process’ in passing highly partisan congressional maps (NewsOne), University of Michigan comes to Detroit’s east side with inaugural ‘Sustainability Clinic’ (Energy News Network), hese Americans are just going around in circles. It helps the climate. (New York Times $)

FERC: FERC investigates possible market manipulation during Winter Storm Uri (Utility Dive), FERC meeting: pipelines, blackouts and ‘fearmongering’ (E&E News), FERC commissioners pledge to act on Spire pipeline before temporary permit expires (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: The plague is more likely now thanks to climate change (Gizmodo), the link between climate change and terrorism (Yale Climate Connections), study: warmer summers worsen tick infestations for US moose (AP)

DROUGHT: Climate change is making it harder to provide clean drinking water in farm country (NPR)

WILDFIRE (FIGHTER)S: Jason Schroeder battled wildfires for 20 years. Can he finally quit? (Wall Street Journal $), the last wildfire-fighting camp for incarcerated teens in California (Teen Vogue), California fire threat peaks Sunday as dry winds sweep state (Bloomberg $)

LOST GIANTS: Report: California wildfires killed up to 14,000 giant sequoias in 2 years, nearly 20% of all the Earth’s largest tree (AP, New York Times $, Bloomberg $, NPR)

DEFORESTATION: Amazon deforestation in Brazil hits its worst level in 15 years (NPR, Washington Post $, Wall Street Journal $), sources: Brazil withheld deforestation data ’til COP26’s end (AP)

GEOENGINEERING: Cloud seeding gains steam as west faces worsening droughts (Washington Post $)

THEY'RE BACK: Feral hogs are causing irreversible harm to salt marshes (Gizmodo)

RENEWABLES: For offshore wind energy, bigger is much cheaper (InsideClimate News), is tidal power a reliable form of clean energy? (ABC), YIMBY? Cape Cod welcomes first large US offshore wind farm (E&E News), wind energy giant Vestas hit with cyberattack (E&E $), 'greenflation' a risk for renewable energy, but long-term viability intact (Reuters)

• SATIRICAL MEDIA: Satire tells the real business of solar (Bloomberg $), 2022 predictions from The Sunion, cleantech’s answer to The Onion (Canary Media)

BATTERIES: How are electric vehicle batteries made? (New York Times $)

COBALT: Race to the future: what to know about the frantic quest for cobalt (New York Times $), a power struggle over cobalt rattles the clean energy revolution (New York Times $), how the US lost ground to China in the contest for clean energy (New York Times $), how Hunter Biden’s firm helped secure cobalt for the Chinese (New York Times $)

EFFICIENCY: California has a plan to pay efficiency providers to help prevent blackouts (Canary Media), Virginia campaign wants you to watch this video before putting a space heater — or pancake griddle — at your desk (Energy News Network) 

OIL & GAS: Oil sheen reported near southern California spot where pipeline leaked in October (Washington Post $, AP, CNN, LA Times $), oil falls steeply as COVID bites again (Axios), India's Reliance withdraws plan for oil to chemicals business with Aramco (S&P Global, Wall Street Journal $), Iran, Azerbaijan eye joint development of oil and gas fields in Caspian Sea (S&P Global), The real reason gas prices are so high right now (Gizmodo), thermal videos reveal heavy pollution from the texas oil boom (Truthout),Trans Mountain pipeline outage likely to last another week (S&P Global)

NUKES: Southern Co. to build landmark small nuclear reactor (E&E News)

COAL: India's Jindal plans to start building Botswana coal mine in 2022 (Reuters), Portugal becomes fourth EU country to stop using coal plants (AP)

HYDROGEN: France to work with UAE on renewable and hydrogen projects -minister (Reuters)

GRID: Northeast grid rules could make or break clean energy (E&E $)

EVs: Giving up gas-powered cars was a fringe idea. It's now on its way to reality (NPR), buyer interest in EVs grows as automakers introduce more appealing models (Utility Dive), Ford chief sets ambition to be number one in electric vehicles (FT $), Ford announces plans to increase electric vehicle production to 600K by 2023 (The Hill, CNBC), real men drive electric trucks (The Atlantic), inside the post office's 122-year drive to EV mail delivery (E&E $)

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?: Act swiftly and fairly to ease shift from fossil fuels, say labour experts (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

AVIATION: Rolls-Royce says its electric airplane is world's fastest (The Hill)

AGRICULTURE: Can genetically engineered seeds prevent a climate-driven food crisis? (Yale Climate Connections), Utah farmers try to adapt to drought in a changing climate (AP)

BOOKS: A teenage girl finds an ally on her life journey when 'a snake falls to earth' (NPR)

BUSINESS: Is 24/7 carbon-free energy the best goal? (Canary Media)

CARBON REMOVAL: Exxon’s new Gulf of Mexico leases aren’t what they seem (The Verge)

FINANCE: Trillions in assets may be left stranded as companies address climate change (Wall Street Journal $)

NFTs: Environmental concerns have cast doubt on NFTs—but that’s changing (TIME)

BECAUSE WE FAILED: Pope to young people: we need you to protect environment (AP)

SHIPPING: Global shipping is under pressure to ease pollution after COP26 (Bloomberg $)

INTERNATIONAL: Colombia presidential front-runner would end new oil exploration (Bloomberg $), in UAE, French finance minister warns of climate action cost (AP), prize-winning photos capture the grit and suffering of flood survivors in South Sudan (NPR)

• Administrator Regan, defend Gulf Coast 'sacrifice zones' and stop the LNG export build-out (Houston Chronicle, Roishetta Ozane and John Beard op-ed)
• Feds find true cause of the February blackouts, Texas officials deflect blame (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• Global methane pledge offers reason for cautious optimism (Bloomberg, Editorial Board $)
• The northeast climate pact implodes (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)
• Build Back Better is a 21st century New Deal (The Hill, James Roosevelt, Jr., Henry Scott Wallace, June Hopkins, and Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall op-ed)
• What disarray? Democrats are getting stuff done (Bloomberg, Jonathan Bernstein op-ed $)
• Gas exporters cry 'cancel culture' in a farcical climate change low (NBC, Michael E. Mann)
• Climate change is inevitable. Here's how we must adapt (TIME, Parag Khanna op-ed)
• COP26 Is Over. When will Congress do its part and stop subsidizing extinction? (Truthout, Andrew Bogrand op-ed)
• ‘Squaw’ is an ugly stain on Idaho maps. We now have an opportunity to get rid of it  (Austin-American Statesman, Editorial)
• The race to train a new cohort of electric vehicle mechanics (FT, Andy Palmer op-ed $)
• On electric cars, president Biden should meet Mexico and Canada halfway (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• Tamir Rice and Marissa Alexander deserved the Rittenhouse treatment (The Hill, Shannon Prince op-ed)

The Denier Roundup will return after Thanksgiving. 

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