FIRST LOOK

Biden Admin Warns USPS Against Proceeding With Gas-Powered Fleet: The White House and EPA both called on the U.S. Postal Service to reconsider its decision to purchase gasoline powered vehicles for its new fleet on Wednesday. The USPS plan to spend $11.3 billion on as many as 165,000 new delivery vehicles over the next decade (just 10% of which would be electric) threatens to undermine President Biden's directive to electrify the federal fleet and is, according to EPA's sharply worded letter, "underestimates greenhouse gas emissions, fails to consider more environmentally protective feasible alternatives and inadequately considers impacts on communities with environmental justice concerns." White House CEQ chair Brenda Mallory also expressed "grave concerns'' about the plans and warned Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee and ally, the USPS could face legal challenges if its decisions are not "grounded on sound legal footing." The administration's pushback follows, but was unrelated to, a report by online car insurance broker AutoinsuranceEZ finding that, per 100,000 vehicles, gasoline-powered vehicles caught fire 61 times more often than EVs in 2020. (USPS: Washington Post $, AP, Reuters, Politico Pro $, The Hill, CNBC, New York Times $; ICE car fires: E&E $, Jalopnik, Popular Science, Kelly Blue Book, CNBC)

Greenpeace, Investment Firms Unite In Opposition To Calling Gas, Nuclear 'Green': The European Commission, the EU's independent executive arm, announced its proposal Wednesday to classify some nuclear and gas-fired power plants as climate-friendly investments. The blowback was harsh, wide-ranging, and swift. Regulators described some gas and nuclear plants as "transitional activities" in the EU Taxonomy which lays out guidelines for sustainable investing. The head of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, which represents BlackRock and VanGuard among others, criticized the proposal for "seriously compromis[ing] Europe’s status as a global leader in sustainable finance." A statement different only in tone from Greenpeace's denunciation of the “anti-science plan” that “represents the biggest greenwashing exercise of all time.” Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands all urged the EU not to label gas energy projects as sustainable investments. (EC Proposal: Reuters, Washington Post $, AP, BBC, FT $, The Guardian, Bloomberg $, New York Times $, CNN, Wall Street Journal $, Climate Home, The Verge, Wall Street Journal $; Countries opposed: Reuters; EU Taxonomy: Reuters explainer)

Grid Operator Can’t Keep Up With Growth Of Solar Projects: The largest electrical grid operator in the U.S. is seeking to block all new connections into its multistate transmission network, most of them new solar projects, while it works through its 1,200-project backlog, Inside Climate News reports. PJM Interconnection's proposal, released late last month, is driven by the economic competitiveness of solar energy and the ensuing rapid increase in the number of new solar energy installations seeking to connect to the grid. The pause would force developers into a financial bind, derail city and state sustainability plans, and throw a wrench in the gears of the Biden administration's goal of powering the U.S. grid with 80% renewable energy by 2030. (Inside Climate News)

BLACK CLIMATE LEADERS: Summer Dean on being a climate diva (Atmos)

LOSS AND DAMAGE: US digs in against paying climate compensation (E&E $)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Should big oil pick up the climate change bill? (NPR)

FOSSIL VOLATILITY: How spiking energy prices complicate the fight against global warming (New York Times $), Russia warns of power price spike if energy transition is hasty (Reuters)

BECAUSE IT IS HUGE AND COMING APART: Giant iceberg blocks scientists’ study of ‘Doomsday Glacier’ (AP)

WINTER STORM: 109 million under winter weather alerts as US faces "massive" storm (Axios), Heavy snow and ice storm plastering Midwest, mid-south: ‘travel could be impossible’ (Washington Post $)

• TEXAS: A winter storm is heading to Texas. Here’s what that means for the power grid. (Texas Tribune, Canary Media, Bloomberg $), Huge winter storm has Texas Gov. Abbott singing a different tune about power outages (Gizmodo, Washington Post $, E&E $), Texas' gas regulator says 98% of facilities are winterized, but inspectors say the data is flawed (Houston Chronicle)

POP CULTURE: ‘The Shaman’s Apprentice’ is an antidote to ‘Don't Look Up’ (Grist)

SCOTUS: Should [credibly accused sexual predator and perjurer] Kavanaugh bow out of blockbuster SCOTUS climate case? (E&E News), Breyer ruling set stage for NEPA climate fights (E&E News)

EPA: Enviros prep lawsuit to prod EPA on air pollution review (E&E $)

DOE: BLM names employee advisory group on HQ move back to D.C. (E&E News)

DOI: Court's invalidation of offshore drilling sale ratchets up the pressure on Interior (The Hill), FWS proposes habitat for rare flower in path of lithium mine (E&E News)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Janet Yellen says higher bank capital rules for climate risk are ‘premature’ (Bloomberg $)

LAWSUITS: Lawsuit challenges Interior approval of Vineyard Wind (E&E $)

THE HILL: Top Republicans request probe of Granholm stock sales (E&E $)

HOUSE: House sets vote on climate, energy amendments (E&E News)

SENATE: New England senators ask Biden admin to study economic impacts of offshore wind plans (The Hill), New England Democrats ask Energy Department to restrict natural gas exports to ease prices (Washington Examiner), New Mexico Dem. Ben Ray Luján suffers stroke, rattling Senate (E&E $), Sen. Whitehouse urges action on climate change ending a one-year hiatus on Senate speeches (The Providence Journal), Senate Dems: More wilderness study areas would boost 30x30 (E&E $)

• HECKUVA BUSINESS MODEL: How Manchin used politics to protect his coal company (E&E News)

POLITICS: Americans' satisfaction with energy policy is at its lowest in two decades. Blame gas[oline] prices (CNN)

ELECTIONS: [LCV] releases first slate of Senate endorsements (E&E $, Washington Post $), Donna Edwards touts green record in return bid to Congress (E&E $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Sarah Bloom Raskin faces Senate questions over climate views (Wall Street Journal $)

CITIES AND STATES AND DISENFRANCHISED TERRITORIES: Biden administration bets on renewable energy to revamp Puerto Rico's electric system (NBC, Reuters, AP), Meet the 17 Philadelphians on the city’s new Environmental Justice Advisory Commission (WHYY), Organizers in Appalachia are building a Green New Deal blueprint for themselves (Truthout), Freeport considers fossil fuel divestment following 2021 Maine legislation (Portland Press Herald), New York environmental justice leaders propose new definition for ‘disadvantaged communities’ (Grist), With regional transportation pact in doubt, Vermont considers other policies (Energy News Network)

• LOUISIANA: Louisiana’s first climate plan calls for 100% clean power (E&E News, The Hill)

IMPACTS: Extreme heat driven by climate change is ‘new normal’ for oceans, study finds (CNBC, San Francisco Chronicle, The Hill, The Hill, New Scientist), Spring arrives in U.K. a month earlier than it did in 1980s (E&E News, The Guardian), Nineteenth-century wisdom helps a grandmother find hope (Yale Climate Connections)

WINTER STORMS: What does climate change have to do with snowstorms? (The Conversation)

FLOODING: Climate-driven flood costs will impact people of color to a greater extent, according to new study (The Root, Marketplace), Fannie Mae: require flood-risk disclosure in all home sales (E&E $)

EERIE IS ONE WORD YOU COULD USE: Eerie ‘blood snow’ is likely synced up with climate change, scientists say (Vice)

OLYMPICS: Winter sports feeling the heat of warming atmosphere (Yale Climate Connections)

DROUGHT: Snow shuts off in West as drought recovery hopes dim (Washington Post $), Dry January means less water than normal in California snow (AP, CNBC, Bloomberg $)

HURRICANES: Prepping for "Category 6" hurricanes, using a new wind tunnel (Axios)

SECOND ORDER IMPACTS: Google parent company adds air quality and power shutoffs from wildfires to risk factors (CNBC), The rise of greenflation (The Atlantic)

SOLUTIONS: Infographic: How wetlands can help fight climate change (Al Jazeera)

DEFORESTATION: The great Amazon land grab – how Brazil’s government is turning public land private, clearing the way for deforestation (The Conversation)

RIO TINTO: Racist mining company reports it is very sexist, and also racist (Gizmodo)

RENEWABLES: Lithuania pledges 40 million Euros to fund rooftop solar boom (Reuters), Orsted expects pickup in wind speeds to lift earnings (Reuters)

STORAGE: Startup Energy Vault reaches deal to develop gravity storage tech in China (Axios)

LNG: US holds world’s top LNG exporter spot on European energy crisis (Bloomberg $), Europe remains top destination for U.S. LNG for second month running (Reuters)

NUKES: A White House push to help Wyoming town go nuclear is cautiously embraced (NPR), Could small nuclear reactors help protect the climate? (Yale Climate Connections), This new company is betting big on nuclear power in America (Wall Street Journal $)

OIL & GAS: OPEC+ agrees on March output rise amid oil price rally, defying pressure from US, India (CNBC), Big Oil groups regain swagger with largest profits in years (FT $), Oil bankruptcies plunged in 2021 with pandemic recovery (Houston Chronicle), Orsted gas assets offset slow winds and energy crisis (FT $), Shell’s profit jumps, riding higher prices for oil and natural gas. (New York Times $)

COAL: IMF staff cut critical coal language from Japan statement -document (Reuters)

CRYPTO & NFTS: Coal country may soon become crypto country (Fortune), WWF-UK faces backlash over plan to sell NFTs to fund conservation work (Climate Home)

HYDROGEN: Constellation’s CEO sees hydrogen as key in push to cut carbon (Bloomberg $), Danish energy fund to lead massive green hydrogen project in Spain, powered by wind and solar (CNBC)

UTILITIES: PG&E certified as safe, but activists decry 'license to burn' (E&E $), TVA chief defends renewables, climate record (E&E $)

EVs: A roadway will charge your EV while you're driving (Axios), Biden's race to convert Trump voters to EVs (Bloomberg $), EV charging ports will soon outnumber gas stations in the US, yet it won’t be enough (Electrek), EV charging stations get bigger and brighter (Wall Street Journal $), EV startups are wilting in harsh light of public eye (Bloomberg $), GM keeps installing EV chargers at its sites even as workers stay remote (Detroit Free Press), Readers sound off on the difficulties condo associations face accommodating residents with electric vehicles (Washington Post $), Taking stock of the global electric vehicle race (Axios), Aston Martin to phase out combustion engine-only cars by 2026 (FT $)

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?: Dirty energy pays more than clean energy. That’s a problem. (Vox)

ACTIVISM: Why protesting at politicians’ homes may help undo climate change (KCRW)

ART: Apocalypse when? Global warming’s endless scroll (New York Times $)

AGRICULTURE: Cutting animal agriculture buys time to get off fossil fuels: study (The Hill)

BOOKS: Paleontologists study the past. This one has a warning for the future. (Vox, Thomas Halliday interview)

CARBON REMOVAL: Bill Gates invests in carbon capture startup after tech breakthrough (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: ‘It’s greenwashing’: Climate Action 100+ members let standards slip (FT $), Brookfield sees midstream opportunities as investors embrace ESG (Bloomberg $)

IN MEMORIAM: Art Cooley, Environmental Defense Fund co-founder, dies (E&E News)

WILDLIFE: Scotland hopes to save wild salmon by planting millions of trees next to rivers (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: Green opportunities missed in UK levelling up strategy, say experts (The Guardian), India wants to become a solar powerhouse without China’s help (Bloomberg $), India's forest-planting push leaves indigenous women out in the cold (Thomson Reuters Foundation), Slide show which convinced Johnson climate crisis is real in 2019 ‘show PM lacked basic knowledge when elected’ (The Independent), Young consumers more environment-minded in China, India than in rich countries (Bloomberg $)

• Tackling methane leaks is a climate win — but lets polluters off the hook (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• Biden must end this ruinous solar power trade war with China (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• Why I’ve decided to take my podcast off Spotify (New York Times, Roxane Gay op-ed $)
• Nuclear power is more important than ever (Bloomberg, Bloomberg Editorial Board $)
• Climate change beats Big Oil and Biden in court (The Hill, Deborah Brosnan op-ed)
• For national security, climate finance must be made 'conflict-proof' (The Hill, Elsa Barron and Erin Sikorsky op-ed)
• Community solar bill would offer energy justice to Appalachian Ohio: Jessica Berger (Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Jessica Berger op-ed)
• States are advancing Biden’s stalled Build Back Better climate agenda (Energy Monitor, Justin Gerdes op-ed)
• As snowpack shrinks, will Gov. Newsom finally show leadership? (Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards)
• Shedding light on Puerto Rico's electricity crisis (Newsweek, Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Russel Honoré op-ed)
• We cannot let GOP partisanship derail infrastructure investments (The Hill, Sadek Wahba op-ed)

Joe Manchin is in Politics to Protect Joe Manchin’s Coal Business, Poisoning West Virginians While Raising Their Power Bills

In an ideal world, Joe Manchin’s decades-long dedication to preventing meaningful climate action would be driven by nothing more than service to the people of his state, West Virginia, and its reliance on coal. 

Safe to say though, this is not an ideal world. And as Scott Waldman meticulously details in a new investigation into Manchin’s political history, Manchin has time and again made political decisions that strictly benefit his own coal ash business, at the literal expense of West Virginians, who are left paying an additional hundred million dollars for power from a plant that pollutes their air and water. 

The examples are as numerous as they are damning, making it impossible to imagine Manchin will now suddenly start negotiating on Build Back Better with any sort of intention of passing meaningful climate policy. An impossibility even more clear after he declared the bill "dead" on Tuesday.

For example, one of Manchin’s last moves as governor of West Virginia was to push for the state’s clean energy bill to include waste coal (one of the most carbon-intensive fuels in the U.S.) as “alternative energy,” putting it on par with wind and solar. As a result, Manchin’s company could sell that waste, and Manchin would then pocket millions of dollars from his company selling waste coal to power plants. 

There’s just one power plant left burning the waste coal Manchin’s Enersystems Inc collects and sells, and Manchin made multiple moves to keep that Grant Town plant running, despite the fact that doing so required the utility company to jack up the prices for ratepayers- the people Manchin pretends to be protecting when opposing climate policy. 

Back in 1995, Waldman reports, was “the first recorded incident of Manchin using his political position to treat the plant favorably,” when he “backed a measure that would give tax breaks to power plants in West Virginia that burned waste coal.” 

In 2006, as governor, Manchin’s appointee approved a rate hike to keep the Grant Town plant open by charging the state’s customers higher rates. “Those changes still reverberate today,” Waldman reports, as the state’s “loyalty for coal” is a factor in the state having “some of the highest electricity rate increases in the nation.” 

Rates in the state have risen five times the national average, while others around it have instead fallen–in no small part because no politicians who make money off of burning dirty coal waste have propped up un-economical coal plants.

Later, when the Obama administration moved to regulate toxic coal ash, it likely would have closed the Grant Town plant Manchin also profits from by carting away the even dirtier discarded coal ash than what it trucked in. Naturally, Manchin helped spike the rule, and instead successfully pushed a bill that let states set their own standards, letting West Virginia set looser standards that allowed Manchin’s business to keep making him money, and “importantly, it also blocked an EPA rule finalized in 2015 that permitted states to sue other states with weak coal ash disposal standards.” This meant that now even other states couldn’t sue West Virginia to force it to clean up its coal standards, despite its pollution running into other states. 

Last year, Waldman notes, “Manchin crafted a bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes a provision to increase federal funding for clearing abandoned mine sites of waste coal and other contaminants — the type of work that’s performed by Enersystems. President Biden signed the legislation into law.” 

Manchin negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure bill on the premise that it was half of the Democratic package, with Build Back Better being the other half. As everyone should have expected, Manchin passed the bipartisan package that helped his business, and then found one flimsy excuse after another to avoid passing the BBB bill that would have actually done something to fight climate change (like reduce coal use). 

And now, yet again, Grant Town is, per Waldman, “warning again that it's facing dire financial circumstances,” and oddly, the utility it contracts with seems keen to keep it afloat despite the costs. “Grant Town’s financial struggles,” Waldman reports, “have cost FirstEnergy ratepayers an additional $117 million over the last five years,” and yet the company remains committed to keeping it online. 

Why? Well it turns out that the utility company is “a top campaign contributor to a Manchin-affiliated political action committee,” and is lobbying Manchin on “seperate energy legislation.” Specifically, a bill “that steers money toward abandoned mine land cleanup, the type of work that Manchin’s family company is engaged in” and another that “would boost carbon capture for aging coal plants and allow them to operate longer.” 

Local Democratic lawmaker Nancy Peoples Guthrie told Waldman that “all you need to know about Joe Manchin” is that "everything that he does, everything that he did when he was governor, everything that he has done while he is a senator, is going to advance his best interest and the interest of the people who put money in his pocket, period.” 

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