🚨🚨🚨 PRESS BRIEFING 🚨🚨🚨

Climate Nexus and E3G are hosting a joint briefing to discuss Europe’s energy crisis and the limits of North American gas as a solution in the short and the long-term. TODAY at 11:00 am EST. 

Biden To Ban Russian Oil Imports. President Biden has decided to ban Russian oil imports into the U.S., multiple outlets reported this morning. Russian oil accounted for about 3% of crude oil imported into the U.S. last year. Pressure for such a move has been mounting in Congress. Banning Russian oil imports is expected to further increase prices, and U.S. producers are expected to reap the profits of higher margins instead of increasing extraction which would bring down prices. (Bloomberg $, AP, CNN, New York Times $)

Biden Administration Announces Plans to Reduce Truck Pollution: The EPA announced proposed limits on tailpipe emissions from semis, buses, and other heavy duty vehicles on Monday, which it says will prevent as many as 2,100 premature deaths and 18,000 cases of childhood asthma every year. The proposed regulations would require a 90% reduction in smog-forming and respiratory problem-inducing nitrogen oxide pollution from new trucks by 2031. EPA would also slightly strengthen greenhouse gas pollution limits from some heavy-duty vehicles, including school and transit buses and commercial delivery trucks. Despite making up a relatively small number of vehicles, heavy duty vehicles produce not only a significant amount of pollution, but that pollution disproportionately harms historically excluded communities due to a myriad of inequalities, including racist siting of highways and industrial facilities. “Seventy-two million people are estimated to live near truck freight routes in America, and they are more likely to be people of color and those with lower incomes,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. In addition to the proposed safeguards, Vice President Harris released plans Monday to invest in cleaner transportation alternatives, including $7 billion for electric buses and another $10 billion to replace diesel buses with “cleaner,” though not necessarily electric, options. (EPA proposal: Washington Post $, AP, The Verge, The Hill, New York Times $, Axios, Wall Street Journal $, E&E News, Politico Pro $; School buses: Gizmodo)

EU Plans To Reduce Energy Dependence On Russia: The European Union will "phase out" its dependence on Russian methane gas, oil, and coal imports in a plan to be unveiled today  to insulate against energy and geopolitical insecurity. The proposal could see Russian import needs cut by almost 80% this year. The plan seeks to increase methane gas imports from other countries, while accelerating the expansion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar energy, as well as improved energy efficiency. “Hindsight is a great thing, but we should have all taken climate, renewable energy policies and energy efficiency much, much more seriously than we did,” Peter Vis, senior adviser at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs in Brussels and a former top official at the EU Commission, told Bloomberg. The U.S., the world's largest LNG exporter, cannot significantly increase gas exports without building new terminals (a complicated, expensive, and multi-year process) and U.S. producers are expected to keep extraction at current levels to reap the profits brought by skyrocketing prices. (EU plans: Reuters, Bloomberg $, Reuters, Politico EU, Energy Monitor, Wall Street Journal $; Need for more renewables: Bloomberg $; U.S. drilling: E&E News)

Florida Wildfires Fueled By Dry Forests Killed By Hurricane Michael: Multiple wildfires are blazing across the Florida Panhandle, burning thousands of acres, forcing evacuations, and incinerating homes. The largest, the Bertha Swamp Road Fire, has burned more than 14,000 acres. Climate change is increasing the size, frequency, and intensity of wildfires overall, and the Bertha Swamp Road fire is voraciously consuming dry vegetation as it burns through forests devastated by Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm — fueled by exceptionally warm water before making landfall — that hammered the Panhandle in 2018 with the strongest winds on record. (CNN, USA Today, AP, New York Times $, Weather.com, NBC; Climate Signals background: Wildfires, Hurricane Michael)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Former Gov. Snyder doesn't want to testify in Flint trial, plans to plead the Fifth (Detroit Free Press, Michigan Radio, Michigan Live, AP)

WAR IN EUROPE: How oil giants’ bets on Russia, years in the making, crumbled in days (Wall Street Journal $), Russia says it may cut gas supplies if oil ban goes ahead (BBC)

• US POLITICS: Climate hawks join the debate on Ukraine (New York Times $), Ukraine crisis scrambles congressional energy politics (E&E News), Amid war, Biden reluctant to unleash clean energy rhetoric (E&E News)
• FOSSIL VULNERABILITIES: Hackers targeted US LNG producers in run-up to Ukraine war (Bloomberg $)
• RUSSIAN OIL BAN: Calls for US to ban Russian oil gain momentum despite inflation concerns (Washington Post $, WBUR, New York Times $), Biden warms to a Russian oil ban. Congress may not give him a choice. (Politico, E&E News, Politico Pro $), Enviros press Biden admin to stop Russian fuel imports (E&E $), Global energy market rattled by threat of potential ban on Russian oil imports (WBUR, Bloomberg $), Replacing Russian gas in Europe will require state planning (Wall Street Journal $), US oil industry prepares to boost production — but with a giant warning (Politico Pro $), What would a US ban on Russian oil mean for the world? (Reuters)
• DOUBLING DOWN ON FOSSILS: Biden advisers weigh Saudi Arabia trip for more oil (Axios), Kerry: Industry needs 'a seat at the table' on climate (E&E $)
• EUROPE: Can the UK wean itself off Russian energy? (Politico Pro $), Europeans throw cold water on possibility of Russian energy ban (Axios), Brussels will look at altering EU electricity markets (Politico Pro $)
  • GERMANY: Germany says it won't stop buying Russian energy despite Moscow’s war in Ukraine (Wall Street Journal $, Politico EU, Politico Pro $)
  • UK: Don’t let high energy prices derail UK green agenda, say climate experts (The Guardian), Johnson hints UK oil and gas output must rise to cut dependence on Russia (The Guardian)
• WELL-WORN SNOOZE BUTTON: Europe energy crisis a 'big wake up call' -TotalEnergies CEO (Reuters)
• OBVIOUSLY THE PLAN ALL ALONG: Shell grabs discount for Russian oil, says it's donating profits to Ukraine (Gizmodo, BBC)
• WHITE SUPREMACY: Civil rights lawyers Ben Crump and Jasmine Rand lead an international coalition of attorneys to call on un to condemn discrimination against Africans in Ukraine (Atlanta Black Star)

CERAWEEK: Oil CEOs, Biden officials warn oil volatility is here to stay (Wall Street Journal $), As oil prices soar, energy execs want security, alternatives to Russia (Reuters), CERAWeek host explains how Ukraine, pandemic and climate collide in critical moment for energy sector (Houston Chronicle), What to watch with DOE, oil, clean energy (E&E News), CERAWeek Ukraine crisis is a 'defining moment' for the century, US climate czar Kerry says (Reuters), Industry gathering faces upended energy world (Axios)

WEST VIRGINIA v. EPA: Supreme Court hears case on EPA GHGs regulation (Yale Climate Connections)

AMAZON IN TROUBLE: Amazon is less able to recover from droughts and logging, study finds (New York Times $, The Guardian, Axios, Bloomberg $, Inside Climate News, Washington Post $, Thomson Reuters Foundation)

AGENCIES: NRC seeks public comment on nuclear plant decommissioning rule (Utility Dive), Inside FDA’s ‘forever chemicals’ catastrophe (E&E News)

EPA: EPA chief tours sewage problems in Alabama’s Black Belt (AP), Is EPA putting interests of chemical companies ahead of your health? These experts think so (USA Today)

DOE: The head of the Energy Department loans office is a key player in Biden's climate agenda (Washington Post $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Wall Street regulator [SEC] to propose climate risk rule as early as next Wednesday -sources (Reuters)

WHITE HOUSE: ‘Buy American’ rule could pave way for minerals purchases (E&E News), Biden administration seeks to promote unions, underrepresented workers in infrastructure spending (Wall Street Journal $)

SOCIAL COST OF CO₂, CH₄, NO₂: Red states move to keep Biden climate metric sidelined (E&E $)

THE HILL: Democrats see fresh hope for Biden's stalled agenda, eyeing Manchin's vote (NBC), Democrats to take first step toward reviving party-line domestic agenda (Politico Pro $), 3 things to watch as omnibus talks head for the finish line (E&E News, Politico Pro $)

HOUSE: House panel to pitch EVs as fix to foreign oil volatility (E&E $), Lawmakers to examine co-managing public lands with tribes (E&E $), NOAA chief to testify on resilience after grim report (E&E $)

SENATE: Sen. Merkley: US should lead the world in ending dependence on Russian oil (MSNBC), Deal with Manchin would reshape Dems’ fight to keep majority (Politico)

POLITICS: Green counterpunch on drilling push (Axios), Activists say now is the time for President Biden, Congress to pass reparations bill (The Grio)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Committee sets vote on DOE, historic preservation picks (E&E $)

TRIBES: Navajo energy company invests in carbon capture effort (AP)

CITIES AND STATES: Climate change is like war, California’s Jerry Brown says (AP), In a first, California plans to clean up microplastics (New York Times $)

IMPACTS: Global warming could increase risk of extreme temperature deaths (Axios), Public health experts often missing from climate planning (E&E $), Spring is starting sooner and growing warmer, analysis shows (Yale Environment 360)

DROUGHT: Drought, water cutbacks take financial toll on Central Valley farmers: ‘It’s getting worse’ (Fresno Bee), Why drastic water reductions may loom for northern Utah (Deseret News)

WILDFIRES: One person found dead Sunday after Kansas wildfire (AP), Increasing wildfire danger in SC leads to Red Flag alert (AP)

FLOODING: The science behind Australia’s east coast floods (The Guardian), In photos: 60,000 under evacuation orders in Sydney as floods lash Australia (Axios)

HEALTH: Pollution and our mental health (Environmental Health News)

IMPACTS' IMPACTS: Climate migration is part of our future. Is it a problem or a solution? (Grist)

OCEANS: Deep-sea mining could begin next year. Here's why ocean experts are calling for a moratorium. (Grist)

RENEWABLES: Environmental groups are united in California rooftop solar fight, with one notable exception (Inside Climate News), Galp Energia chief says Europe's fuel crisis risks progress on renewables (Reuters), Saudi energy ministry awards two renewable energy projects with total capacity of 1000 MW (Reuters)

BATTERIES: Startup company works to develop elusive solid-state battery technology (Yale Climate Connections)

BUILDINGS: As energy prices soar, weatherizing homes gains new appeal (Bloomberg $), Wanted: A cooling invention that won't warm the world (E&E $), Goldman Sachs and Shell bet $75M that chain stores can boost grid resiliency (Canary Media), 'Smart' tape cools buildings without electricity — study (E&E $)

OIL & GAS: Shareholders asked oil and gas giant Chevron to cut emissions. Now some want the chairman ousted. (Washington Post $), The massive disconnect between big oil’s words and actions, in data (Grist)

PIPELINES: DNR files $2.2M bill for policing during Enbridge Line 3 construction (Star-Tribune $)

NUKES: Understanding the promise and peril of fusion power: chimera or climate panacea? (Yale Climate Connections)

HYDROGEN: Fierce competition' as states vie to host US hydrogen hub (E&E $)

UTILITIES: Food or power: Energy bill [and] late fees force tough choices (AP)

(ALLEGED) UTILITY CORRUPTION: Ohio regulatory judge steps back from FirstEnergy’s HB 6 cases after subpoenaed records reveal his role (Energy News Network)

GRID: Golf course transmission reroute case could upend decades of precedent, Texas regulators say (Utility Dive)

EVs: Tesla is a complete climate embarrassment, a new report shows (Protocol), Carmakers race to control next-generation battery technology (New York Times $), GM Canada makes C$500M bet on new Quebec EV battery facility (Politico Pro $), Insuring an EV? make sure to consider these factors (Wall Street Journal $)

ACTIVISM: TikTok creators join campaign to rally climate voters (E&E $)

AVIATION: Electric planes could soon take off, but they may not go far (Wall Street Journal $)

AGRICULTURE: Asian farmers turn to drones, apps for labour, climate challenges (Reuters), US beef industry emerges from Biden’s climate pledges ‘relatively unscathed’ (The Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL: The tiger widows of India conserving the mangrove forest where their husbands died (Atmos), Coal India chairman wants its operations to be net zero in 3-4 years (Reuters), India's first social plan for closed coal hubs aims for 'honourable' lives (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

• Ecofeminism explores the relationship between women and nature (Teen Vogue, Leah Thomas op-ed)
• California is failing to prepare for droughts (Oroville Mercury-Register, Editorial Board)
• Our climate solutions are failing - and Big Oil’s fingerprints are all over them (The Guardian, Amy Westervelt op-ed)
• Renewable energy best way to fight Putin (Portland Press-Herald, Greg Kesich column)
• Plastics are polluting our bodies, but we keep using more of them (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• Short-cutting Texas LNG to Asia – Mexico is the key (Forbes, Emily Pickrell op-ed)
• How to keep the rising tide of fake news from drowning our democracy (New York Times, Richard Hasen op-ed $)
• Supplier-consolidated billing: A tool for innovation and accountability in retail energy markets (Utility Dive, Travis Kavulla op-ed)
• Biden’s bizarre oil diplomacy (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)

David Legates Defended Jordan Peterson’s Exxon & Koch Climate Denial At Exxon&Koch Funded Blogs

Yesterday’s discussion of the oil, plastics, and tobacco advertisements in Politico showed how the PR industry is consistently helping companies pretend to be the answer to the public harms caused by their products. 

What’s interesting, though, is that while the companies themselves are burnishing their reputations by co-opting their opposition’s messaging in mainstream, the hired hands the industry funds through front groups have started pointing that out, too, as they keep up the traditional climate denial charade in defense of fossil fuels and their influence-buying. 

For example, over at the Koch-funded RealClearEnergy, Greg Wrightstone of the dirty energy front group CO2 Coalition takes issue with Exxon, API and an energy CEO’s “pandering” by “pretending that there is a need for a solution to a climate emergency that does not exist.” 

Wrightstone makes no secret of his reliance on dirty energy propaganda, concluding with a quote from the American Coal Council about how “there is no greater purpose than ours.” 

Yes, what could possibly be more important than destroying the planet’s ability to sustain human civilization? 

We don’t have an answer to that one, but if you’ll forgive us for dredging something up from all of a month ago, there’s another interesting piece at the Koch-sponsored RealClearEnergy, which implicitly defends Koch and ExxonMobil sponsored science. David Legates, Delaware climate scientist who briefly joined the violent, racist, and anti-science Trump administration late in 2020 to try and inject climate disinfo into the government, only to fail spectacularly and get demoted for it, rose to the defense of Jordan Peterson’s “there is no climate” faceplant.

Legates, whose byline notes he’s a “research fellow at the Independent Institute,” an organization with a history of ExxonMobil and Koch funding that reposted this column, defends Peterson’s “relaying truthful information raised by numerous leading climate scientists who disagree with the supposed scientific consensus.” 

That “truthful information?” Not truthful, so really more disinformation than anything. Specifically, Legates defends Peterson from criticism that he fundamentally doesn’t understand how weather or climate models work. Climate models get more accurate over time, not less as Peterson/Legates want you to think, because they’re entirely different from weather models. 

One climate scientist we spoke to explained that climate models are "boundary value questions" looking at averages across a system, while weather models are "initial condition" questions predicting specific outcomes based on existing circumstances. Using a dice toss as an example, weather models would struggle to forecast which number will come up, at least until the die are about to stop moving, just like weather is hard to predict more than a couple days out. 

But a climate model would tell you that over lots of rolls, you're never going to get lower than a one or higher than a six, with an average around 3.5 And if you add a 1 to every roll, to simulate the climate heating up, you'd always get between 2 and 7, with an average of 4.5, but still no closer to being able to forecast any specific roll. Turns out the actually “truthful information” is not actually that hard to understand, even for non- ”leading climate scientists.”  

And just who are these leaders? Well Legates himself, of course, and as “Peterseon cited the esteemed and late S. Fred Singer,” whose book Legates co-authored before Singer’s death in 2020, at the age of 95. Suffice to say Singer doesn’t exactly have his finger on the pulse of the current state of climate science, given that Singer himself doesn’t even have a pulse. 

And that’s about the nicest thing you can say about Singer’s engagement with science from any point after the 1990s, when Singer started renting his scientific credibility out to the tobacco industry as one of their star scientists, in addition to his central role as one of the fossil fuel industry’s “merchants of doubt.” In that sense, Singer was certainly a leader!

Legates doesn’t bother actually defending the science, and instead merely pivots to attacking the messengers pointing out that “the science Peterson espoused was funded by ExxonMobil, Charles Koch, and other nefarious oil and gas interests” which he calls “lies that are repeatedly told” before immediately trying to distract readers by pointing out that environmental activists get funding too. 

But environmental activists don’t get funding from industries polluting the planet, to help cover up that pollution, so it’s not really an apt comparison. Legates knows it, and before readers have a chance to wonder if Exxon or Koch funding would negatively influence or bias a scientist, quickly concludes that “climate science is no longer about the science, as it is practiced by many so-called climate scientists who know little about the Earth’s climate but who have an agenda to advance.” 

If we didn’t know any better when reading a line about so-called scientists advancing a political agenda, we’d think Trump-admin-alum Legates was talking about himself!

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