FIRST LOOK:

The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, and the Water & Tribes Initiative will convene a symposium on the future of the Colorado River Compact on March 17-18. Registration info, including press passes, is here.

Racist Census Undercount Of Historically Excluded Groups A 'Five-Alarm Fire': The 2020 Census drastically undercounted Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans with major ramifications for the crafting and implementation of environmental policy, as well as the allocation of funding both ahead of and in response to extreme weather fueled by climate change. Black and Hispanic Americans across all income levels are more likely to live in formerly redlined communities with dangerously polluted air. The data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, generated by a randomized resurvey of selected areas, showed especially alarming increased rates of undercounting for Hispanics (4.99% in 2020, more than triple the 1.54% in 2010) and those who identify as "some other race" (4.34%, up from 1.63%). American Indian and Alaska Natives living on reservations had a net undercount of 5.6%, also higher than in 2010. The Census also undercounted renters, who are especially vulnerable to climate impacts and housing injustice. The official totals, which overcount white and Asian Americans, will result in those groups being over-represented at all levels of government while underrepresented groups will be deprived of their fair share of resources for everything from schools and health centers to playgrounds and childcare centers. Hurricanes and wildfires hindered data collection, and the previous administration actively undermined an accurate count of Hispanic Americans by illegally attempting to add a citizenship question to the survey. “I said from the beginning when the first numbers were released that I smelled smoke," Arturo Vargas, chief executive of the NALEO Educational Fund, a Latino advocacy group, told the Washington Post. "And today we learned that the 2020 Census was a five-alarm fire.” (Washington Post $, The Guardian, New York Times $, Al Jazeera, NPR, AP, Mother Jones, Reuters; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes, Wildfires, Flooding)

Heat Pump Exports Examined To Undermine Putin: The White House is considering ramping up manufacturing of energy-efficient heat pumps to counter Russia's fossil fuel-based leverage over European allies of the U.S., the Washington Post reports. The administration's consideration of the idea comes as more than 200 environmental groups released a public letter calling on the Biden administration to use the Defense Production Act to boost deployment of clean energy and energy efficient technologies. Meanwhile, Reuters reports, an interagency review of ways to increase liquified methane gas exports to Europe has been shelved because it would undermine efforts to address climate change, including the reduction of U.S. fossil fuel extraction and consumption. (Washington Post $, Reuters)

Climate Deniers Face Denial On OKCupid: Denial of and apathy about climate change is the biggest dealbreaker on OKCupid, data from the popular dating app shows. “We kind of joke that caring about climate change is the new tall, dark and handsome,” Jane Reynolds, director of product marketing at OKCupid, told The Hill. More than 81% of 6 million surveyed users over the past six years said they were "concerned" about climate change — higher than other issues including gender equality and gun control — and 90% of 250,000 users in the past year said it was "important" for their match to care about climate change. Women were slightly more likely to care than men, but there were no significant differences across age groups or geography. (The Hill)

ORIGINAL ANALYSIS: All-American oligarchs: the Big Oil CEOs profiting from war in Ukraine (BailoutWatch), US banks and asset managers fueled Russian oil for years. Now they’re silent on Ukraine (BailoutWatch)

THE FED: Raskin’s nomination takes a hit as Manchin backs separate Fed votes (Bloomberg $, Reuters), ‘People are going to get real nervous’: Oil shock upends Fed strategy (Politico Pro $)

SEC: Wall Street regulator to vote on landmark climate risk measure on March 21, following delays -notice (Reuters, E&E News), SEC pushes for tougher cybersecurity disclosure rules (Utility Dive), SEC will consider climate disclosure rules for US companies on March 21 – it’s already facing threats of lawsuits (The Conversation)

THE G DOESN'T STAND FOR GUNS: ESG fund bosses under rising pressure to ax gas as war rages (Bloomberg $), Russia’s attack casts guge shadow over future of ESG (Bloomberg $), ESG funds scolded for investing in Myanmar arms suppliers (Bloomberg $) 

NEVER LET A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS GO TO WASTE: The audacity of oil (Popular Information)

CASH FOR COAL: Peabody gets a $534 million margin call on coal, and Goldman steps in with a 10% loan (Bloomberg $)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: In Dallas, the toxic legacy of zoning lingers (Bloomberg $), Tennessee white man accused of rape gets probation–Black woman in same county got 6 years for registering to vote (NewsOne)

DENIAL, DISINFO, & DELUSION: The infinite reach of Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s man in Washington (Wired), Greenwashing for big oil? There’s an award for that. (Grist), How oil companies rebranded deceptive climate ads as ‘free speech’ (The Guardian), Gas price hikes fueling electric vehicle conspiracy theories (AP)

SACRIFICE ZONES: Millions suffering in deadly pollution ‘sacrifice zones’, warns UN expert (The Guardian, The Independent)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: ‘Defining moment’: how can the US end its dependency on fossil fuels? (The Guardian), This could be the moment to free the US from Russia, Saudi Arabia and all oil barons (LA Times $), Putin is a fossil-fuel gangster. Clean energy could cut him off at the knees (Rolling Stone), Europe's fuel crisis re-energizes debate over natural gas (Reuters), Why record-high gas prices won't be solved by drilling more oil in the US (CNN)

• RUSSIAN OIL: 3 questions answered about Biden’s Russian oil ban (E&E News), Norway's Equinor halts trading Russian oil - CEO (Reuters), Why don’t big oil and Biden agree on oil prices? Look to S&P 500′s top stock for answer (CNBC), Why it's so hard to quit Russian energy (Axios)
• EUROPE/UK: EU leaders tackle escape route from Russian fossil fuels (Reuters), British drivers advised to limit speed to 55mph to battle against Putin (FT $), Von Der Leyen eyes ending EU's Russian energy reliance by 2027 (Bloomberg $), What does banning Russian oil mean for global energy markets? (FT $), European gas rises as Russian supply risk stalks market (Bloomberg $),
• US (POLITICS): The GOP's biggest whoppers about Biden and fossil fuels (HuffPost), Russian invasion scrambles Democrats' agenda (The Hill), The good news on soaring energy prices (Axios), Big Oil, Biden administration spar over blame for pain at the pump (Reuters),
• SUVs 4 EVER: Gas prices soaring after sedans and compact cars disappear (Axios), How high can gas prices go? (Vox), Putin’s war is costly at the gas pump (Indian Country Today), Why gas prices are so high and what Biden can do about it (Axios),
• OH, WELL, IT'S PROBABLY FINE THEN: Russian minister says Belarus restored power to chernobyl site, but IAEA awaits confirmation (Washington Post $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Kerry: wealthy nations to live up to $100B climate change pledge next year (The Hill), UN climate change negotiating bloc rejects Russia, condemning its invasion of Ukraine (Climate Home)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Protected speech or greenwashing? Exxon fights Mass. in court (E&E $)

POPULAR CULTURE: ‘Don’t Look Up’ director on climate crisis (MSNBC)

CERAWEEK: Power generation faces challenge of both transition and climate change (Reuters), Granholm, gas and ‘collapse the bureaucracy’ (E&E News), Biden administration offers oil execs olive branch — and criticism (Axios), Oil giants: You need us on climate (Axios)

SCOTUS: Why utilities didn’t join the Supreme Court case against EPA (E&E News)

AGENCIES: Biden request for more EPA, Interior watchdog funds not met (E&E $), Judge rebukes Biden admin plea to bring back climate metric (E&E $)

EPA: Critics respond to EPA’s new plan to rein in pollution from heavy-duty trucks (Grist), EPA strategy curbs coal, spotlights gas and renewables (E&E News), In Texas speech, Biden’s EPA chief puts power plants on notice for pollution (Washington Post $, E&E News, Politico Pro $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Is super-polluting Pentagon’s climate plan just ‘military-grade greenwash’? (The Guardian)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden orders report on crypto climate risk (E&E $)

THE HILL: Winners and losers in the $1.5T spending omnibus (E&E News), Bipartisan bill seeks efficiency boost in low-income homes (E&E $), Lawmakers include cyber reporting mandate in spending deal (E&E $), Omnibus package opens spigots for water project earmarks (E&E News), Russian energy sanctions unite the feuding parties — for now (Politico)

HOUSE: Cori Bush and Ilhan Omar vote against Russian oil ban (The Root)

SENATE: Manchin floats using Defense Production Act for US oil and gas (Politico Pro $, The Hill), Sen. Lisa Murkowski is now conflicted on how she'll vote for SCOTUS nominee (The Root)

CITIES AND STATES: Connecticut ‘right-to-charge’ bill paves path for renters to install their own EV chargers (Energy News Network), Portland Clean Energy Fund program is still missing key pieces, audit finds (Oregon Public Broadcasting), New Mexico governor sets sights on building hydrogen economy (AP), Plan paves way for more Arizona forest restoration projects (AP)

FERC: FERC eyes pipeline policy revisions after industry blowback (Politico Pro $)

NOTHING IS NOT CONNECTED: How a Tacoma gas facility started a fight over climate change, sovereignty and human rights (High Country News)

IMPACTS: Climate change fundamentally affecting European birds, study shows (The Guardian), How climate change is disrupting the global supply chain (Yale Environment 360), UNESCO to visit Great Barrier Reef as coral bleaching risk rises (The Guardian), Climate change’s threat to the glorious redwood, both here and afar (New York Times $)

FLORIDA WILDFIRES: How a hurricane fueled wildfires in the Florida panhandle (The Conversation)

FLOODING DOWN UNDER: Before and after images show record-breaking flooding in Australia (Washington Post $)

DROUGHT: Drought robs Amazon communities of 'life-giving' river (BBC), Size of drought in US increased by the area of California in the past month (CNN), How the West’s megadrought is leaving one Arizona neighborhood with no water at all (Grist)

DON'T PUT THAT SHOVEL AWAY YET: Powerful storm threatens central US with snow and could become a bomb cyclone as it moves east (CNN)

RENEWABLES: Rising costs threaten US solar growth — report (E&E $), Can shore-based wave power unlock clean, affordable ocean energy? (Canary Media), CEO of geothermal startup Fervo Energy looks forward (Axios), Have some renewable energy? An investor would like to speak with you. (Utility Dive), Rising metals prices threaten US green energy push (E&E News, CNBC), Three charts to help make sense of 2021, a year coal was up and solar was way up (Inside Climate News), US solar installations to contract this year on inflation -industry forecast (Reuters), How the clean-energy revolution is sweeping through markets (Bloomberg $)

• CANCER (ON SOCIETY): Trump slams wind power, again (E&E News)

BATTERIES: EVs, renewables to create battery supply gap by 2030 — report (E&E $)

OIL & GAS: Gas leak at ConocoPhillips Alaskan drilling site forces some to leave (Washington Post $)

COAL: Coal prices likely to cross $500 per tonne in 2022, Rystad Energy says (Reuters), Seeing the future of energy through a coal company’s solar strategy (Bloomberg $)

UTILITIES: New Jersey’s largest utility debuts $500 million green bonds (Bloomberg $)

EVs: 2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz electric microbus revealed: less flower, more power (The Verge), Auto sector's transition to EVs needs safeguards for workers, environment -panel (Reuters), California wants to use electric cars to back up the power grid (Vox), Tesla’s German bureaucracy breakthrough dimmed by supply risks (Bloomberg $), The troubling link between electric cars and ... flamingos? (Vox), Is this finally the year of the electric car? (New York Times $), Thinking of buying an EV as gas prices surge? (Wall Street Journal $)

ACTIVISM: Would you spend one hour a week on climate action? (Yale Climate Connections)

AVIATION: Investors urge airlines to curtail growth, use sustainable fuel (Reuters)

AGRICULTURE: US farmers improving climate-friendly practices, but 'more work to do' - report (Reuters), US spending bill set to limit regulation of livestock emissions (Bloomberg $)

BUSINESS (SCHOOL): Business schools teaching sustainability want to go green (Bloomberg $), Microsoft’s pursuit of climate goals runs into headwinds (New York Times $)

CARBON PRICING: Ukraine invasion crashes carbon credit prices (CNBC)

• We can grow the economy, strengthen security — and reduce emissions (The Hill, Charles Hernick and Lisa Jacobson op-ed)
• 3 steps to boost energy security and relieve gas price spikes (The Hill, Dan Lashof op-ed)
• Climate change is making chemical disasters more likely — here's what agencies can do (The Hill, David Flores op-ed)
• The price at the gas pump is an American sacrifice worth making for Ukraine (The Grio, Donna Brazile column)
• Chile can set an example again for the developing world (FT, Editorial Board $)
• Why is Gavin Newsom trying to give California gas guzzlers their own private stimmy? (San Francisco Chronicle, Matthew Fleischer op-ed)
• China’s smart move would be to push putin to peace (Bloomberg, Robert Zoellick op-ed $)
• Reality therapy for Democrats (The Hill, Will Marshall op-ed)

Factcheck Roundup! Koonin, GOP, Big Oil Still Wrong About Basically Everything

Yesterday got a little weird, so today we’re getting serious and bringing you some useful climate and energy fact-check content. Perhaps you saw that the EU’s special committee on foreign interference in democratic processes, like the IPCC, recently acknowledged the threat and harms of climate misinformation and called for coordinated responses from official institutions. 

Facebook actually took one such (extremely small) step and is giving group page admins the ability to auto-reject posts containing content that’s already been fact-checked. That’s still not as good as actually deplatforming repeat disinfo spreaders, but it’s a start!

So let’s take a look at some claims that are now too false for even Facebook, and one that’s not. 

Kate Aronoff is suffering through CERAWeek, and reported (among other things) that there was a long line of energy industry types waiting to get serially debunked Steven Koonin to sign their copy of his book. The latest in his long line of rebuttals comes from ClimateFeedback, which took a look at Koonin’s latest Wall Street Journal op-ed. Lauren Simkins called it “intentionally misleading and flawed” and Anders Anker Bjork suggested that “the WSJ title could just as well have been: ‘Last decade showed highest mass loss from Greenland ever measured.’” 

Koonin’s critics include the authors of the very study Koonin (mis)cites, and they responded in a letter to the WSJ, in which they write that Koonin’s argument is “an incorrect” and “invalid interpretation” that “is often referred to as ‘cherry picking,’” confirming that, as we pointed out, Koonin’s op-ed accusing climate scientists of cherry picking was itself cherry picking. Kind of a "you're rubber and I'm glue" situation.

The popular disinfo these days is to blame some combination of Greta, Greenpeace, and Joe Biden for Vladimir Putin’s fossil-fueled invasion of Ukraine is, you'll no doubt be shocked to learn, also something experts don’t consider accurate. For example, Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo mostly false-ly claimed that the U.S. is “reliant on Russian oil” and “have doubled our imports from Russia in the last year,” when we went from 1% of crude oil imports being from Russia in 2020 to just 3% overall in 2021. And though facts aren’t stopping those who attack Biden for not drilling enough, the fact is that oil production under Biden has been greater than during three of Trump’s four years in the Oval office (and adjacent TV-viewing rooms). 

And on the Keystone XL front, it’s only “half true” that KXL’s potential to ship 800,000 barrels of oil a day would “offset what we import from Russia” because yes, that would’ve been its capability. If Biden hadn’t canceled it, it was only 8% complete so it still would’ve faced years of construction and legal challenges, and the oil was never guaranteed to even make it to U.S. markets. As Tom Kertscher summarizes, “it couldn’t have solved today’s demand needs. Even in the future, there would be no certainty that the pipeline could produce a net increase of 800,000 barrels per day, rather than just transporting oil from Canada that is currently being transported some other way. Nor would producers be obligated to sell that entire amount to the U.S.”

What is true, though? At least, “mostly”, is Biden’s point that the industry has over 9,000 permits to drill that it’s sitting on, and could increase production and boost supply to bring down prices for consumers. Why only “mostly true”? Because “once the permit is approved, drilling doesn’t start overnight,” and, of course, “some companies choose not to drill for corporate reasons — because they can raise funds from investors by not drilling on leases with proven reserves.” It's an ironic twist that the thing that makes Biden's statement not completely true also further undermines the oil and gas industry's claims.

Well look at that! Turns out Wall Street’s been making money hand over fist on Russian fossil fuels, while the 18 CEOs from the Biggest of Big Oil firms have made over $8 billion since Biden took office. That’s the topline of a new report from Bailout Watch, which also found that the top five Big Oil execs alone have cashed out $99 million of their stocks. 

BailoutWatch data analyst Christopher Kuveke said “The actions of these oil executives make it clear that no matter how much they groan about the Biden Administration's environmental policies and blame Putin for high prices, their focus remains entirely on lining their own pockets.” 

Oil companies are exploiting a moment of crisis to squeeze more money out of the public and into their bank accounts? No need for a fact check on that one!

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