FIRST LOOK(S):

The IPCC will hold a virtual press conference to present the Summary for Policymakers of the WGIII climate change mitigation report TODAY at 11:00 ET/ 8:00 am PT. 

Biden Admin Rolls Out Stronger Gas Mileage Requirements: The Biden administration released new standards for average fuel economy standards for most passenger vehicles on Friday, targeting one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas pollution in the U.S. The new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards are the most stringent to date, with the biggest year-on-year efficiency improvements ever. They will require companies' cars  to average 49 mpg by 2026, up from the previous administration’s 36 mpg standard. The Biden administration touted the cost savings of $192 billion for consumers through 2030 due to the new rule, but not everyone approves. Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign, said the new standards have “too many loopholes” due to weaker standards for SUVs, vans or big pick-up trucks, so they are "not strong enough to meet what the president called global warming’s existential threat." The new standards, Becker added, will "do little to alleviate consumers’ pain at the pump, since they don’t push GM and Toyota to shift from hawking gas guzzlers that fill the coffers of their golfing buddies at Exxon." (Washington Post $, E&E News, AP, Axios, The Hill, Bloomberg $, Wall Street Journal $, Tech Crunch, Reuters, CNN, The Verge, Politico Pro $)

Indigenous Lands And People Crucial, And Ignored, In Climate Fight: Indigenous people and their forests in Central and South America hold and sequester massive amounts of carbon, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute and Climate Focus. Indigenous-held lands in Peru, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico absorb more than twice as much carbon as other forested lands in those countries, illustrating how private ownership and government-managed forestry are insufficient for climate safety. Despite the critical role of Indigenous people and their lands in slowing a crisis for which they are not responsible, Indigenous groups continue to be targeted and disproportionately harmed by colonial and extractive power structures that have ethnically cleansed and systematically dispossessed them of land, and are now almost completely excluded from official decision-making bodies. (Inside Climate News)

California Snowpack Levels Worrying Low: California's drought outlook is increasingly dire as the driest-ever start to the calendar year and a late-March heatwave have reduced Sierra Nevada snowpack levels to a fraction of their average. Less rain fell in the first three months of 2022 than in any year since records began during the Gold Rush in 1849. With statewide snowpack at just 38% of average April 1 levels, the deficits are particularly alarming in Northern California. “We are supposed to be the water tower for the state," UC-Davis hydrology professor Helen Dahlke told the Washington Post. The early snowmelt is causing concern over water availability for agricultural irrigation and aquatic wildlife downstream, the potential shutdown of the state's largest hydroelectric power station, and an early start to a big wildfire season. Climate change is reducing snowpack levels, making droughts worse and more likely to occur, and has been linked to increasingly earlier and faster snowpack melt – all of which contribute to more extreme wildfire seasons. Research published Friday in Science Advances also shows the American West is increasingly vulnerable to flooding and mudslides triggered by extreme precipitation in areas recently incinerated by wildfires. (California: Washington Post $, San Francisco Chronicle, CAL Matters, AP, CNN, LA Times $, Fresno Bee, LA Times $; Gold Rush records: Mercury News; Post fire landslides AP, New York Times $, USA Today, Gizmodo, Scientific American; Climate Signals background: Drought, Snowpack decline, Early/faster snowpack melt, Wildfires)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: For NYC, the legacy of redlining is in the air we breathe (Gothamist), Gordon Plaza was sold as a dream for Black home buyers. It was a toxic nightmare. (Washington Post $), How Black North Carolinians pay the price for the world’s cheap bacon (Vox)

HOUSING (IN)JUSTICE: Is ‘green gentrification’ driving displacement in East Boston? Researchers say yes, but locals push back (Boston Globe $)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: A tanker’s giant U-turn reveals strains in the market for Russian oil (New York Times $), In Russia-Europe gas standoff, both sides lose (Reuters), Energy prices in Europe soar 45 percent as inflation hits another record. (New York Times $), Europe can learn lessons from 1970s oil shock as rationing looms (Reuters), Global metals market closes some warehouses to Russian supply (E&E News), With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Arctic science crumbles (Hakai Magazine), Minister rules out energy rationing in UK despite Ukraine crisis (The Guardian), New EU state aid rules keep energy transition on the back burner (Energy Monitor), Portugal to speed up switch to renewable power in wake of Ukraine war (Reuters), The price for Europe to wean off Russian gas keeps going up (Bloomberg $), US may weigh up exemptions to ban on financing fossil fuel projects abroad-official (Reuters), Why are gasoline prices so high? Ukraine-Russia war sparks increases across US (Wall Street Journal $), With war in Ukraine and threats from Putin, Europeans anxiously wait for energy rationing (CNBC), Russia’s aggression prompts calls to rethink US uranium imports (New York Times $), Dire warning on climate change ‘is being ignored’ amid war and economic turmoil (The Guardian), How the recoil from Russian gas is scrambling world markets (New York Times $), Putin reminds the world he still wields a powerful economic weapon (New York Times $)

• BALTICS NATIONS: Baltic states stop Russian gas imports over Ukraine invasion (Al Jazeera, AP, New York Times $, BBC)

IT'S NOT A MOMENT IT'S A MOVEMENT: Environmentalists in Chile are hoping to replace the country’s Pinochet-era legal framework with an ‘ecological constitution’ (Inside Climate News)

HOMES UNDERWATER: Thousands of FHA-backed mortgages lack flood insurance (E&E News)

FINANCE: Investors are plowing money into clean energy funds as Ukraine war puts energy needs in spotlight (CNBC), Investors ask banks to rethink funding fossil fuel projects, including Line 3 (Indian Country Today), Norway wealth fund to push firms to have net-zero targets, government says (Reuters), Republicans say “woke” Wall Street is boycotting fossil fuels. The numbers prove otherwise. (New Republic), South African bank held to net zero standard for GCF accreditation (Climate Home)

ACTIVISM & BIG GREEN: With climate change accelerating and despair growing, how far are activists willing to take their protests? (Boston Globe $), Inside the contentious leadership battle at the nation’s biggest environmental group (HuffPost)

IPCC: UN panel to release report on efforts to curb climate change (AP, CNN, AFP),

Political wrangling delays release of UN climate report (Washington Post $, Axios)

UK PROTESTS: Climate activists plan daily protests after blocking 10 UK oil terminals (Reuters, Bloomberg $, The Guardian), Inside Just Stop Oil, the youth climate group blocking UK refineries (The Guardian, The Independent), Just Stop Oil: More than 200 arrested after oil terminal protests (BBC, The Guardian, Reuters)

EPA: EPA advisory panel to begin ozone review (E&E $), EPA brings on agency veteran to run troubled toxics office (E&E $), EPA plans to tackle climate, environmental justice in revised Risk Management Program rule (Politico Pro $), EPA revives Obama-era rule removing emergency liability protection for polluters (The Hill), EPA won’t regulate rocket fuel in drinking water (E&E News)

DOI: Biden admin defends Interior royalty rule in court (E&E $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Another regulator [FDIC] tells big banks to account for climate (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden seeks a crosswalk between oil and clean energy (Axios), Biden's 'wartime' oil decisions rattle green energy activists (Washington Examiner), Biden’s global climate agenda is on the ropes as Europe goes to war and the right digs in (HuffPost), Biden’s top economic advisor says restarting the Keystone XL pipeline now won’t lower oil prices (CNBC)

• DPA: Biden invokes Defense Production Act to bolster domestic battery manufacturing for EVs, energy storage (Utility Dive), EV leaders want Biden to be more aggressive with Defense Production Act (The Hill)
• SPR: Biden oil release includes barrels from previous sale (Politico Pro $), How the Strategic Petroleum Reserve works (Axios, The Hill, explainer), Will Biden’s SPR release lower gas prices? (The Hill)

THE HILL: Democrats eye action on leasing reforms, gas rebates (E&E News), Democrats go big on mining. Will there be a backlash? (E&E News), Lawmakers eye uranium reserve to wean US off Russia (E&E $)

HOUSE: 'Nobody cares': Sparks fly at oil well, mine cleanup hearing (E&E $)

SENATE: Manchin, Kelly urge Biden to open new Gulf oil leasing (E&E News), Rubio, Lummis call on Biden admin to allow farming on conserved land to help global food shortages (The Hill)

POLITICS: Once again, environmentalists are sabotaging climate progress (NY Mag)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Climate advocates urge senators to oppose Biden's district court nominee (Washington Post $)

TRIBES: Native American tribe reacquires hundreds of acres in Virginia (The Hill), Two native tribes are helping create an electric vehicle ‘pipeline’ (Yale Climate Connections), Tribes, industry groups reach deal to boost US hydroelectric power (Wall Street Journal $)

CITIES AND STATES: Connecticut regulators want grid pilots to 'fail fast' in new approach to energy innovation (Utility Dive), New data shows greenhouse gas emissions rose in Rhode Island (AP), California poised to greenlight $11.7M vehicle-to-grid pilots in PG&E footprint (Utility Dive)

FERC: FERC details climate, environmental justice strategy (E&E News)

IMPACTS: Birds are laying their eggs a month earlier than normal (Washington Post $), How to convince people to leave homes at serious risk from climate change (Slate), Study: Many birds nesting, laying eggs earlier in Chicago (AP)

CORONAVIRUS: Nature wasn't healing (Gizmodo)

DROUGHT: California says $2.6-billion pact can protect delta amid drought. Critics disagree (LA Times $), Staggering photos show Lake Powell nearly dried up (Gizmodo), European drought intensified faster than any event since 1766 (E&E $)

WATER: Empty canals, dead cotton fields: Arizona farmers are getting slammed by water cuts in the West (CNBC)

OCEANS: Climate change is speeding up sound in the ocean. That’s bad for marine animals (Fast Company)

WILD LANDS: Conservationists are a step closer to keeping a ‘desert island in the sky’ wild forever (LA Times $)

RENEWABLES: ‘We feel safer’: how green energy is brightening refugee lives in Rwanda (The Guardian), ‘The future is bleak, and the future is bright.' What it's like to be a clean energy CEO as gas prices skyrocket (TIME), Biden doing more harm to renewables than Trump, says solar boss (FT $), Connecticut solar developer expands lawsuit against offshore wind projects (Energy News Network), Enel Green Power signs EU grant deal for solar gigafactory in Italy (Reuters), Energy transformation can strengthen democracy and help fight climate change (Yale Climate Connections), These energy innovations could transform how we mitigate climate change, and save money in the process – 5 essential reads (The Conversation)

BATTERIES: Europe’s biggest lithium mine is caught in a political maelstrom (Wired), Rechargeable batteries cause fires. Here's how to properly dispose of them. (Washington Post $)

LNG: Asian liquefied natural gas demand is cooling fast (Wall Street Journal $), Company plans to build floating liquid natural gas terminal off coast of Grand Isle (The Advocate), LNG voyages could face significant impacts from new Panama Canal toll structure (S&P Global), Tellurian stock is upgraded. It’s getting a boost from rising demand for liquefied natural gas. (Barron's), US liquefied natural gas exports rise 16%, to new record (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: ‘Who’s talking climate change now?’ energy producers say (Al Jazeera), Fossil fuel backers overshadow climate change talks in Dubai (AP)

PLASTICS: In the ocean, it’s snowing microplastics (New York Times $), There’s good reason to worry about the health risks of plastics (Washington Post $)

PIPELINES: Kinder Morgan’s Ruby [gas] pipeline files for bankruptcy (Wall Street Journal $), These companies say their carbon pipelines would curb climate change. Farmers object (NPR)

COAL: ‘Unfathomable’: Narrabri coalmine expansion gets final approval from NSW planning commission (The Guardian)

HYDROGEN: Hydrogen is going 'green' in many ways but policy changes are needed for grid management, analysts say (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Lawsuit alleges power line sparked Colorado wildfire (AP)

EVs: An EV future could save 110,000 lives and $1.2 trillion by 2050 (Jalopnik), Biden says buy electric to save on gas, but EVs are expensive: here's the math (Washington Examiner), Leading the charge: road-testing Australia’s EV stations on a 2,800km round trip (The Guardian), Spooked by high fuel costs? What you need to know about owning an EV (ABC), Tesla’s sales jumped in the first quarter, bucking industry trend again (New York Times $, Tech Crunch, CNBC), Toyota says it’s sticking with UK in move to electric vehicles (Bloomberg $), With gas prices sky-high, some would-be EV buyers are getting creative (LA Times $)

STEEL: ‘Green steel’ heating up in Sweden’s frozen north (AP)

LIFE, LIBERTY, & SUVs: American motorists press the accelerator despite oil shortfall (FT $)

ART: Maya Lin on how art can encourage climate action (Bloomberg $)

BOOKS: Fighting dystopia with essential voices: ‘Black literature vs. the climate emergency’ (48 Hills)

BUSINESS: Can global brands' green push improve Bangladesh labor rights? (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

HORSESHOES: The far-right and environmentalism overlap is bigger than you think — and growing (NPR)

SHIPPING: Maritime industry leaders confront climate change and supply-chain issues at shipping expo (Canary Media)

BOOZE: Your next bottle of vodka could be made from captured carbon (Bloomberg $)

PFAS: Starbucks will eliminate all PFAS in its packaging (Environmental Health News)

INTERNATIONAL: China will hit 2030 climate goal early, says state-linked think tank (Bloomberg $), Energy expert slams UK’s net zero strategy as ‘hopelessly unrealistic’ (FT $), Johnson to ‘bet big’ on nuclear energy despite Sunak’s reservations (The Guardian), Millions of Brits plunged into fuel poverty on Friday as household energy bills surge (CNBC), UK to unveil energy revamp with focus on nuclear and wind (Bloomberg $)

• Biden’s petroleum release won’t change dictators or Big Oil (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• Infrastructure funding is a chance to think beyond cars (The Hill, David Bragdon op-ed)
• President Biden has options for increasing energy supply. He just needs to use them. (USA Today, Doug Burgum op-ed)
• Why do candidates for L.A. mayor have so little to say about climate change? (LA Times, Editorial Board $)
• US tries to be the world’s swing crude producer (FT, Financial Times Editorial Board $)
• Climate research funded by fossil fuel profits discredits universities and hurts the planet (LA Times, Ilana Cohen and Michael E. Mann op-ed $)
• The ocean is coming for homes. That’s not priced in. (Bloomberg, Jonathan Levin op-ed $)
• Gas tax holidays are a temporary fix; let’s address the roots of oil dependence (The Hill, Matt Casale and Tony Dutzik op-ed)
• Yes, we’re coming for your reliable energy (The Hill, Robert Henneke op-ed)
• The world’s poorest have the strongest resilience, yet their voices remain unheard (Climate Home, Sheela Patel and Sohanur Rahman op-ed)
• I’m a scientist in California. drought is worse than we thought. (New York Times, Andrew Schwartz op-ed $)
• Teenagers report growing anxiety. Maybe that’s rational. (New York Times, Jessica Grose column $)
• Climate optimism (New York Times, German Lopez analysis $)
• Why we need to rethink our approach to nuclear power (The Hill, Thomas J. Duesterberg op-ed)
• Whitmer, big three on the right track to cleaner energy (Detroit Free Press, Tim Minotas op-ed)
• Energy security abroad starts at home (The Hill, Todd Snitchler op-ed)
• How Newsom’s $400 California gas rebate idea can be scaled up to fight climate change (San Francisco Chronicle, Ray Welch op-ed)
• We rely on US ports — time for climate change protection (The Hill, Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet, Shimon Elkabetz and Joe Linza op-ed)
• Buying an electric vehicle is not a good way to save money (Washington Examiner, David Freddoso op-ed)
• Europe needs a Mitchell Plan, not A Marshall plan (The Hill, Rick Perry op-ed)

Bastasch’s Back at Daily Caller, New Young Voices Are At Koch-Y RealClearEnergy

Last week we noticed that Koch-trained propagandist Michael Bastasch has, between February and April, jumped back to the Daily Caller, after a couple years spent as a writer for the Laura Ingraham show on Fox News. Now he’s a “managing editor,” according to his Twitter bio, but not yet the Daily Caller (which still has his old status as “contributor”) or the Foundation it uses for shady tax reasons. 

No new bylines yet, and if he’s editing that’d make sense. But the step up to Managing Editor is quite a big one! It’s also interesting because despite “growing up” as a “journalist” by writing at Fox, Bastasch has otherwise relied on Koch media “philanthropy” for employment.

According to 2019 and 2020 990’s, though, the Daily Caller isn’t getting a bulk of its funding direct from Koch, like it has in the years prior, when Bastasch was busy quoting deniers and running cover for the Koch’ed up Trump administration. 

His absence at the Daily Caller, and that of the Koch’s influence, has been palpable in the past two years, with the outlet rarely doing anything original or sinister enough to warrant mention. They’ve covered climate and energy issues, but not with the seemingly-required quote from a Koch-y denier in every story, and only rarely covering polluter “exclusives,” like Bastasch did regularly for years.

Since he was gone, the Daily Caller has still been a player in the disinfo ecosystem, but not the key Koch hub it once was. Now that Bastasch is back, however, perhaps it will be once again!

But for now, that honor, and accompanying funding, seem to have gone to RealClear Energy instead. That’s where we’re now seeing regular appearances from the Koch-funded Young Voices program. And while they haven’t seemed to have tapped any more (former) porn starlets lately, they are still recruiting new talent. 

Last week it was Kelsey Grant, who implored “environmentalists” not to “be so quick to tank blue hydrogen.” In response to 200 green groups rejecting supposed climate solutions that would prop up the fossil fuel industry, like claiming we can capture the carbon from turning natural gas into hydrogen, referred to as “blue hydrogen.” 

While Grant writes plenty about the amazing potential of natural (methane) gas to produce clean-burning hydrogen (once that pesky CCS thing is figured out, of course) what she doesn’t mention is perhaps the most critical context. 

Her byline refers to her as “an energy professional and contributor to Young Voices” as well as “a Udall scholar” who “previously worked for a bipartisan climate policy advocacy organization.” 

And if you didn’t know Young Voices is a Koch-funded program, maybe this pro-pollution take could seem like the rare one that wasn’t from someone in polluters’ pocket.

Ever-curious, we popped over to her LinkedIn, and found out that after spending 2 years with Citizens’ Climate Lobby (which is good!) she joined “Adamantine Energy.” 

No, it’s not a group converting Wolverine’s skeleton into energy, it’s an oil and gas consultant that really wants to look like it’s about “proactive and transformational” work and offers resources covering “game-changing actions that oil and gas companies can embrace to lead into the energy future.” 

When we clicked on their page for “Decarbonization strategies for oil & gas” page, we were hoping it just said “shut down,” but instead they seem to be suggesting greenwashing instead, as the only words that weren’t PR jargon were “Next Fuels: Hydrogen, RNG, Aviation Fuels.” 

Back at the RealClear op-ed, Adamantine researcher and Koch’s Young Voice Kelsey Grant did admit that, “To these environmentalists’ credit, their concerns [about greenwashing] are not unfounded.” She also acknowledged that the industry has “been at odds with an increasingly climate-conscious world, undermining public trust.” 

What she didn’t say, however, was that she knows concerns about industry hiding behind hydrogen greenwashing are well-founded, because she’s one of the ones doing the greenwashing! 

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