FIRST LOOK: 

RMI published a new policy brief on low-carbon fuels and hydrogen in New York buildings, amid ongoing discussions in the state on the issue.

New LNG Export Terminal To Go Ahead: Venture Global, an exporter of liquified methane-based gas, will build a new $13 billion export terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, about 50 miles east of where Hurricane Ida made landfall. Venture's "final investment decision" comes amid a tight global methane-based gas market and record oil and gas profits in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the export terminal will not come online until at least the second half of 2024. (Reuters, Wall Street Journal $, The Advocate, FT $, Business Report; Markets: Reuters, Wall Street Journal $)

Bay Area NO2 Pollution Worst In Poor, Non-White Communities: A new analysis of granular, block-by-block data reveals Black, Latino, Asian and low-income neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay area are exposed to 55% more nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution than mostly white neighborhoods. Nitrogen dioxide pollution contributes to smog and is mainly produced by internal combustion-powered vehicles, including those on interstates like I-880 which slices through numerous mostly-Black West Oakland neighborhoods. (Washington Post $)

'Green Nobel' Winners Organized To Win Victories For Communities: This year's Goldman Environmental Prizes honor activists, many of them Indigenous, who took on major, entrenched, and powerful interests in their local contexts, and won.  (The Guardian)

• In Los Angeles, Nalleli Cobo was nine years old when she started going door to door and urging her neighbors to call their local gas company about the noxious smell of pollution from nearby oil wells and pipelines. In January, the city ended oil drilling. (Atmos, Insider)
• In Ecuador, Alex Lucitante (29) and Alexandra Narváez (30) led an Indigenous movement to defend the Cofán people’s ancestral territory from gold mining. Gathering evidence by forest patrols, drones, GIS, and camera traps, they secured legal victories that canceled 52 illegally-granted gold mining concessions and protected 79,000 acres of biodiverse rainforest sacred to the Cofán. (Business Insider, BBC)
• In Australia, Julien Vincent spearheaded an organization that succeeded in pushing all four major Australian banks to commit to divest from coal by 2030. (The Guardian, WBUR)
• In Nigeria, environmental lawyer Chima Williams collaborated with the Goi and Oruma communities to hold international oil majors Shell and TotalEnergies accountable for pollution they essentially offloaded onto small domestic firms that lacked the resources to manage operations and mitigate environmental damages in the Niger Delta. (Bloomberg $, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN)
• In Thailand, Niwat Roykae organized villages dependent on the Mekong River for nutritional, medicinal, and spiritual nourishment into citizen scientists and journalists. They successfully raised the alarm and forced the Tahai government to cancel a major canal blasting project. (Bangkok Post, The Kiplomat)
• In the Netherlands, Marjan Minnesma and her NGO Urgenda, after other smaller victories, brought the lawsuit against the Dutch government itself for failing to protect its own citizens from climate change. After numerous appeals, the Netherlands Supreme Court ordered the government to reduce climate pollution by at least 25%. (The Guardian, Fast Company)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: Indigenous Maasai in Tanzania face resettlement sites with ‘critical flaws’ (Grist), Mapping tools help Ohio cities chart course for environmental justice (Energy News Network)

FOSSIL FUELED WAR: Germany plans to keep coal-fired plants ready in case Russian gas is cut (New York Times $), India to continue buying 'cheap' Russian oil, discount to be finalised - source (Reuters)

COP27: Egypt says climate finance must be top of agenda at COP27 talks (The Guardian)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: African nations’ dash for gas exposes division at the UN and ‘hypocrisy’ in Europe (Climate Home), G7 ministers may pledge to phase out coal, decarbonise power -draft (Reuters), India power ministry seeks 2-yr extension to emissions deadline (Reuters)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: Dutch enviros launch landmark airline 'greenwashing' suit (E&E $), 

• MASSACHUSETTS: Exxon will have to face climate lawsuits after ‘free speech’ defense fails (Gizmodo), Massachusetts high court allows AG’s Exxon lawsuit to proceed (The Hill, E&E News)

SOUTH ASIA (HEAT): ‘It seems this heat will take our lives’: Pakistan city fearful after hitting 51C (The Guardian), Deadly heat in India is a warning of global catastrophes to come (Bloomberg $), Indian droughts and cyclones fuel trafficking fears for climate migrants (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

SEC & ESG:SEC to propose more disclosure requirements for ESG funds (Wall Street Journal $, Bloomberg $, Reuters)](E&E $, Barron's, MarketWatch, CNBC, Tech Crunch, Washington Examiner), How a sustainability index can keep Exxon but drop Tesla – and 3 ways to fix ESG ratings to meet investors’ expectations (The Conversation)

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: The most important force in food has nothing to do with fake meat (Bloomberg $), Countries are redeveloping farms that could be cutting carbon (Bloomberg $, The Hill), World’s largest vats for growing ‘no-kill’ meat to be built in US (The Guardian)

AUSTRALIAN ELECTION: A handful of climate-focused independents just upended Australia’s political system. here’s what comes next (TIME), Australians voted for stronger action on climate change. Will they get it? (CNN), Climate burns the right (Politico EU)

PROXY SEASON: Amazon shareholders reject 15 motions on worker rights and environment (The Guardian)

• BIG OIL: Exxon and Chevron investors approve 2 climate proposals (Barron's, Washington Post $), ExxonMobil investors back push for fossil fuel transition audit (FT $, Politico Pro $), Exxon shareholders back board, vote against faster carbon emission cuts (Reuters), Chevron's shareholders vote against emissions cuts proposal (Reuters), TotalEnergies investors back company's climate plan despite protests (Reuters, AP, Reuters)
• BLACKROCK: BlackRock's Fink says clients must decide how to navigate energy transition (Reuters), Sierra Club warns BlackRock it may pull $12 mln over climate stance -letter (Reuters)

DAVOS: Big Tech is pouring millions into the wrong climate solution at Davos (The Verge), China’s big climate pledge at Davos sounds promising, but experts are skeptical (TIME), Climate change is the easiest problem to solve at Davos (Bloomberg $), Corporations pledge to buy ‘green’ at Davos gathering (New York Times $), Ukraine war threatens transition to cleaner energy, leaders warn at Davos (Wall Street Journal $), Davos: Germany seeks ‘multipolar’ world amid climate protest (AP)

AGENCIES: Biden administration to invest $38M in decarbonizing national laboratories (The Hill)

EPA: Biden administration, settling a long feud, moves to block [Pebble gold mine] in [Bristol Bay] Alaska (New York Times $, Washington Post $, AP, Reuters, Bloomberg $, Washington Examiner, Axios, The Hill, Alaska Public Media, E&E News, Politico Pro $)

DOI: Bureau of Land Management employees unionize in wake of Trump-era upheaval (HuffPost), Interior: Lease sale cancellation didn't subvert court order (E&E $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Navy in 'crosshairs of the climate crisis,' vows more action (E&E $)

ALASKA NATIONAL INTEREST LANDS CONSERVATION ACT: Jimmy Carter, at 97, steps into a big fight over a small road in Alaska (New York Times $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden officials in Saudi Arabia for talks on oil, planned visit (Axios)

THE HILL: Democrats scramble on energy prices ahead of Memorial Day (E&E News), Hearing illustrates Democrats' balancing act on mining (E&E $), Manchin bait? Group says energy credits would fight inflation (E&E $), Senate committee deadlocks on Democrats' gas price gouging legislation (Washington Examiner), Senate panel advances bill to recycle electric-vehicle batteries (Bloomberg Law)

ELECTIONS: Moderate Dems defeated in Ga., hold out hope in Texas (E&E News), ‘She represents me’: the black woman making political history in Colombia (The Guardian)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson’s D.C. Circuit replacement (E&E News), Goffman faces sharp questioning at confirmation hearing (E&E $), Industry group offers support to embattled EPA air nominee (E&E $), Pa.'s environmental justice policy gets revamped — and scrutinized (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette $), Senate fight escalates over FERC chair. What will Manchin do? (E&E News)

CITIES AND STATES: A small college in Kansas City, Kansas, wants climate justice at the center of everything it does (KCUR), A Massachusetts city keeps cool in a hotter climate (WBUR)

• CALIFORNIA: Calif. asks DOE to help its last nuclear plant stay open (E&E $, Bloomberg $), California’s plan to avoid blackouts relies on fossil fuels as last resort (Canary Media), Why the future of oil drilling in California could hinge on a local court ruling (Politico Pro $)

FERC: FERC enforcement ramp-up spurs pipeline wars (E&E News)

IMPACTS: New study: climate change will spread toxic mold to Midwest corn (Grist), The Middle East's $13 billion sandstorm problem is about to get worse (CNN), Parts of India, Brazil and South Africa ravaged by wave of recent flooding (NBC)

GRID: Risks of summer blackouts nationwide on the rise (Fox Business)

WILDFIRES: Rain, snow slow New Mexico fire, but hot, dry weather looms (AP), Heightened wildfire threat prompts stricter restrictions (AP)

HURRICANES: Forecasters tap high-tech tools as US warns of another unusually active hurricane season (Inside Climate News)

• NOAA FORECAST: This year's hurricane forecast is here, and it's bad (Gizmodo)

POLLUTION: Air pollution linked to increase risk of death from stroke: study (The Hill)

OCEANS: An ocean first: Underwater drone tracks CO2 in Alaska gulf (AP)

ZOONOTIC SPILLOVER: Why scientists say slowing climate change could help prevent another pandemic (Arizona Republic)

RENEWABLES: Booster is making renewable fuels accessible in ways a gas station cannot (CNBC), Clean energy faces its latest test: rising interest rates (E&E News), Record wind in Scotland means grid tells some turbines to stop (Bloomberg $)

• TOTALENERGIES: TotalEnergies agrees to buy 50% of US renewables company Clearway (Reuters, Wall Street Journal $, Bloomberg $)

BATTERIES: EV giants launch coalition to boost US battery supply chain (E&E $), The trouble with lithium (Bloomberg $)

OIL & GAS: Protests, angry staff: Big Oil faces new climate pressure (E&E $), Big Oil, flush with cash, is failing on climate pledges (CNN), Natural gas surges above $9, hits the highest since 2008 as inventories stay low (CNBC, OilPrice), Big Oil wants New York’s cow manure (New York Focus), Europe, Asia gas buyers switching to long-term supplies to beat volatile prices (Reuters), Global oil and gas companies join pledge for cyber resilience (The Hill), 

• SHELL GAMES: Safety consultant goes viral for leaving Shell after a decade, says ‘core business’ is dangerous (CNBC)
• METHANE, EXPLOSIONS: Gas wells leak explosive levels of methane in Bakersfield (AP)

UTILITIES: Cybersecurity threat extends to utility credit ratings: Fitch (Utility Dive), Judges: Minnesota customers should bear full $660M in costs from February 2021 storm (Star Tribune $)

EVs: EV startup’s streak with no auditor adds to company’s woes (Bloomberg Law)

CRYPTO: The largest carbon-offset registry cracks down on crypto (Wall Street Journal $)

ACT LOCALLY: Individual actions can add up to help the climate (Yale Climate Connections)

CARBON PRICING: In Tanzania, carbon offsets preserve forests and a way of life (Yale Environment 360)

CARBON REMOVAL: Kelp is weirdly great at sucking carbon out of the sky (The Atlantic), Microsoft, salesforce add $300 million to carbon removal’s growing cash pile (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: FASB to tackle rule-making on accounting for environmental credits (Wall Street Journal $), Hedge fund Elliott chases oil and gas deals, bucking Wall Street (Reuters)

RADICAL ACTION: The rise and fall of America's environmentalist underground (New York Times $)

INTERNATIONAL: UK’s net zero target is under threat because there’s no plan to pay for it (The Conversation)

• California isn’t the solar leader it should be — especially in frontline communities (Energy News Network, Amee Raval op-ed)
• Inequality fuels the climate crisis (The Hill, Fergus Green and Noel Healy op-ed)
• How can we tap into the vast power of geothermal energy? (NPR, Jamie Beard interview)
• Why the disaster prevention agenda is growing more urgent (The New Humanitarian, Mami Mizutori interview)
• Collaborating on zero energy homes could help meet utility climate goals and grow affordable housing (Utility Dive, Rebecca Foster op-ed)

New TwitReport Site Allows You To Monitor Rightwing Twitter Without Destroying Your Own Feed

One of the key questions in any disinformation assessment is whether or not the specific narrative is getting traction beyond those who are professionally or politically motivated to spread that disinfo. Because the industry and its puppets are always trying to spread their message, tracking what others pick up, or don't, is helpful for determining what sort of response may be necessary. 

It can be difficult to tell how far a narrative is spreading in a community, if you're not already naturally enmeshed within the target audience. But we've found a new tool that, while not its intended purpose by any measure, can serve as a useful barometer for what conservative media is tweeting about today. 

It's called TwitReport, and it is simply an aggregated feed of conservative news tweets from nearly 200 accounts, its sparse "about" page says, while the "suggest source" page also indicates they "are only accepting accounts with [a] minimum [of] 100.000 followers." 

There's no clear indication of who's actually behind the website, though the links page only has AmericanThinker and IndependentSentinel. An AmericanThinker post indicates that a "Robert T" is the creator, and he intends the site to be one that "saves time for the average internet surfer" by putting "top conservative voices into one streamlined feed." 

And that is about all there is to it, the site is simply a live feed from sources Robert T considers "reputable," like "The Washington Times, Judicial Watch, The Post Millenial[sic], and individuals like Elon Musk, Rand Paul, Dinesh D’Souza." 

We found a press release with slightly more information, namely that TwitReport is a project of Rob Torn, but lacking the interesting details of its explicit conservatism, instead framing it explicitly as a way to counter "reading from a single perspective." Why did Rob Torn want everyone to think his conservative aggregator was providing more than "a single perspective," despite telling the American Thinker it'd be "top conservative voices"?

Probably for the same reason Real Clear and every other covert conservative propaganda effort pretends to be mainstream: to provide a veil of objectivity and to elevate rightwing disinfo outlets to the same prominence as credible, independent news media. 

So despite the fact that we're not exactly the "average internet surfer," Torn is trying to reach, the site is still incredibly helpful, because it helps show that, for example, fossil fuel fanboy and not-canceled-for-racism Alex Epstien's book release isn't breaking through. He's tried his best to sell it, with wild hyperbole about genocide in the Daily Caller, but scroll after scroll through TwitReport is coming up empty. 

We did see that apparently Trump approved of the "Hang Mike Pence" chants on Jan 6, along with plenty of election disinfo and COVID disinfo Twitter supposedly doesn't allow, and more negative reactions to Beto O'Rourke calling Texas Gov Greg Abbott a "sick son of a bitch" than there were negative reactions to the latest massacre of children by a young man with a machine gun. 

Because that's where conservative media's priorities lie. 

And boy do they lie.

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