FIRST LOOK: 

Join Covering Climate Now for a webinar TODAY at noon ET for Talking Shop: Making Climate Part of Our Midterms Reporting. RSVP here. 

Manchin Permitting Reforms Dropped From 'Must-Pass' Gov. Funding Bill: Joe Manchin's bill to fast-track energy permitting, including the beleaguered Mountain Valley Pipeline was not part of the short-term government funding package passed by the Senate on Tuesday. The bill — crafted by Manchin's staff in concert with Equitrans Midstream, which owns a 48.1% interest in the pipeline that would transport methane gas from West Virginia into Virginia — faced opposition from some Senate Democrats, including Virginia's senators (especially Tim Kaine), as well as 72 House Democrats. The measure, which required 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, ultimately failed, however, after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell whipped his caucus against it. Environmental and clean energy advocates do not oppose the entirety of Manchin's bill, which would facilitate the buildout of electricity transmission needed to connect renewable energy projects to the grid. Outside of the short-term funding package, Manchin's legislation is not completely dead. It could still be attached to a year-end omnibus government spending bill or to the annual National Defense Authorization Act. (E&E News, The Guardian, Bloomberg $, Politico Pro $, Wall Street Journal $, The Hill, HuffPost, Reuters; Equitrans: Washington Post $, New Republic; Virginia senators: Roll Call; Future prospects: E&E News, Washington Post $; Baptists and bootleggers opposition: Vox)

Ian Devastates Cuban Grid, Tobacco Belt: Hurricane Ian knocked out power across the entire nation of Cuba, and killed two people, in the six hours it took to traverse the island Tuesday. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 125 mph and was expected to dump as much as 16 inches of rain in places. The storm inflicted heavy damage on Pinar del Rio Province at the western tip of the island, destroying buildings, including those used for tobacco production, and damaging 40% of banana plantations in neighboring Artemisa Province. "Sometimes hurricanes pass through here, but not of this magnitude," tobacco farmer Abel Hernandez, 49, told Reuters. "It destroyed our houses, our drying huts, our farms, the fruit trees, everything." (Reuters, AP, CNN, Axios, Yale Climate Connections, New York Times $, BBC, New York Times $; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes)

Ian About To Hammer Florida Coast: Hurricane Ian is bearing down on the west coast of Florida with "catastrophic storm surge," heavy rain, and wind speeds just 2 mph shy of a Category 5 storm. The monstrous storm bears hallmarks of climate change, which is making major storms more frequent, and threatens to devastate the increasingly densely-populated region and further stress the state's already-strained insurance market. Climate change has boosted storm surge, and Ian brings with it potential storm surge of as much as 16 feet to Bonita Beach and Charlotte Harbor. Ian also intensified rapidly gaining at least 35mph of wind speed in less than 24 hours and exploding from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in just 72 hours. The warmer-than-average Caribbean waters fueling that intensification essentially add, "a lot more rocket fuel for the storm," CSU scientist Phil Klotzbach told the AP. In addition to rapidly intensifying — which exacerbates danger by giving communities less time to prepare — climate change is also increasing the amount of rain dropped by hurricanes and slowing their rate of travel. FEMA has already sent 700 emergency personnel, 3.5 million liters of water, 3.7 million meals, and hundreds of generators to the state and offshore oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico dropped by about 11% ahead of the storm. (AP, Bloomberg $, ABC, NBC, AP, Washington Post $; Storm surge: Yahoo, Bloomberg $, NBC; Rapid intensification: CNN, E&E News, Bloomberg $, Weather Channel; Development & insurance: (NPR, Politico, Wall Street Journal $; FEMA: E&E News; Offshore Oil: Reuters; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes, Storm surge increase, Coastal flooding increase)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM:

• AND MISOGYNY: Climate expert says attack by GOP lawmaker is nothing new: ‘This is the playbook’ (HuffPost)

JACKSON WATER CRISIS: DOJ threatens legal action over Jackson’s water crisis (E&E News, HuffPost), NAACP files civil rights complaint over Jackson water crisis (Politico Pro $, AP)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Amid an energy crisis, Germany turns to the world's dirtiest fossil fuel (NPR), EU countries eye delay to levy on fossil fuel windfall profits - document (Reuters), Ukraine crisis will speed energy transition in mid-term, says renewables agency chief (Reuters), Europe weighs climate risks in test that may hit bank dividends (Bloomberg $), 

• NORD STREAM: Blasts precede Baltic pipeline leaks, sabotage seen likely (AP, CNN, Gizmodo, Axios, CNBC), EU warns of ‘strong response’ if energy infrastructure sabotaged (Washington Post $, New York Times $), European gas prices rise as Germany investigates leaks in Nord Stream pipelines (Wall Street Journal $)
• EVs: EV charge points in Britain are now nearly as expensive as gasoline, research shows (CNBC), EV tax credits to spur more vehicle sales are entering a critical phase (Wall Street Journal $)

• GERMANY: Germany delays exit from nuclear power to offset energy shortfall (The Guardian, Politico Pro $, Bloomberg $), Germany’s renewable support measures get EU approval (Politico Pro $), Germany, Canada call for more cash to fight climate change (Bloomberg $)

PIPELINES IN THE PIPELINE: Huge expansion of oil pipelines endangering climate, says report (The Guardian)

HOLDING BACK THE SEA: A $52 billion proposal aims to protect New York harbor from storm surges (New York Times $, AP, E&E $, Gizmodo)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Who pays for climate havoc? (New York Times $), Washington announces more aid for flood-ravaged Pakistan (AP)

DENIAL & GREENWASHING: ‘Nature-rinsing’: How polluters use the beauty of nature to clean up their image (Grist)

GREEN GROUPS: 20 more green groups pledge to tackle pay disparities (E&E $)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: How the Inflation Reduction Act is heating up an already active market for critical metals in EV batteries (Utility Dive), Growing scale, Inflation Reduction Act subsidies could push green hydrogen prices negative: RE+ panel (Utility Dive), Will the Inflation Reduction Act spur clean energy manufacturing in the US? Tax experts say yes. (Utility Dive)

SCOTUS: The Supreme Court case that’s likely to handcuff the Clean Water Act (Vox)

AGENCIES: 5 ideas for improving FEMA home-buyout program (E&E $), Biden administration invests $2.8 billion in ‘climate smart’ farming (The Hill), The US Forest Service is behind on prescribed burns in parts of California (NPR)

EPA: Environmental group asks court to vacate EPA biofuels rule (Politico Pro $), Regan's to-do list: Find EJ office leader (E&E $)

DOT: Federal money is now headed to states for building up fast EV chargers on highways (NPR, CNBC, AP, Politico Prog $), Black Hoosiers meet with DOT, call for racial equity in EV charging plan (Indiana Capital Chronicle), Despite equity concerns, federal government approves Indiana electric vehicle charging plan (Indiana Public Media)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: Yellen warns inaction on climate could cause economic crisis (AP, Reuters)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden's offshore energy chief on challenges new and old (E&E, Kevin Sligh interview $), US VP Harris pledges to consult S. Korea over EV subsidy concerns (Reuters), White House faces pressure campaign on key air rule (E&E $), White House hires NEPA, monuments expert [John Ruple] for CEQ (E&E $)

HOUSE: Select committee sets meeting to showcase climate bill (E&E $)

SENATE: Committees to vote on EPA, mining, judicial nominees (E&E $), Federal dollars for storage diversification must come with permit reforms, Manchin, others say (Utility Dive), Panel to vote on bipartisan climate, resilience bills (E&E $), Wildfire, forest management bills set for Senate hearing (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Texas Democrats try to convince voters they aren’t bad for oil and gas (Texas Tribune)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Meet Richard Revesz, Biden’s choice for rules czar (E&E News), Senate Democrats fast-track Biden regulations nominee [Richard Revesz] (E&E $)

TRIBES: Climate change means the Inuit do what they've always done: Adapt (Reuters), Tribes tackle climate change (Indian Country Today)

CITIES AND STATES: The fastest-growing cities face some of the biggest climate risks (Axios), New England governors ask Congress for help with 'drastic rise in energy prices' anticipated (CBS), Cities push to convert deserted office buildings into housing (Axios)

IMPACTS: IEA chief Fatih Birol says a debt is due on global warming (E&E interview $), America’s climate havens of the future (WBUR), Amphibious houses and floating cities could protect coastal communities from sea-level rise (CNBC), Worst melt year on record for Swiss glaciers, data shows (Reuters)

DROUGHT: Drought prompts Portugal to restrict water use at more hydropower dams (Reuters), Global warming will fuel more frequent, severe and longer-lasting droughts, study finds (Forbes), How summer drought, inflation could cause pumpkin prices to rise (ABC)

HURRICANES: Pregnancy during Hurricane Sandy linked to kids’ psychiatric disorders, study says (Washington Post $), Typhoon damages Philippine farms, with rice most affected (Bloomberg $), Why Florida is more prone to hurricanes (Washington Post $), Why hurricanes are getting more expensive (CNN)

• FIONA: Puerto Rico seeks US waiver as diesel dwindles after storm (AP)

WATER: Amid climate change, water managers see promise in recycled wastewater (NPR), Could the Middle East run out of water? How the UAE gets around the problem (CNBC), Who’s really using up the water in the American West? (Vox)

WORKERS: Climate complacency has left firefighters ill-prepared, says union chief (The Guardian)

RENEWABLES: Gas to offshore wind? NY illustrates grid challenge. (E&E News), This is what it's like to be a conservative woman in the clean energy space (MSNBC)

BATTERIES: ESS inks largest-ever US flow battery purchase with Sacramento utility (Canary Media), India mulls $2.5 billion aid to manufacture grid-scale batteries (Bloomberg $)

BUILDINGS: Utah house designed to be fossil-fuel-free (Yale Climate Connections), What does a ban on natural gas appliances mean for homeowners? (The Hill)

METHANE: How methane leaks accelerate global warming (Reuters explainer)

OIL & GAS: $400M project underway at Chevron’s Pasadena refinery will expand capacity for Texas crude (Houston Chronicle), An Israel-Lebanon border deal could increase natural gas supplies (New York Times $), US oil product exports hit all-time record, DOE says (E&E $), U.S. offshore oil output drops as Hurricane Ian takes aim (Reuters)

PLASTICS: A legal pot problem that’s now plaguing the streets of America: plastic litter (Inside Climate News), Single-use plastic is wreaking havoc on the planet. Here’s what you can do to minimize your impact (CNN)

HYDROGEN: Gas companies are promoting hydrogen to heat homes. But the science isn’t on their side (TIME), Hydrogen is unsuitable for home heating, review concludes (The Guardian)

UTILITIES: Gas station owners, charging companies oppose Xcel Energy’s electric vehicle charging plan (Energy News Network), Hearings begin on Georgia Power proposal to raise rates 12% (AP)

NUKES: Japan's restart of nuclear reactors will help Europe's winter energy supply -IEA chief says (Reuters)

GRID: Applications for new power generation in US Midwest set record high -MISO (Reuters), How a Colorado-based lab is helping Puerto Rico's energy grid (Axios)

EVs: For China’s auto market, electric isn’t the future. It’s the present. (New York Times $), Stellantis and Uber join forces on electric vehicles market in France (Reuters), Hertz is teaming up with oil giant BP to install thousands of EV chargers in the US (CNBC, Wall Street Journal $), Hertz wants to turn its airport rental-car lots into EV-charging hubs (Canary Media, E&E News)

AVIATION: Nations seek aviation climate pact despite global tensions (Reuters), Prototype electric airplane takes first flight (AP)

FOOD: Eating seasonally and locally has many benefits. Is fighting the climate crisis one of them? (CNN)

BUSINESSES: Businesses race for US climate incentives (Wall Street Journal $)

INTERNATIONAL: Climate campaigner ejected from Labour event sponsored by Drax power plant firm (The Guardian), Labour will launch publicly owned Great British Energy, Starmer vows (The Guardian), No room to cut: Rising inflation traps Bangladesh climate migrants (Thomson Reuters Foundation), There are many distractions around climate issues, UAE minister (CNBC)

• Farmers are facing a new wave of climate challenges — the 2023 Farm Bill must help them (The Hill, Cindy Clark op-ed)
• For Puerto Rico, the right hurricane recovery is renewable energy (The Hill, Eduardo Bhatia and Michael Liebman op-ed)
• California spends billions rebuilding burned towns. The case for calling it quits (LA Times, Erika D. Smith and Anita Chabria Column $)
• Rural climate skeptics are costing us time and money. Do we keep indulging them? (LA Times, Erika D. Smith and Anita Chabria Column $)
• Pakistan has a narrow window to boost climate resilience (Washington Post, Erum A. Haider analysis $)
• Labour’s low-carbon plans look like sensible economic policy (The Guardian, Fiona Harvey Analysis)
• Is Putin fully weaponizing the Nord Stream pipelines? (Bloomberg, Javier Blas op-ed $)
• Remote work works for the environment (The Hill, John Williams op-ed)
• As Hurricane Ian threatens Florida, the National Weather Service shines (The Hill, Jordan Gerth op-ed)
• Hurricane Fiona devastated Puerto Rico. When will these Americans get the support they need? (LA Times, Karina Nicole González op-ed $)
• The Mississippi water crisis is the tip of the global disaster to come (Washington Post, Katrina vanden Heuvel column $)
• Europe’s oil majors are easier pickings in market turmoil (Bloomberg, Liam Denning column $)
• ESG threat goes beyond BlackRock (Wall Street Journal, Paul H. Tice op-ed $)
• Manchin’s infrastructure bill includes federal power grab for high-voltage transmission (The Hill, Robert Bryce op-ed)
• As Hurricane Ian nears, Florida’s grid should benefit from lessons of the past (The Hill, Theodore J. Kury op-ed)
• The Jones Act strands hurricane aid (Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board $)
• Water is expensive in California. a new bill could change that (San Francisco Chronicle, Susana De Anda and Michael Claiborne op-ed)
• Putin’s war is a crime against the planet (New York Times, Tom Friedman op-ed $)

WSJ Laments Lack of "Saner Counsels," Then Platforms Tobacco-Serving Extremists Defending Fascism and Fossil Fuels

The opinion page of Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal is one of the most disinformation-rich environments still considered to be mainstream media. They've run over a thousand pieces of climate disinformation over the past two and a half decades, and there's no sign they're slowing down, what with their the Infowars Investing fight against ESG, and the SEC, and wokewashing fossil fuel development. And if you thought their defenses of fossil fuel companies profiteering off of Putin's war on Ukraine was as bad as it could get, then buckle up!* 

Because now Putin's war, and the fossil fuel price spike triggered by it and Covid, has a new culprit scapegoat: Barack Obama. Yes, columnist Holman Jenkins Jr. found a way to blame the (Black) President who hasn't been in office since 2016 for Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. How? Well because apparently "the sainted Barack Obama was actually the pivotal figure," in that somehow (Jenkins doesn't even attempt to explain causation) Obama convinced Germany to make itself dependent on Russia's gas, by "abandoning on behalf of the Western world the idea of fighting climate change with taxes in favor of pretending to fight it with handouts to alternative energy interests. " 

Yes, it's Obama who's to blame for the non-existence of  a carbon tax in the US (something Jenkins, like Exxon, pretends to endorse as an excuse to constantly argue against viable climate action) and that, in turn, is also the reason why Germany's shift away from fossil fuels has left it dependent on Russian fossil fuels. Jenkins leaves it up to the reader to jump to the conclusion to justify the headline that "Obama led Germany into Putin's energy trap," only mentioning him once in the column otherwise blaming everyone but Putin for Putin's energy trap (and all those deaths in Ukraine, which aren't even given a passing mention.) 

Seemingly unaware of the victim-blaming Putin apologia on his own pages, a few days later Editor at Large Gerard Baker published his own column, about "the unsettling disconnect between the seriousness of the challenges we face and the public discourse that is supposed to be addressing them." Apparently "both sides" are to blame for being "too eager to point out the mania in the other's rhetorical obsessions but deny the delusion in their own." As examples, he cites a former president's claim to have thought about declassifying documents to be sufficient to excuse his theft and mishandling of highly sensitive classified information relevant to national security, compared to Stacey Abram's scientifically accurate statement about fetal heartbeats being "manufactured sound." 

Bodily autonomy and psychic declassification powers are, to Baker, equally ridiculous. Fortunately, he knows who to blame: "modern technology has created a platform that elevates extreme voices at the expense of saner counsels." 

Ah! Of course! So who might Baker's "saner counsels" be? Well let's take a look at who else the WSJ opinion page is publishing! 

Hours after Baker's column came an op-ed by Steve Milloy, the man still running his "Junk Science" program, originated as part of his work as a Big Tobacco lawyer, and operating now to defend fossil fuels with the same exact playbook Milloy used to defend tobacco in the 90s. 

So what is the "saner counsel" on offer from disinformation distributor Steve Milloy? That GOP candidates shouldn't use the "I am not a scientist" line when asked if they accept the reality that climate change is caused by fossil fuels (something the WSJ editorial board has refused to admit). Instead, "the better response is to befuddle the attacker or change the subject" and "prepare tension-breaking quips" like that Biden is "trying to control the weather by sending vast sums of taxpayer money to communist China." 

You know, totally sane stuff. But that's actually Milloy's restrained side. "For the bolder politician," he advises, in all his tobacco-and-coal-funded-wisdom, "there's also always the ballistic, Trumpian response." You see, because the New York Times wants to embarrass deniers by catching them saying "climate change is a hoax", doing it with certainty and bombast" robs them of that scoop. 

Baker complains about a lack of saner counsel, while the WSJ runs a smoking shill's advice that Republicans dodge questions of substance about acknowledging the science of climate and fossil fuels, and instead behave like Trump, embracing full-on "climate change is a hoax" denial.

And even THAT isn't the most ridiculous thing on the WSJ's opinion page on Wednesday! Because it also handed its platform to two Italians affiliated with a tobacco-linked, industry-defending front group. Their "saner counsel"? Italy's incoming Prime Minister Giogia Meloni "is no fascist," because she opposed Italy's Covid-19 policies, which they describe as "the most authoritarian policy Italians experienced in generations since World War II." 

Yes, the politician with a party with deep roots to Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, whose predecessor said "we are all heirs of Il Duce," presents "no risk of authoritarianism" because she opposed measures to protect public health in the face of a global pandemic. 

So glad the WSJ's opinion page doesn't debase itself by elevating "extremist voices at the expense of saner counsels." 

*Fun fact: the WSJ editorial board was opposed to mandatory seat belt laws, calling them an "unwarranted exercise of government power" in a 1972 editorial, "Not Big Brother, Big Daddy."

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up to receive Hot News every morning!

Send updates or feedback to nkauffman@climatenexus.org
Submit events and other items for consideration for a First Look using this form
Some articles require logins or subscriptions ($)