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Unionized EVs Are Big Victory For UAW At Ohio GM-LG Factory: Workers at the first factory built specifically to produce EVs and parts voted overwhelmingly to unionize, officials said Friday. By a 710-16 vote, workers at Ultimum Cells in Warren, Ohio, a joint venture of LG Energy and General Motors, voted to join the United Auto Workers. The victory is especially significant because so much EV manufacturing investment is happening in Southern states hostile to organized labor but generous with big corporate subsidies. “If the companies that are being given huge subsidies to fight climate change from the federal government are using that money to pull jobs out of the industrial heartland and moving them somewhere else, it will be impossible to sustain the middle class and fight climate change,” Damon Silvers, former AFL-CIO policy director, told the Washington Post. “This is the thing that I think is missing in the environmental discourse about climate change,” Silvers added. “Fighting climate change is a political and economic fight and you’ve got to have the support of working people to win that fight.” (Washington Post $, AP, CNBC, Reuters, CNN, Bloomberg $, New York Times $, Wall Street Journal $, Jalopnik)

Big Oil's Big Lies Revealed In Emails Obtained By House Oversight Investigation: Major oil companies BP, Chevron, Exxon, and Shell, and the trade group the American Petroleum Institute, intentionally crafted the appearance of support for clean energy and environmental protection while internally working to ensure "the continued promotion of natural gas," documents released Friday by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform show. The documents, released as a part of an ongoing House investigation into the oil and gas industry's climate denial and greenwashing, "demonstrate how the fossil fuel industry ‘greenwashed’ its public image with promises and actions that oil and gas executives knew would not meaningfully reduce emissions, even as the industry moved aggressively to lock in continued fossil fuel production for decades to come — actions that could doom global efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change,” Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and environment subcommittee chair Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said in a statement. The internal emails include a warning from Bob Stout, BP's former U.S. VP and head of regulatory affairs, admitting BP's intention to make methane gas a permanent "destination fuel," adding "We would not want to spell all this out, but also not implicitly concede the point by referring to it mainly as a ‘bridge.'" The documents also include incredulity at criticism of oil majors' sale of oil and gas assets to smaller, less accountable firms. (Washington Post $, Reuters, The Guardian, NBC, Bloomberg $, CNN, CNBC, The Hill, Politico, NBC, E&E $, Al Jazeera)

JetBlue Says It Will Reduce Pollution Instead Of Buying Offsets: JetBlue is taking back its 2020 promise to offset greenhouse gas pollution from its domestic US flights and will instead focus on cutting its per-seat pollution in half by using "sustainable aviation fuels" generated from waste or plants. The aviation sector is responsible for a massive amount of climate pollution, made even worse by the lack of high-speed rail in the U.S., but carbon offsets and the flashy purchasing thereof, have been shown to rarely reduce real-world pollution and can perpetuate devastating exploitation of Indigenous land and resources. Early last year, United Airlines also decided against buying carbon offsets, opting instead to invest in CCS efforts. (The Verge, Reuters, Bloomberg $)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: In Appalachia, Margo Miller leads from a ‘place of courageous joy’ (New York Times $), Flint water crisis charges dismissed against ex-Gov. Snyder (AP, The Hill, Washington Examiner)

EAST AFRICA: Horror of a hotter world on stark display in parched east Africa (Bloomberg $)

KEYSTONE SPILL: Keystone pipeline leaks 14,000 barrels of oil into creek in biggest spill yet (The Guardian, AP, Business Insider, Politico Pro $, New York Times $), Kansas residents hold their noses as crews mop up massive US oil spill (Reuters, CBS, NBC), Feds crack down on largest-ever Keystone pipeline leak (E&E $), TC Energy says has not found cause of Keystone oil pipeline leak (Reuters), Keystone oil pipeline to attempt partial restart after 14,000-barrel spill (Bloomberg $)

NET ZERO, OR SOMETHING: Wall Street’s biggest names are backing off their climate commitments (Grist)

FLOCKING TO FIRE: Americans are flocking to wildfire country (CNBC)

DOUBLE WHAMMIES: Utility bills rise as Americans pay off storm-recovery costs for decades to come (Wall Street Journal $)

COP27: How EJ activists helped reverse U.S. opposition to climate aid (E&E News), 'Arrogance and stupidity': Kerry revisits climate aid decision (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: John Kerry examining likely impact of new UK coalmine (The Guardian), Biden is bringing Africa’s leaders to Washington, hoping to impress (New York Times $)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Europe cold snap tests gas reserves after Russian supply cut (Wall Street Journal $), European Central Bank warns that an EU gas price cap risks financial stability (CNBC), Turkey is strengthening its energy ties with Russia (New York Times $), A new era for Germany’s gas industry fuels climate fears (DeSmog)

FYI: Eco-friendly' marketing is usually bullshit (Lifehacker), False claim climate activists want to reduce carbon emissions by killing dogs (USA Today, fact check)

GOP vs. ESG: The weird Republican turn against corporate social responsibility (Vox)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Climate law won't achieve Biden CO2 goals — report (E&E $)

• SIDE DEALS: Manchin calls for Senate vote on permitting reform, warns of billions of dollars stranded without it (Utility Dive)

EPA: EPA proposes rule targeting HFC use in refrigerators and air conditioners (Politico Pro $, E&E News), EPA vows to issue revised lead pipeline rule in 2024 (E&E $)

TREASURY: Insurance regulators attack Biden plan to assess climate risk (E&E News)

WHITE HOUSE: ‘Buy America’ dispute boils over in the water sector (E&E News), EPA senior aide heads to the White House (E&E $), White House adds environmental justice hires (E&E $)

THE HILL: Bill would close tax loopholes for oil companies after record earnings (Jalopnik), House, Senate OK disaster, wildfire preparedness bills (E&E $)

HOUSE: Climate conspiracy theories to return with GOP-run House (E&E $), Conservative climate groups to wield power in GOP House (E&E $), House advances giant Texas storm surge project in water bill (AP), Ready to ‘clean up’: Ex-Fla. disaster chief to join Congress (E&E News)

SENATE: What Sinema’s defection means for the Senate (E&E News)

(INTERNATIONAL) POLITICS: How political will often favors a coal billionaire and his dirty fossil fuel (Washington Post $), Rural voters ‘in the trenches’ on climate, leery of Biden (AP)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Davante Lewis ousts incumbent from PSC, becomes first openly LGBTQ state elected official (NOLA.com), Allies demand vote on stalled Interior nominee (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Wish you were here. Ignore the floods and fires. (New York Times $)

• COLORADO: Colo. aims for 100% EVs with no gasoline bans (E&E News), Colorado's new wolf plan is likely to reignite political tensions (HuffPost), 
• FLORIDA: Florida lawmakers set to begin special session on insurance (AP), Florida lawmakers to tackle ballooning property-insurance crisis (Wall Street Journal $), 
• ILLINOIS: Illinois clean energy law’s failed promises: No new jobs or job-training (Inside Climate News)
• CALIFORNIA: California grid operator unveils final proposal for voluntary day-ahead electricity market (Utility Dive), 

FERC: FERC tees up transmission rule for what may be Glick's last meeting (Politico Pro $)

SCIENCE: Behavioral scientists’ appeal to climate researchers: Study the bias (Inside Climate News)

IMPACTS: Climate change is driving millions to the precipice of a ‘raging food catastrophe’ (Inside Climate News), Climate change sets back Winter Olympics decision for Salt Lake City (Axios), Heat in the southern US is off the charts to start December (Washington Post $), Is emergency shelter fit for purpose? (The New Humanitarian), Most coastal California airports face flood risks — report (E&E $), Ski resorts are melting. Here's what that means for winter vacations (CNN), Sri Lanka shuts schools as extreme weather brings pollution (AP), The Dead Sea is dying. These beautiful, ominous photos show the impact (NPR), What the future looks like with the new normal of hotter, drier and longer droughts (NPR), Wish you were here. Ignore the floods and fires. (New York Times $), Finding safe haven in the climate change future: Alaska and Hawaii (Yahoo), Storm blowing through California dumps snow in Sierra (AP)

THE 'FIND OUT' GENERATION: Gen Z’s antiwork mentality has a lot to do with the ‘world crumbling’ around them (Fortune)

WILDFIRES: Calif. wildfire smoke blocked solar power to the grid (E&E $)

HURRICANES: What’s the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a cyclone? (Yale Climate Connections)

DROUGHT: Devastating drought upends life in the Andes (Gizmodo)

CLIMATE TECH: The steady progress of climate tech (Axios), Hacking the planet may be closer than you think (Axios), Inside the search for a better electric vehicle battery (Axios), Climate tech's parity challenge (Axios), Big Tech's mixed record on climate (Axios), The dirty side of clean tech (Axios)

RENEWABLES: NIMBYs warm to renewables in Europe’s most polluting economy (Bloomberg $)

BATTERIES: US utilities to triple battery storage capacity by 2025, EIA says (Reuters)

BUILDINGS: ‘Life changing’: The social housing helping to cut heating bills in Norwich (The Guardian), Heat pumps are an energy upgrade for homeowners that’s becoming a climate and financial winner (CNBC), As both incentives and gas prices increase, Coloradans look to electrifying homes as a solution (Denver Post), Leaky air ducts can undermine heat-pump performance. Aeroseal has a fix (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS: Oil companies are doing great, thanks for asking (Gizmodo), How Exxon Mobil’s CEO views energy shortages and increasing profits (Wall Street Journal $), Qatar extends its natural gas dominance at Russia’s expense (New York Times $), The price of oil falls as signs of slower production growth increase (Houston Chronicle)

PLASTICS: California’s two largest cities ban plastic foam (Grist), Earthshot Prize-winner's solution for world's plastic problem? Seaweed (CBS)

HYDROGEN: Giant renewable hydrogen plant planned in Texas (E&E $), Hydrogen pipeline between Spain and France to cost $2.6 bln (Reuters)

UTILITIES: State regulators reject appeal by Xcel, CenterPoint to recoup full winter storm costs (Star Tribune $), Xcel Energy's newest proposed rate hike comes as a shock to some Colorado customers (CBS)

GRID: A united Western grid? Two new proposals help mark the way. (E&E $), Attacks on grid infrastructure in 4 states raise alarm (E&E News)

EVs: Electric school buses are giving kids a cleaner, but costlier, ride to class (CNBC), Electric vehicles: Who's ahead, who's behind (CBS), Electrifying trucking would require a major chunk of the US power grid, transportation institute says (Utility Dive), How automakers are leaning on dealerships in electric vehicle charging race (The Hill), Jay Leno on electric cars, hydrogen fuel, space travel—and his recent accident (Wall Street Journal $), Mercedes-Benz commits to making electric vehicles in Thailand (Bloomberg $), Stellantis to close Illinois plant, lay off more than 1,000 workers, citing rising costs for EVs (CNN, Reuters), Twin Cities electric vehicle car-share program finds success after false start (Energy News Network), Volvo urges Australia to enact new heavy-duty electric truck law (Bloomberg $), In a future filled with electric cars, AM radio may be left behind (New York Times $)

• VANS: Mercedes Benz plans euro 1.3 billion e-van plant in Poland (AP), Forget the F-150 Lightning and Hummer EV. Ford and GM's real battle is for electric delivery vans. (Business Insider)

NUKES: US to announce fusion energy ‘breakthrough’ (Washington Post $, FT $)

🐦🗑️🔥: Elton John is quitting Twitter, saying platform’s policy shift will let misinformation flourish (CNN)

MENTAL HEALTH: Finding the antidote to climate anxiety in stories about taking action (Inside Climate News)

WORLD CUP: The World Cup is missing its climate goals. It should still keep taking shots. (Vox)

ARTSY ACTIVISM: Does some art deserve to be attacked by climate activists? (NPR), Why activists are targeting famous art to protest climate change (PBS NewsHour)

DIRECT ACTION: Climate activists from France and Italy block Mount Blanc tunnel (Reuters)

AGRICULTURE: A rigged game? Poultry farmers complain of big debt, unreliable income (Charlotte Observer), An Indian spiritual leader is urging the world to ‘save soil.’ Experts say he’s not helping. (Grist), Midwest farms are using more cover crops. Why that’s good news. (Washington Post $), Soil in the Midwest is eroding up to 1,000 times faster than it forms, UMass Amherst study finds (Boston Globe $), Thanks in part to climate change, vegetable prices have soared in the US (Yahoo)

BOOKS: 12 titles that make the perfect holiday gift for occasional climate readers (Yale Climate Connections)

BUSINESSES: How Microsoft is integrating environmental justice into business development (Greenbiz), These sustainable watch brands make a case for slow fashion (New York Times $), With Tesla battery packs and largest hydrogen tank in Japan, Panasonic tests a factory of the future (CNBC)

WILDLIFE: Animals are running out of places to live (New York Times $), Climate change is hammering insects — in the tropics and everywhere else: Scientists (Mongabay), Climate change, human activity 'decimating' marine life, according to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ABC)

• COP15: At COP15, US is pushing key nature goals from the sidelines (Context), The world comes to Montreal to reverse a rise in species extinction (New York Times $)

INTERNATIONAL: At least a dozen climate activists face jail time under NSW laws used to lock up Violet Coco (The Guardian), Australia to cap prices of coal, gas to drive down energy bills (Reuters), Canada unveils first critical minerals strategy (Politico Pro $), China central bank calls for green finance regulation to be strengthened (Reuters), Cumbria coalmine protests planned as local opposition grows (The Guardian), Japan’s climate policy ‘failed to build on the legacy of Kyoto’ (The Guardian)

• The GOP’s war on green investing is bad for the climate — and investors (LA Times, Michael Hiltzik column $)
• Home energy prices for all fuels are skyrocketing: Biden and Congress need to act (The Hill, Mark Wolfe op-ed)
• Federal legislation completely changed the energy landscape. How do states take advantage of it? (Utility Dive, Carrie Zalewski, Tetyana Rabczak and Robert Haggart op-ed)
• Tesla’s Semi finds a sweet spot (Bloomberg, Brooke Sample op-ed $)
• We’re succeeding on climate. We’ll fail on biodiversity (Bloomberg, David Fickling op-ed $)
• Banks for the planet: The future of financing (The Hill, Deborah Brosnan op-ed)
• We are tearing holes in the fabric of life on Earth (CNN, Jane Alexander op-ed)
• Electricity transformer funding: a wonky but necessary solution to a critical resilience problem (The Hill, Johan Cavert op-ed)
• Businesses must invest in nature to keep the 1.5C goal in reach (Context, Maria Mendiluce op-ed)
• The Observer view on the indefensible decision to open a deep coal mine in a climate crisis (The Guardian, Observer Editorial)
• What COP27 meant for the ocean — and for all of us (The Hill, Peter de Menocal op-ed)
• Progressives should have supported Manchin’s permitting reforms: Here’s why (The Hill, Catherine Wolfram op-ed)
• Vanguard defects from the climate club (Wall Street Journal Editorial Board $)

Congressional Investigation Confirms Big Oil's Decades of Climate Disinformation

Last Friday, the House Oversight Committee released its latest report on Big Oil. New documents from companies "demonstrate how the fossil fuel industry 'greenwashed' its public image with promises and actions that oil and gas executives knew would not meaningfully reduce emissions, even as the industry moved aggressively to lock in continued fossil fuel production for decades to come – actions that could doom global efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change." 

Democratic Rep. Rho Khanna of California told NBC Shell, Chevron, BP, and the American Petroleum Institute (API) were "basically saying, ‘we’re going to increase production, we’re going to increase emissions, but we’re also going to be able to claim being this clean tech company, this green company, because we can take some symbolic actions that make it look like we’re in the climate fight.” Khanna continued, “The cynicism was breathtaking, and unfortunately, it was quite successful. It’s been a successful PR strategy.”

This is a multifaceted strategy that covers a lot of ground. For example, as climate disinfo researcher Geoffrey Supran pointed out, the "report should also be another red flag to universities that oil & gas companies are using academics as pawns of climate propaganda. An internal PR strategy memo to BP targets Princeton as a 'partner' that will help in 'authenticating BP’s commitment to low carbon.'" 

And if you think there's no issue with universities taking industry money, consider the recent study that found "fossil-funded centres are more favourable in their reports towards natural gas than towards renewable energy, and tweets are more favourable when they mention funders by name." 

This propaganda spending is important for the industry to keep up appearances, because the "documents reveal that the industry has no real plans to clean up its act and is barreling ahead with plans to pump more dirty fuels for decades to come," according to Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the House Oversight chair.  

For example, while API's 2021 Climate Action Framework was meant to signal the trade association’s support for climate action, the House investigation uncovered an internal API email that shows the Framework "was organized around the purpose of 'the continued promotion of natural gas in a carbon constrained economy.'"

Maloney called on "the fossil fuel industry to stop lying to the American people and finally take serious steps to reduce emissions and address the global climate crisis they helped create" instead of "prioritizing Big Oil’s record profits over the human costs of climate change." 

We're not going to hold our breath waiting for the industry to do anything it's not forced to do by regulators. After all, as Senator Sheldon Whitehouse put it, "Second only to hydrocarbons, the biggest product of the fossil fuel industry is lies."

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