FIRST LOOK: 

Inflation Slows But Gas Exports Keep Pushing Electricity Prices Up: Even as inflation is slowing across the economy, electricity prices remain high as methane gas exports shrink supplies and increase prices of the fossil fuel burned to generate a plurality of American electricity, USA Today reports. The U.S. became the world's biggest LNG exporter in 2022, “for the first time in history, binding American household energy bills to global calamities," Mark Wolfe, director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, wrote in a letter to DOE Sec. Jennifer Granholm last fall. And things are about to get worse, as Freeport LNG resumes operations after a massive explosion at the export facility in Texas last summer. U.S. LNG is in high demand in the short term because Europe — also dependent on methane gas for heat and electricity — is scrambling to limit its reliance on Russian gas while it transitions to cleaner energy sources in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine last February. America’s failure to more quickly transition to clean energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels is also hurting those who heat their homes with fossil fuels, forcing many to depend on burning wood to keep warm. (USA Today; Freeport LNG: Reuters)

Springing 10 Seconds Forward To Doomsday: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set its Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight on Tuesday — the closest the metaphoric clock has ever been to the apocalyptic hour. Originally conceived as a symbolic measure of humanity's proximity to global nuclear destruction in 1947, the Bulletin officially began including climate change in its calculations in 2007. Set at 100 seconds to midnight from 2020-2022, the Bulletin said it moved the clock 10 seconds ahead “largely but not exclusively” because of “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the increased risk of nuclear escalation,” in addition to the worsening impacts of climate change, "unabated" online disinformation, and the continued threat of disease outbreaks. In addition to a humanitarian crisis caused by Russian atrocities in Ukraine itself, the war has set off and exacerbated energy crises and food shortages (which are also exacerbated by drought and climate-fueled flooding) around the world. (New York Times $, AP, CNN, Reuters, The Hill, Reuters, explainer)

Alleged Mastermind Of Pereira, Phillips Murders Arrested In Brazil. Brazilian law enforcement officials identified Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, an alleged illegal fishing trafficker and gang leader, as the mastermind behind the murders of Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips last summer. Police officials say Pereira was working with local Indigenous communities to monitor and collect evidence of illegal fishing activity and thus threatened Villar's business. (New York Times $, AP, The Guardian, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Mongabay, Le Monde, Daily Beast, ABC AU)

Reports Highlight Potential Of Offshore Wind: Multiple reports highlight the need for strategic planning and investment in U.S. offshore wind energy resources. The U.S. could waste as much as $20 billion if it fails to strategically plan how to efficiently integrate offshore wind into the larger electrical grid, warns a new Brattle report commissioned by several climate- and clean energy-focused organizations. That report follows a paper, released Monday by the Business Network for Offshore Wind and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, finding the U.S. must invest $22.4 billion in building at least 34 new manufacturing facilities to meet the Biden administration goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030. The offshore wind sector has the potential to create tens of thousands of union jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors. "With that job, I made enough money to buy my first home," Maximo Decaba, who helped paint the wind turbines at the Block Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island, told NPR. "It's time we get off fossil fuels, and it's time people make an honest living with green energy." (Planning: TIME; Required investment: Utility Dive, Renewable Energy Mag; Jobs: NPR)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Florida’s anti-woke laws deny existence of systemic racism (Yes Magazine)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Germany still years away from replacing Russian gas capacity (Bloomberg $), Pakistanis make light of frequent power blackouts (Reuters), Putin’s energy weapon is losing its power (OilPrice), US to boost pressure on China to stop importing Iran oil, envoy says (Bloomberg $), The eviction of Lützerath: The village being destroyed for a coalmine – a photo essay (The Guardian)

• UK POWER SAVING: Brits are being paid to cut power use, as cold snap threatens supply (CNBC), ‘The kids loved it’: readers on taking part in National Grid energy-saving trial (The Guardian), UK homes asked to curb power for second day as wind fades (Bloomberg $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Climate change may usher in a new era of trade wars (New York Times $, The Conversation), Latin America, Caribbean call for more international funding at CELAC summit (Reuters)

DENIAL & MONETIZED DELUSION: How did a viral story about whales go so wrong? (WNYC)

GOP vs. ESG: Musk tweets proxy voting firms have 'far too much power' (Reuters)

BIG GREENS: The Sierra Club tries to move past John Muir, George Floyd and #MeToo (New York Times $)

MEDIA: Journalistic integrity requires a reckoning with how news media covers the criminal legal system (Prism Reports)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Fine print on labor in US climate bill complicates rush for tax credits (Bloomberg $), US touts Biden green subsidies to lure clean tech from Europe (FT $)

AGENCIES: Environmental advocates express frustration over Biden regulation delays (The Hill), NOAA denies request for emergency help for right whales (E&E $)

• FDA: FDA proposes limits for lead in baby food (Wall Street Journal $, CNN, CBS, New York Times $, E&E $, USA Today, Axios, NBC, CNBC, Reuters)

EPA: Biden's nominee to lead solid waste office [Carlton Waterhouse] to exit EPA (E&E $, Politico Pro $)

DOI: Frustrations mount as National Park Service studies pile up (E&E News), NEPA lawsuit targets large N.M. lease sale (E&E $)

TREASURY: Yellen calls for urgent action to improve food security, climate resilience in Africa (Reuters), Yellen has tough act to follow as Russia, China woo Africa (Bloomberg $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: The Federal Reserve is starting a climate experiment (Vox)

WHITE HOUSE: How the White House found EJ areas without using race (E&E News), Biden administration threatens veto of GOP bill restricting strategic oil reserve releases (The Hill), Ex-Biden White House aide [Sonia Aggarwal] returns to climate policy firm [Energy Innovation] (E&E $), Biden administration unveils roadmap for a greener, more equitable transportation sector (Grist)

THE HILL: Fact-checking 3 claims about the GOP oil bill and White House response (Washington Post $), House Democrats blast GOP oil reserve bill as ‘reckless’ (The Hill), McCarthy blocks Democrats Schiff, Swalwell from Intelligence Committee (Washington Post $), Republicans insist they have a climate plan (E&E News)

ELECTIONS: Can Sinema buck the climate left and get reelected? (E&E $)

NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: White House renominates Interior, EPA, DOE picks (E&E $)

TRIBES: South Dakota tribe: Storm deaths ‘could have been prevented’ (AP)

CITIES AND STATES AND DISENFRANCHISED COLONIAL TERRITORIES: US states seek to lure European clean tech groups (FT $, OilPrice), Can cities eliminate heat-related deaths in a warming world? Phoenix is trying (Grist), Recovering from wildfire, New Mexico bill passes first test (AP), Seattle-area agency distributes free air filtration kits to low-income residents (Yale Climate Connections), Virginia county struggles to streamline difficult solar permitting process (Energy News Network), Cheap sewer pipe repairs can push toxic fumes into homes and schools – here’s how to lower the risk (The Conversation)

• CALIFORNIA: Calif. leaders want to ramp up offshore wind (E&E $), Regulators nix proposal on California’s last nuclear plant (AP)
• MAINE: New plan would accelerate offshore wind power in the Gulf of Maine (WMTW, Sun Journal, Maine Public Radio)
• PUERTO RICO: As Puerto Rico moves to privatize generation, DOE study outlines 3 pathways to 100% renewables (Utility Dive)

FERC: FERC enters 2023 with a new leader, a vacant seat and an agenda topped by transmission and grid reliability (Utility Dive), Groups push the White House to announce FERC nominee (E&E $)

IMPACTS: Climate change is making power outages more common (Boston Globe $), Climate is forcing the most risk-aware industry to reinvent itself (Bloomberg $), How climate disasters cause lasting harm for low-income homes (E&E $), January storms leave L.A. County flood-control dams at risk of overflowing (LA Times $), Snow go: New York City's winter is missing the white stuff (Reuters), Humanitarian crises could worsen in Haiti, Venezuela, says aid group (Reuters)

NOT IMPACTS: Giant iceberg breaks off from Antarctica. Aerial view is ‘spectacular’ (Washington Post $, CBS, Gizmodo, BBC, Newsweek)

DROUGHT: Horn of Africa may see record sixth straight failed rainy season (Axios), Where lightning struck the least in 2022, and why that was worrisome (Washington Post $)

WATER: Arizona judge won’t compel Scottsdale to share water (AP)

DEFORESTATION: Meet the new guardian of the Amazon (New York Times $), Investigation faults Liberian agency protecting rainforest (AP)

RENEWABLES: Georgia leading US solar manufacturing (Bloomberg $), GE sees annual profit below estimates amid renewables woes (Bloomberg $, Reuters), GE CEO [Larry] Culp on earnings, renewables, shrinking company (Bloomberg interview $), Geothermal energy could be off-ramp for Texas oil (The Hill)

BUILDINGS: Want to break up with your gas fireplace? Here’s how to convert it. (Washington Post $)

STORAGE: Global energy storage investment jumped 55% in 2022 as funds shifted from private equity to public markets (Utility Dive)

EFFICIENCY: Why conservatives are accusing the Xbox of being ‘woke’ (Washington Post $)

OIL & GAS: Matador to buy advance energy for $1.6 billion to add Permian assets (Bloomberg $), Norway plans to offer record number of Arctic oil, gas exploration blocks (Reuters), OPEC+ set to keep oil production unchanged (OilPrice), Uganda begins oil drilling, hopes for production by 2025 (AP), Natural gas shortages hit China as temperatures plunge (New York Times $), Exxon halts routine gas flaring in the Permian, wants others to follow (Reuters)

NUKES: Nuclear power demand pushes old plants to the limit (Bloomberg $), How long is it safe to extend Europe’s nuclear reactors? (Bloomberg $), US approves first small modular nuclear reactor design (Gizmodo, Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: [New York] State grid operator reprimands transmission developer for lobbying (Politico Pro $), PG&E plan to sell fossil, renewable plants meets resistance (E&E $)

EVs: EVs cut bills for most people, but not the poorest — study (E&E $), A $3.6 billion EV charging boost is still a missed opportunity (Bloomberg $), Renters need EV charging at home. These companies aim to provide it (Canary Media), Tesla plans $3.6 bln Nevada expansion to make Semi truck, battery cells (Reuters, Wall Street Journal $, Axios)

• WORDS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?: Elon Musk admits Tesla investors would rely on 'funding secured' tweet (Axios), Key takeaways from Musk's second day of testimony in fraud trial (Bloomberg $)

ALL ABOARD!: Long Island commuters to arrive at Grand Central for first time (Bloomberg $)

• WORKERS: Railroads offer paid sick days, schedule changes to retain employees (Bloomberg $), Union Pacific 4Q profit slips 4% on weather, hiring problems (AP)

BOOKS: Notable new books on climate and the environment (FT $)

CARBON CAPTURE: Oil-sands’ carbon capture moonshot faces hurdle of scarce labor (Bloomberg $)

FINANCE: Bank funding for renewables stagnates vs oil and gas - report (Reuters), India's first green bond sale to command 'greenium' on strong demand - sources (Reuters), State Street boss says facts ‘left aside’ in attacks on ESG funds (FT $)

TV: Amazon’s ‘The Rig’ brings new energy to old eco terrors (Grist)

IN MEMORIAM: In a border graveyard, volunteers exhume migrants’ bodies and search for their families (Texas Tribune)

WILDLIFE: Silencing science: How Indonesia is censoring wildlife research (Yale Environment 360)

INTERNATIONAL: Australian councils told to cut emissions rather than spend millions on overseas carbon offsets (The Guardian), Denmark's GreenGo to build 4 GW green fuel plant (Reuters), German government sued over failure to meet climate goals (AP), Indian industry turns to biomass as capital bans coal in pollution fight (Reuters), Jacinda Ardern leaves a mixed record on tackling climate change (Bloomberg $), South Africa inquires about rapid deployment of emergency power (Bloomberg $), South Africa government sued by opposition over power crisis (Bloomberg $), UK competition watchdog to ease rules on climate change action (FT $), UK to propose carbon border tax as part of steel industry aid package (FT $)

• Big Oil’s day in court (The Hill, Andreas Karelas op-ed)
• The Doomsday Clock is ticking – clock’s hands move closest ever to midnight and catastrophe (CNN, Jerry Brown, Sharon Squassoni, and Daniel Holz op-ed)
• ExxonMobil shows the perils of corporate science (FT, Anjana Ahuja column $)
• ‘Blood batteries’ drive America’s frantic EV ambitions (Bloomberg, Anjani Trivedi op-ed $)
• How US grid operators can defend against the unprecedented surge in power system attacks (Utility Dive, Ben Joelson op-ed)
• The EU and US must find common ground on subsidies (FT, Editorial Board $)
• North Asia cranks coal imports to fuel industrial reboot (Reuters, Gavin Maguire column)
• EU debt fears hinder US green subsidies riposte (Reuters, Rebecca Christie commentary)
• Oil refining margins are sounding the alarm, again (Bloomberg, Javier Blas column $)
• Building more housing makes it cheaper. Really. (Bloomberg, Justin Fox op-ed $)
• What I learnt in my days on the mountain in Davos (FT, Martin Wolf column $)
• The Supreme Court is concerned about its own security — what about ours? (The Hill, Michael Dell op-ed)
• How an oil expert heading COP28 could transform climate action (Energy Monitor, Philippa Nuttall op-ed)

Daily Caller Misrepresents Lobster Industry Threat to Whales in Order to Attack Offshore Wind

The Daily Caller can't stop, won’t stop spreading climate disinformation! On Saturday, the outlet ran a piece by professional climate disinformer Vijay Jayaraj, and then on Sunday, The Daily Caller published the latest demonstration of why it should be considered a pay-to-play propaganda producer and not a real media outlet, despite its status as a Facebook-approved fact-checker. In the Sunday piece by contributor John Hugh DeMastri, the outlet brazenly misrepresents a letter the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sent Democratic senators last December. 

The 2023 omnibus spending bill included a loophole that would exempt the lobster fishing industry from environmental regulations that protect endangered right whales, which get entangled in lobster lines and die. In a (futile) attempt to sway Democratic senators against this, the CBD explained the danger at length, and went on to warn that if the lobster industry continues to kill right whales, it could trigger the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 

At that point, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would need to roll out all the stops to protect the whales from any boats in the area, which could mean "that all offshore wind development along the Atlantic seaboard will have to cease operation." 

CBD was crystal clear that "just like climate deniers, the lobster industry has vehemently fought efforts" to track right whale entanglements back to the company responsible "as part of a strategy to put their profits over the existence of the right whale." 

There's no way any honest reading of the letter would justify The Daily Caller's spin, which describes CBD's warning (that lobster fishing might endanger right whales to the point that offshore wind would be impacted) as though CBD were "warning them that offshore wind development might put North Atlantic right whales in danger." 

The letter from CBD, which is not shown in full by The Daily Caller, nevertheless focuses primarily on the lobster industry threat and mentions offshore wind only once. The Daily Caller's story, on the other hand, goes on and on about the supposed threat of wind farms to right whales based on some coincidental whale deaths and only barely mentions the lobster fishing aspect. 

And, in an indication of how thoroughly programmed by this propaganda their own audience is, The Daily Caller unabashedly includes a screenshot of the  CBD letter excerpt in its story, essentially daring readers to pay enough attention to notice that the outlet is spinning this story faster than the blades on an offshore wind turbine. 

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