FIRST LOOK: 

Exxon Destroyed Profit Records In 2022: What could dwarf Chevron's biggest-ever profits of $35.5 billion in 2022 — besides the mounting costs of climate-fueled disasters, of course? You guessed it: ExxonMobil's 2022 profits. Exxon cleared a net profit of $56 billion in 2022, besting its previous record of $45.22 billion in 2008 by more than 23%, making it the most profitable year for any western oil company ever — roughly equivalent to $106,000 in the time it will take you to read this paragraph. Apparently referencing his company's exploitation of the war in Ukraine, record-high gasoline prices, and increased home-heating costs, Exxon CEO Darren Woods credited "a favorable market" for helping enable the company's superlative-defying year. White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said Exxon's "latest earnings reports make clear that oil companies have everything they need, including record profits and thousands of unused but approved permits, to increase production, but they're instead choosing to plough those profits into padding the pockets of executives and shareholders." (Reuters, AP, BBC, NPR, Gizmodo, Wall Street Journal $, Inside Climate News, Bloomberg $, OilPrice, The Hill, Politico Pro $, E&E $, CNN, FT $, Wall Street Journal $)

Biden Admin. Would Allow Alaska Oil Drilling Operation To Proceed: The Biden administration is preparing to effectively approve a scaled-down version of a major oil drilling operation proposed on Alaska's North Slope. ConocoPhillips’ Willow project is seeking to drill in five locations in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The Interior Department's draft "preferred alternative" allowing three drilling locations (the fewest at which the project would still be profitable) effectively signals it would approve such a plan. Over its lifetime, the ConocoPhillips plan would cause at least 278 million metric tons of CO2 pollution, more than 66 coal-fired power plants. The move would sharply contradict recent administration moves to protect wilderness areas from resource extraction. “It is incomprehensible how an administration that is as climate-conscious as this one could even be contemplating letting this project move forward,” EarthJustice president Abigail Dillen told the New York Times. (New York Times $, Washington Post $, OilPrice, Bloomberg Law; Drilling opposition: Alaska Public Media)

EPA Protects Bristol Bay, Vetoes Pebble Mine: The EPA invoked its rarely-used authority under the Clean Water Act to block the proposed Pebble Mine near the headwaters of Alaska's remote Bristol Bay watershed on Tuesday. The agency's final determination under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act represents just the 14th time in that law's 50-year history the EPA has exercised its power to prohibit activity because of the potential impact on water quality and fisheries. The proposed copper and gold mine would have threatened what EPA administrator Michael Regan described as, "the true irreplaceable and invaluable natural wonder that is Bristol Bay,” along with roughly half the global supply of sockeye salmon, which in turn supports 15,000 jobs, and provides subsistence for Native tribes in the region. The decision, the administration's third in two weeks protecting pristine ecosystems from resource extraction, was hailed by environmental groups and Alaska Native communities. The EPA announcement “was a real moment of justice for us,” Alannah Hurley, head of United Tribes of Bristol Bay, told the New York Times. Tribes have been told the mine was inevitable and, "We just need to fall in line," she added. “Thank goodness our tribal leaders did not accept that … We’ll be celebrating this decision for decades to come.” (New York Times $, E&E News, AP, Washington Post $, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media, KDLG, 770 KTTH, Inside Climate News, The Hill, Bloomberg $, E&E News, Axios, Roll Call, NBC, Courthouse News, Bloomberg Law, Reuters; Commentary: (High Country News, Alannah Hurley interview, Esquire, Charles Pierce commentary)

European Renewables Out-Produced Methane Gas In 2022: Renewable energy generation overtook methane gas, limited coal's resurgence, and helped Europe save more than 10 billion euros in gas costs, a report from Ember finds. Renewables produced 22% of EU electricity in 2022, with solar generation increasing by 24% over the previous year. The dramatic increase outlined in the report, driven in significant part by Europe's scramble to minimize its dependence on Russian methane gas, shows the EU goal of reaching 45% renewable energy by 2030 is "ambitious but entirely feasible," European Commission climate chief Frans Timmermans told Politico. (Politico EU, Reuters, Bloomberg $, Energy Monitor, S&P Global, New York Times $, Forbes, EuroNews)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: The IRS targets Black taxpayers, researchers may have uncovered why (The Root), Ron DeSantis plans to defund diversity programs in Florida universities (HuffPost, Blavity)

TYRE NICHOLS: Lawyers ask why the one white cop in the Tyre Nichols case escaped termination (The Root), Harris to attend Tyre Nichols’ funeral (The Hill), Police killings are public executions (Prism Reports)

HAVE (NOTS): Emissions divide now greater within countries than between them – study (The Guardian)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: US presses [Persian] Gulf states, EU to boost aid for drought-hit Somalia (Wall Street Journal $)

COOKING WITH 🧲: J. Kenji López-Alt thinks you’ll be fine with an induction stove (The Atlantic), DOE advances first efficiency rules for gas stoves (E&E)

ENERGY TRANSITION: The urgently needed ‘no regrets’ approach to big batteries, green hydrogen and grid reliability (Utility Dive)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: EU commissioner: we don't want a subsidy war with US (Reuters), EU prepares to offer clean tech tax breaks to compete with US green subsidy push (Wall Street Journal $)

• NEWS YOU CAN USE: This guide can help you save money and fight climate change (New York Times $)

SCOTUS: ‘SCOTUS bait’: Legal battle over Calif. waiver begins (E&E News)

EPA: EPA’s $100 billion climate-aid windfall spurs turmoil (Wall Street Journal $), Report presses EPA to help secure electric vehicle growth (E&E $), Beyond EPA’s veto of Pebble project, activists seek broader protections for Bristol Bay region (Alaska Beacon)

DOE: DOE, other scientists assess alternatives to cobalt for lithium-ion batteries amid concerns (Utility Dive)

DOI: How a defunct Trump policy still threatens Georgia’s Okefenokee swamp (Grist), Watchdog group urges ethics probe of BLM official (E&E News)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: ‘Leftist regime': Lawsuit seeks SEC records on climate rule (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden is touting giant EVs. Are they actually good for the planet? (Washington Post $), Biden pushes to revive policing talks after death of Tyre Nichols (Wall Street Journal $), Biden to release budget on March 9 (Politico Pro $), Watchdog group says White House science integrity measure amounts to a ‘gag rule’ (The Hill)

THE HILL: Congress’ ‘biggest fight’ over climate? It’s the farm bill. (E&E News)

HOUSE: Democrats reintroduce 'Earth Bill' to zero out emissions (E&E $), House Democrats launch project to promote Biden laws (E&E $), House approves bill to address DOE cost-share concerns (E&E $), House Science chair seeks to carve out an independent NOAA (Axios), Interior-EPA appropriator: 'Substantial reductions' coming (E&E $), As Santos passes up his panels, GOP prepares to boot Omar from hers (Politico, E&E $), 

SENATE: Q&A: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (Politico Pro, interview $)

ELECTIONS: Trump bashed EVs in a red state that wants EVs (E&E $), GOP report shows plan to ramp up focus on disproven election fraud claims (Washington Post $)

TRIBES: How Native Americans will shape the future of water in the West (The New Yorker $)

CITIES & STATES & UNREPRESENTED FEDERAL DISTRICTS: Court upholds Minnesota ‘Clean Car Rule’ tied to California (AP), DC lays out proposal for 7,500 EV charging stations in four years (Washington Post $), Maine regulators allow wind, utility project to move forward (AP)

• CALIFORNIA: Calif. climate bill would make companies disclose emissions (AP), Newsom names four new California air regulators (Politico Pro $)

IMPACTS: Dozens of billion-dollar weather disasters hit Earth in 2022 (Yale Climate Connections), New York City is record-breakingly snow free (Gizmodo)

• NEW ZEALAND: Auckland drenched by New Zealand's wettest month on record (Grist), New Zealand prime minister blames climate change for record flooding (Democracy Now)

HEAT: Study finds vast disparities in how heat affects Phoenix residents (Yale Climate Connections)

WATER: As the Colorado River dries up, states can’t agree on saving water (Washington Post $, The Hill), How Colorado River cuts could affect California (New York Times $), New York investors snapping up Colorado River water rights, betting big on an increasingly scarce resource (CBS), California releases its own plan for Colorado River cuts (AP)

RENEWABLES: After slow 2022, US solar power looks to rebound (E&E $), Clean energy is cheaper than coal across the whole US, study finds (Canary Media), New China rule threatens to disrupt US solar ambitions (Wall Street Journal $), US solar prices still soaring as projects stalled (Reuters), Wind-based PPA prices drop for first time since early 2021 while solar prices continue to climb (Utility Dive), The shift to renewable energy is speeding up. Here’s how. (New York Times $), Europe: renewables in 2022 in five charts – and what to expect in 2023 (Energy Monitor)

BATTERIES: GM pumps $650M into contested Nev. lithium mining project (E&E News, Politico Pro $), Lithium Americas stock rises after $650 million General Motors investment (Wall Street Journal $)

LNG: Fire-idled Freeport LNG seeks U.S. approval to start one unit (Reuters)

METHANE: Difficulty measuring methane slows plan to slash emissions (AP)

SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE: US emissions of the world’s most potent greenhouse gas are 56 percent higher than EPA estimates, a new study shows (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS: A $100 billion question: Will Exxon or Chevron go shopping in Europe? (Wall Street Journal $), BP aims to reduce flaring as it focuses on the Permian (Houston Chronicle), Why Florida Republicans don’t want drilling off their own coast (Washington Post $)

HYDROGEN: Johnson Matthey partners with Plug Power to boost hydrogen tech (Reuters)

• SWITCH & BAIT?: Can an economic giant clean up natural gas — and then swap in hydrogen? (Canary Media) 

UTILITIES: As the shift to clean energy ramps up, Wisconsin's top utility regulator says energy efficiency is key (WPR), PSE rethinks pilot program to move people off natural gas (Seattle Times), This utility is blending hydrogen into fossil gas. Can it scale? (Canary Media)

GRID: What is a virtual power plant? (Reuters, explainer), Allete, Grid United plan $2.5B transmission line linking Western, Eastern interconnections (Utility Dive)

EVs: TravelCenters of America to deploy 1,000 EV charging ports by 2028 (Utility Dive, The Verge), Why Wyoming won’t build Biden’s EV chargers (E&E News), Luxury EV maker Lotus agrees to go public at a $5.4 billion valuation (Axios)

ANARCHY IN THE UK: Climate protesters who squashed cake into King Charles waxwork told to pay damages (The Guardian), Greenpeace protesters board Shell platform bound for Shetland (The Guardian)

AGRICULTURE: US universities aren't getting enough funding to tackle agriculture's climate impact (TIME)

BUSINESSES: Many companies boost sustainability budgets despite economic uncertainty (Wall Street Journal $)

FINANCE: Investor group bans carbon removal from CO2 reduction plans (Reuters), Norway wealth fund posts record $164 billion loss (Reuters), Proxy adviser Glass Lewis defends its ESG approach (Reuters)

ART HISTORY: That dreamy haze in Monet’s impressionist paintings? Air pollution, study says (Washington Post $)

FOOD: Which food is better for the planet? (Washington Post $)

IN MEMORIAM: Will Steffen, ‘courageous’ climate scientist, dies in Canberra aged 75 (The Guardian)

WILDLIFE: Many bird species are declining in R.I. — here are 9 that researchers will keep an eye on (Boston Globe $), Temperature extremes, plus ecological marginalization, raise species risk: studies (Mongabay), The Red Sea could be a climate refuge for coral reefs (Inside Climate News), Monarch butterflies wintering in California rebound (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: Scholz seeks to secure more critical minerals on South America tour (Reuters), India’s finance minister announces new clean energy funds (AP)

YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT IT IS: This billion-dollar-selling toy was inspired by heat pumps (Canary Media)

• Atlanta's "Cop City" is putting policing before the climate (Teen Vogue, Hannah Riley and Micah Herskind op-ed)
• Texas has limitless supplies of this clean energy source but oil well fracking tech is the key (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• No coal comeback: Europe’s renewable energy transition is in hyperdrive (South China Morning Post, Dave Jones op-ed)
• Germany needs more baseload power for vital industrial reboot (Reuters, Gavin Maguire column)
• 2023 is a fork in the road for bold action to accelerate clean transportation (The Hill, Margo Oge op-ed)
• How to save the Colorado River and the American west (TIME, Michael Cohen and Peter Gleick op-ed)
• Green UK firms show the potential of a global net zero economy (Context, Peter Chalkley op-ed)
• A responsible supply chain and circular economy for batteries will be critical for EVs and electric utilities (Utility Dive, Steve Christensen op-ed)
• Biden’s green-energy mineral lockup (Wall Street Journal Editorial Board $)

Dishonest Consulting Firm and Disinfo Media Attack EVs Because Gas Prices Finally Dropped

According to a (faulty) new "study" comparing the cost of driving electric vehicles (EVs) with that of gassing up an old-fashioned car, EVs were cheaper for 18 straight months, from Q2 of 2021 to Q3 of 2022. But in Q4 of 2022, gas prices had dropped and electricity prices had risen enough based on the high prices of another fossil fuel –  methane gas – that gas was (barely) cheaper. 

This recent reversal was, to the oh-so-ethical "journalists" at the Washington Examiner, worth writing up with the headline, "Electric vehicles now cost more to fuel than gas-powered cars: Study." (Oddly, we can't seem to find any stories about how EVs were cheaper than gas cars for over a year as the fossil fuel industry profiteered off energy and economic fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine…)

Apparently, it's very big news that the consulting firm Anderson Economic Group (AEG) found that "the shift in costs gave gas-powered drivers a leg up on savings for the first time in 18 months." 

But before you rush to trade in your plug-in for a petrol, it might be wise to do a bit of due diligence on AEG and this "new study."

As it turns out, this "study" isn't worth the three pieces of paper you could print it out on for the express purpose of dramatically crumpling up and throwing it in the trash. 

For starters, it's not a study. It's little more than a pair of graphs, one showing the cost of fueling over time and the other comparing EVs and gas car costs, just in Q4 of 2022. 

When you actually look at these figures, you wind up with more questions than answers. For starters, why in the world does the graph assume anyone is "mostly" charging their car commercially, as opposed to at home? And why does the analysis ignore entry-priced EVs all together, simply averaging together mid-priced and luxury cars as well as home and commercially-charged vehicles, when luxury EVs are still decidedly cheaper than gas ones and when the home-charged mid-priced EVs cost just pennies more than their polluting competition? 

Hard to say, but it might be easier to figure out these mysteries when you realize that this isn't the first time AEG has released a sloppy hit piece on EVs. 

Back in October of 2021, a point at which AEG’s current analysis shows home-charged EVs to be cheaper than gassing up, AEG snagged some headlines from legitimate press with a claim that EVs are more expensive to fuel than gas cars.  

But as Sebastian Blanco pointed out in Car and Driver, AEG's approach was not "honest and realistic" about how people charge their EVs. For starters, basically no one relies on commercial chargers instead of their home ones for the bulk of their charging, so that inclusion itself is a convenient way to skew the results. On top of that, AEG assumed people spend 5 minutes simply plugging in their EV and then unplugging it every time they charge it, which adds up to hours every month, which, when multiplied by what someone who makes $70,000/year would be worth(!), unfairly inflates EV costs. 

As a result of this"less than honorable methodology," as Blanco put it, AEG was able to make EVs seem more expensive to fuel than they really are, with gas cars seeming comparatively cheaper. 

Fortunately, though, real media outlets appear to have learned from the last time AEG made this claim, detouring around this latest attempt at an EV hit piece.

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