FIRST LOOK: 

Biden SOTU Hits Big Oil, Says It's Needed For 10+ Years: President Biden touted the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and criticized Big Oil profits while saying oil would be needed "for at least another decade" in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. Connecting the devastation wrought by across the country by "record floods, droughts, storms and wildfires" to climate change, Biden touted IRA provisions aiding recovery in investment in climate-resilient infrastructure along with "clean energy Clean energy to cut pollution and create jobs in communities often left behind." Biden also criticized Big Oil for making "$200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis" while "invest[ing] too little of that profit to increase domestic production." Biden said the U.S. will "need oil for at least another decade … and beyond that," slammed oil companies for using "the record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding their CEOs and shareholders." Biden has previously called for taxing what he described as Big Oil's "windfall of war" and Tuesday night called for quadrupling taxes on corporate stock buybacks. Biden also called out Republicans whose districts have benefited from the IRA despite their votes against it. Of his "Republican friends who voted against [the IRA] I still get asked to fund the projects in those districts as well, but don’t worry," Biden said. "I promised I’d be a president for all Americans. We’ll fund these projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking." (E&E News, The Hill, Vox, Bloomberg $, Grist, Slate, E&E $, E&E $, USA Today, Washington Post $, grid.news)

Flood Risks From Glaciers And Seas: Climate change is exacerbating potential flooding crises at high- and low elevations, three new studies. Approximately 15 million people worldwide — more than half in India, Pakistan, Peru and China — live in the shadow of glacial lakes prone to sudden and catastrophic outbursts, according to a study published Tuesday in Nature Communications. [...] A separate study in Earth's Future, a publication of the American Geophysical Union, warns sea level rise will submerge more than twice as much land as previous models had projected. Because coastal elevation mapping is so expensive, the findings — obtained using laser detection from a satellite — are especially stark in developing countries where more coastal vulnerability mapping has not taken place. [...] (Glacial lakes: (AP, Washington Post $, E&E $, CNN, Reuters, AFP, South China Morning Post, BBC; Coastal vulnerability: Inside Climate News; Climate Signals background: Glacier and ice sheet melt, Sea-level rise) [An unabridged version of this Top Story is available here. — Ed.]

BP slows clean transition as war fuels record profits: BP pulled down a record annual profit of $27.7 billion in 2022, nearly double its 2021 figure, and will slow its transition to cleaner energy, the oil major announced Tuesday. CEO Bernard Looney credited the global upheaval set off by the Russian war in Ukraine with enabling the massive windfall. Amid brain-breaking war profits and slowing transition away from fossil fuels across the oil and gas sector, BP also indicated it will increase shareholder dividends and buy back $2.75 billion of stock. It also said it would increase investments in oil and gas by $1 billion in 2023, the same amount it says it is investing in lower-carbon energy, with an increased focus on biofuels and hydrogen. "If the bulk of your investments remain tied to fossil fuels, and you even plan to increase those investments, you cannot claim to be aligned" with the goals set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, Mark van Baal, founder of activist shareholder group Follow This, told Reuters. (BP: New York Times $, Wall Street Journal $, E&E $, Reuters; Slowed sectoral transition: Axios, Wall Street Journal $)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: Even with legal protections, extreme heat and wildfire take a toll on farmworkers (Grist), Activists to Fed: Don't use climate to perpetuate inequity (E&E $), When the seas rise in Senegal, so do the fortunes of far-right parties in Europe (NPR)

COP28: EU considers push for fossil fuel phasedown ahead of COP28 -draft (Reuters), UAE's Jaber, COP28 president, says he is listening, ready to engage (Reuters)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Britain’s biggest gas supplier accused of ‘profiteering’ from energy crisis (The Guardian)

(CLIMATE) DIPLOMACY: Brussels says EU exit from Energy Charter Treaty 'unavoidable' (Reuters), 'Move away from hypocrisy': Global South demands energy justice (Reuters)

EACOP: Complaint filed against Marsh over African pipeline project (Business Insurance, Insurance Insider, Commercial Risk, Upstream Online)

PETROCHEM TRAINS: Toxic gases connected to Ohio train derailment cause concern (AP), Residents not yet allowed to return to homes near site of fiery train derailment in Ohio (CNN, AP), Ohio train derailment: What are the risks of toxic vinyl chloride? (Washington Post $)

GOP vs. ESG: Anti-ESG bill could cut Indiana pension returns by $6.7 bln -analysis (Reuters)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: Inflation Reduction Act helped create 100,000 jobs — report (E&E $), Bigger utilities to benefit most from Biden's clean-energy funds (Reuters), Europe moves from anger toward acceptance of U.S. climate law (Politico Pro $)

• NEWS YOU CAN USE: 10 questions to ask if you want to get a heat pump (Canary Media), Rebates for home energy upgrades are coming soon. Here’s how to plan (Canary Media)

AGENCIES: Biden energy agenda exposes regulatory gap (E&E News), Biden administration acknowledges it can force Bitcoin mines to disclose pollution (The Verge)

WHITE HOUSE: Green group [CBD AF] gives Biden a C on environment (E&E $)

• SOTU: SOTU: Biden races to meet 2035 climate goal (E&E News), Biden speech guest list includes fusion researchers (E&E $), ‘Missed opportunity’: Lawmakers lament Biden permitting snub (E&E News)

HOUSE: Democrats gird to battle Republican oversight plans (E&E $), House Republicans push flurry of bills to loosen oil and gas, mining regulation (Houston Chronicle), McCarthy to Biden: No clean debt ceiling increase (E&E $), Republicans race into climate fight in W.Va. field hearing (E&E $)

SENATE: Fetterman tries to straddle Democratic energy divide (E&E News)

POLITICS: The new climate taxes that may be closer than you think (TIME)

ELECTIONS: Can an anti-fracking Republican compete with Trump? (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Eugene becomes first city in Oregon to restrict natural gas in new residential construction (Oregon Public Broadcasting), To cut energy bills, Gov. Jared Polis says its time to rethink natural gas (Colorado Public Radio), ‘A colossal giveaway’: A tax break for big polluters is also starving public schools in Texas (Capital and Main), 3 issues may determine N.Y.’s clean energy future (E&E News), Baltimore County's 'Bring Your Own Bag Act' passes but not without changes (WBAL, CBS), Court says Ky. coal tax law violates Constitution (E&E $), Virginia Senate passes competing energy legislation (AP), Republicans have introduced over 120 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in the new year (Prism Reports)

• MINNESOTA: Minnesota bill mandating 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 heads to governor’s desk (Utility Dive), Minn. governor trusts energy law will survive ND suit threat (AP)
• CALIFORNIA: Natural gas prices have sent Californians’ utility bills soaring. Regulators are mulling next steps (San Francisco Chronicle), Newsom urges federal probe into soaring prices for natural gas in California, other Western states (LA Times $, The Hill, E&E $)

FERC: LNG developer NextDecade blasts inaction by US energy regulator (Reuters), FirstEnergy’s $3.5B deal with Brookfield highlights value of FERC-regulated transmission: analysts (Utility Dive), Former FERC chair's calendar: Biden adviser, gas and E.U. (E&E $)

IMPACTS: South Sudan’s floods inspire a first generation of rice growers – in pictures (The Guardian)

WHAT'S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?: Climate change contributing to spread of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’: UN report (The Hill)

HURRICANES: Hurricane Harvey more than doubled the acidity of Texas’ Galveston Bay, threatening oyster reefs (The Conversation)

WATER: Feds warn Rio Grande settlement could trigger disaster (E&E News)

SCIENCE: How tensions with Russia are jeopardizing key Arctic research (Yale Environment 360)

GEOENGINEERING: Rainmaking experiments boom amid worsening drought (E&E News)

RENEWABLES: Renewables are on track to satiate the world's appetite for electricity (Washington Post $), Solar will provide 54% of new US generating capacity in 2023, with 29.1 GW added, EIA projects (Utility Dive), Sunrun, PG&E to roll out 30-MW virtual power plant to support California grid in the summer (Utility Dive), Switzerland's solar dam: Sun and snow the perfect mix for green energy drive (Reuters), The future of flight in a net-zero-carbon world: 9 scenarios, lots of sustainable biofuel (The Conversation)

BATTERIES: EV batteries getting second life on California power grid (Reuters, Utility Dive, Axios), Nevada lithium mine wins ruling; green energy fights rage on (AP, E&E News), Lithium-ion battery fires becoming increasingly common (NBC), Mining firms rush to develop US lithium deposits, drawing support from Biden but pushback from conservationists (Houston Chronicle)

EFFICIENCY: How teaching kids energy efficiency in schools can benefit families at home (Yale Climate Connections)

LNG: Natgas stops flowing to Freeport LNG export plant in Texas (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: Big Oil stirs up a battle over leading the clean tech arms race (Axios), Turkey halts oil flows to Mediterranean port after quake (E&E News), US natgas output to hit record high in 2023, demand to fall (Reuters)

PLASTICS: Guess what? More plastic trash. (New York Times $)

COAL: Can developing economies have high growth without using coal? A debate. (Wall Street Journal $)

HYDROGEN: EverWind gets approval for North America's first green hydrogen facility (Reuters), Midwest coalition pins hopes on federal funding for regional hydrogen hub (Energy News Network)

NUKES: Inside the race to tap a controversial source of carbon-free energy: Nuclear waste (HuffPost)

PFAS: The ins and outs of 'forever chemicals' as EU weighs complete ban (Reuters)

GRID: FBI thwarts neo-Nazi plot to attack Baltimore Gas & Electric substations, ‘completely destroy’ city (Utility Dive)

WORKERS: Conservation group reaches settlement with ex-employee (E&E $)

SHIPPING: Methanol takes lead in shipping’s quest for green fuel (Wall Street Journal $)

AGRICULTURE: A major dairy company plans to slash methane emissions — but there’s an elephant in the room (Grist)

BUSINESSES: Costs could rise even more in 2023—and thousands of CEOs blame climate change (CNBC)

CARBON STORAGE: Denmark to put CO2 in seabed in step towards carbon negativity (Climate Home), Why someday we may be storing carbon in sidewalks (Washington Post $)

CARS: BMW emissions challenge unfounded, court rules, NGO to appeal (Reuters)

FASHION: Copenhagen fashion week rewrites fashion’s villain era (Atmos)

FOOD WASTE: Can mailing your kitchen scraps to this startup tackle climate change? (The Verge)

WILDLIFE: 7 endangered US animals that don't get enough love (Gizmodo), In Spain, storks' trash diet driven by climate change (AP)

INTERNATIONAL: Denmark suspends reviewing wind power projects over possible EU law conflict (Reuters), Energy dashboard: How is electricity generated in Great Britain? (The Guardian), IEA: Asia set to use half of world’s electricity by 2025 (AP)

• We don’t need ‘miracle’ technologies to fix the climate. We have the tools now (The Guardian, Mark Jacobson op-ed)
• The world lacks an effective global system to deal with debt (FT, Rebeca Grynspan op-ed $)
• New North Sea exploration licences pose a threat to UK's future energy security (Energy Monitor, Andrew Reid op-ed)
• Exxon Mobil CEO’s doublespeak reveals climate quandary facing Big Oil: How to survive? (Houston Chronicle, Chris Tomlinson column)
• Utilities must protect consumers from natural gas prices (Denver Post, Gov. Jared Polis op-ed)
• Climate change saved Europe from Putin this winter (TIME, Suriya Jayanti op-ed)

Right-Wing Media Defends Methane Gas Industry for Yet Another Gas Stoves News Cycle

The recent fracas about gas stoves has clearly riled up the methane gas industry, and its conservative supporters are still determined to defend gas stoves.

We showed that the methane gas industry has internally recognized the health risks of gas stoves since at least 1907. Now, in 2023, these harms are dominating news cycles and leading to new proposed incentives to switch from gas stoves to electric stoves as well as new proposed Energy Conservation Standards from the Department of Energy (DOE), which would “save a significant amount of energy,” “yield significant environmental benefits,” and result in “health benefits from SO₂ and NO_X emissions reductions.” In response to these proposals, the industry is relying more than ever on conservative news outlets and think tanks to cook up opposition to gas stove regulations.

Late last week, The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board published another one of its woeful editorials, which accidentally illustrated why the DOE’s new efficiency standards are necessary: “Twenty of the 21 gas stove-top models that the Energy Department tested wouldn’t comply with its proposed standards.” Thanks, WSJ, for letting everyone know that most gas stoves on the market are dirty, energy-wasting, and unable to meet a basic government standard that protects human health!

Similarly, The Daily Caller, which receives funding from multiple climate-change-denying and climate-action-obstructing sources in the Koch network, recently posted two articles in two days opposing gas stove regulations. On February 4, Koch-trained climate denier and Daily Caller News Foundation Managing Editor Michael Bastasch wrote an opinion piece that quoted multiple gas industry leaders who are oh-so-sad about the possibility that their products might be more strictly regulated. The next day, the Caller ran an op-ed by Deroy Murdock which compared regulations of natural gas to the US Civil War and continued to push the term “gasophobia.” (Deroy, stop trying to make “gasophobia” happen! It’s not going to happen!)

The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), an ExxonMobil-funded libertarian think tank and climate change denial superspreader, also stoked right-wing fears about gas stove bans. CEI made its fossil-fueled motives very clear by sowing doubt about the viability of renewable energy and expressing concern about the DOE’s assertion that “addressing the effects of climate change is a top priority.” The climate denial organization even went as far as to publish a short video declaring, “The war on natural gas is a war on consumer choice.”

But as much as these disinformation spreaders would like you to believe otherwise, the gas stove issue is not about consumer choice or personal freedom, two phrases which are used to ensure that companies are free to keep selling dangerous and polluting products.

The gas stove debate isn't about protecting your right to inhale noxious emissions every time you cook—it’s about fossil fuel industry profits. The fossil fuel industry only cares about what stove you use because it affects their bottom line. It doesn’t care if your child develops asthma because of its product. It doesn’t care if its actions push us closer to climate catastrophe. All the fossil fuel industry cares about is making sure you continue to contribute to their record high profits and stay unsure about climate policy. When regulators move to protect public health and the climate, the fossil fuel industry mobilizes conservative outlets and think tanks to try to convince you that your freedom, rather than their power and profits, is what’s really at risk.

Methane gas industry concern about gas stove regulations does reveal one good thing, though: Regulatory action and public concern about fossil fuel products do make a real impact. After all, if the industry didn’t feel threatened, it wouldn’t be freaking out right now!

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