Insurance Industry's Core Competency Threatened By Climate Change: The insurance industry — an industry built on its ability to assess risk — is worried it is unable to accurately capture the costs incurred by climate change, industry experts told the Senate Budget Committee earlier this week. “Just as the U.S. economy was overexposed to mortgage risk in 2008, the economy today is over exposed to climate risk,” Aon PLC President Eric Andersen said. The industry's inability to predict losses is leading firms to pull out of high-risk areas, especially those frequently hit by wildfires and floods. This is, in turn, driving an increase in state-run insurance plans-of-last-resort for homeowners and other policyholders unable to buy insurance in the private market, which could in turn threaten private insurers if state insurers are pushed to insolvency by massive disasters. Florida's state-run insurer has warned its coffers were "significantly depleted" by Hurricane Ian and Milliman actuary Nancy Watkins warned the committee “the California FAIR plan is growing unsustainably high." Near the end of the two-hour hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) presented Republican witness Dr. Judith Curry with a series of questions about her past climate contrarianism, including a now-deleted blog post in which Curry wrote that climate change "propaganda" from the UN "arguably qualifies as a hoax." (E&E $)

FBI Monitored Chicago Activists For Supposed Involvement In Atlanta's Cop City Opposition: The FBI surveilled Chicago activists' activities related to the effort to stop Atlanta's Cop City, labeling activists as “Anarchist Violent Extremists” and “Environmental Violent Extremists.” The documents, obtained by FOIA request, released by Grist and Type investigations, and first reported by Unicorn Riot, show the FBI was attempting to connect Chicago groups working to protect green space in that city from development projects like the Obama Presidential Library, with the Stop Cop City activists in Atlanta, where autopsy results show police killed Manuel "Tortuguita" Esteban Paez Terán while they were seated with their hands in the air. One of the Chicago groups targeted is Save Jackson Park, founded by Jeanette Hoyt, a 65-year-old teacher. "The only connection between this group and Cop City is them liking me on Twitter,” Hoyt said. While the FBI tracking the activities of environmental activists is not new, the length to which the FBI is stretching possible connections and language used is concerning to experts like Mike German, a former FBI special agent and a fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program. “This exact kind of loose language may lead to the mistaken assumption that that categorization has some legal effect,” German said. “Making this casual reference to an unrelated group a thousand miles away is how the FBI gets itself in trouble… I think the animus against the ideology is what’s most problematic.” (Grist and Type Investigations)

Latest Hair-Raising Climate Victim? The Hair-Freezing Contest: The hair at Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs in Canada's Yukon Territory isn't as spiky as it used to be, the Washington Post reports. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is making the -4°F (-20°C) cold required for the hot spring's annual hair-freezing competition less frequent. But as temperatures climb, the number of contestants has fallen to just 85 this year, "and it was due to lack of cold weather, not lack of enthusiasm,” Andrew Unbrich of Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs told the Post. The struggling contest illustrates the toll climate change is taking on unique cultural traditions, along with the more dire death, destruction, and health harms left in its wake. It also highlights the disproportionate Arctic warming, itself setting off a vicious cycle of methane released by melting permafrost, Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Center on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, told The Post. “It’s a positive feedback loop where the more snow and ice you lose, the warmer it gets, and the warmer it gets, the more snow and ice that melts.”  (Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Arctic amplification)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: In the Face of Extreme Floods, Rural Kentucky Lacked Forecasting and Broadband (Daily Yonder and Grist)

RURAL CO-OPS: Rural utilities turn ‘disruptive’ as they embrace renewables (E&E News)

FREDDY: ‘Appalling’: Southern Africa counts toll of Cyclone Freddy (AP)

9:37 🚂 TO THE PETROCHEMICAL DYSTOPIA: Ohio toxic train derailment upends school baseball, track (AP)

CLIMATE LITIGATION: In Montana, it’s youth vs. the state in a landmark climate case (New York Times $), New EU law will spur spike in climate litigation — study (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Indigenous leaders demand a seat at international water negotiations (Grist), ‘Greenwashing’ targeted in latest European regulatory push (Wall Street Journal $), EU hopes to steer clear of summit showdown on combustion engine phase-out (Reuters), EU, Germany edge towards solution on combustion engine row (Reuters), World needs EU leadership to fight climate change, UN chief says (Reuters)

GOP vs. ESG: House GOP fails to override Biden veto of ESG investing ban (AP, USA Today)

PUBLIC OPINION: Americans overwhelmingly want US to do more on climate change, Heatmap poll finds (Heatmap $), Poll: Americans broadly skeptical of [corporate] climate pledges (Heatmap $), Protecting nature is more important than ‘quickly’ building renewables, most Americans say (Heatmap $), Elon Musk is alienating future Tesla buyers, Heatmap poll finds (Heatmap $)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: What does ‘made in America’ mean? In green energy, billions hinge on the answer (Wall Street Journal $), Moniz dismisses Republican attempts to undo climate law (E&E $)

AGENCIES: Lawmakers mull new solution to mounting wildfire costs (E&E $)

EPA: 5 takeaways from Regan’s Senate hearing (E&E News), Flint water crisis champion moves up in EPA legal office (E&E $), In a first, EPA seeks emergency action to curb a plant’s cancer risk (Grist), Regan says climate rules will respect SCOTUS 'guardrails' (E&E $), Water contamination in Oregon could prompt EPA to step in (AP)

DOE: Granholm talks LNG exports, gas stoves on Capitol Hill (E&E $)

DOI: BLM to auction Colo. solar tracts amid transmission concerns (E&E $), Unexploded munitions delay opening of Biden's new Texas national monument (Washington Post $)

DOT: Buttigieg: Transportation Department reviewing hazardous material definitions after East Palestine disaster (The Hill), Treasury to release EV tax credit guidance next week (E&E News, Politico, Reuters)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: The feds have a low-carbon shopping list. It’s global. (E&E News)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden, Trudeau meeting to focus on Ukraine, Canadian defense strategy (Wall Street Journal $)

THE HILL: ‘I’m out’: lawmakers draw red lines on possible permitting deal (Washington Post $)

HOUSE: Republicans keep daring Democrats on energy package (E&E $), House GOP infighting is threatening their ability to get bills out the door (Politico Pro $), Progressives push broad EJ bill in House permitting debate (E&E $)

SENATE: Senate lawmakers seek consensus on rail safety changes (E&E $), Senators seek bigger role for Native Americans in farm bill (E&E $)

ELECTIONS: Tethered together, Biden and Harris move toward 2024 re-election run (Reuters), Top progressives stick with Biden despite rightward moves on crime, immigration, climate (Wall Street Journal $)

CITIES AND STATES: Ballot measure for public vote on Eugene's natural gas ban is certified (The Register-Guard), ‘Reversing’ coal mining: Minnesota startup uses plants to trap carbon emissions (Energy News Network), Texas oil regulators sue over lesser prairie chicken listing (E&E $), Excess oil profits penalty clears California Senate (Politico Pro $, E&E $)

FERC: FERC approves incentives for NV Energy’s $2.5B Greenlink project despite ratepayer concerns (Utility Dive)

IMPACTS: Climate change could disrupt Maine’s coastal economy and culture (Yale Climate Connections), Flooding and violent storms predicted for the central US and south (Washington Post $)

SEEMS FINE: Climate change enables the spread of a dangerous flesh-eating bacteria in US coastal waters, study says (Inside Climate News)

DROUGHT: 3 reasons why California's drought isn't really over, despite all the rain (NPR)

WATER: The world faces an imminent water crisis, UN warns (Wall Street Journal $)

RENEWABLES: BP weighs buying control of solar power JV Lightsource BP -sources (Reuters), Chevron says not planning investment in mature onshore wind or solar (Reuters), China to launch rural pilot scheme for renewable energy (Reuters), Spain's grid operator sees renewables reaching 50% of power generation in 2023 (Reuters)

BATTERIES: Albemarle to build $1.3 bln lithium plant in South Carolina (Reuters), New South Carolina plant could process enough lithium for 2.4M EVs a year (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS: Big Oil eyes new deals in North Africa amid rising energy demand (Wall Street Journal $), Pasadena explosion: Crews extinguish fire caused by propane transfer (Houston Chronicle)

PIPELINES: BlackRock, KKR eye new backers for Adnoc oil pipeline investment (Bloomberg $)

COAL: No coal: New England grid auction hits a milestone (E&E $), As enforcement lags, toxic coal ash keeps polluting US water (Yale Environment 360), China's new coal plants set to become a costly second fiddle to renewables (Reuters)

• INDIA: India's shrinking coal jobs fuel 'distress' migration to cities (Context), Cost of India quitting coal is $900 billion, think tank says (AP)

HYDROGEN: Hydrogen blending exceeds expectations in WEC Energy Group test of Wärtsilä gas-fired engine (Utility Dive), This giant truck shows clean steel is possible. So when will the US start producing it? (Inside Climate News)

NUKES: As CISA chief notes lack of Russian cyberattacks against US, experts focus on enhancing nuclear reactor security (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: NY PSC gives Con Edison, Central Hudson, other utilities more time to procure 350 MW energy storage (Utility Dive)

GRID: Grid CEO calls out generators over weather threats (E&E $)

EVs: Ford projects $3 billion loss on EV business for 2023 (Wall Street Journal $), Yes, the grid can handle EV charging, even when demand spikes (Yale Climate Connections)

BORING PROBLEMS: Elon Musk’s company plans to dump wastewater in this Texas river — and locals have concerns (HuffPost)

CRYPTO: Crypto is mostly over. Its carbon emissions are not. (The Atlantic)

ACTIVISM: The Gardner sidestepped a ‘guerrilla climate protest’ over the weekend, but area museums are on alert (Boston Globe $)

GREENS: ‘A bit of a Swiss army knife’: the leadership duo aiming to help Greenpeace UK cut through (The Guardian)

BUSINESSES: Microsoft inks another deal to capture and store its carbon emissions underground (The Verge)

SHIPPING: Cargo ships powered by wind could help tackle climate crisis (The Guardian)

TRASH: Your ‘recycled’ grocery bag might not have been recycled (Undark)

WILDLIFE: Where mining and energy projects will hurt wildlife the most (TIME)

INTERNATIONAL: Canada budget to have tax credit for equipment used to produce EVs -sources (Reuters), How an artificial island in Denmark became one of Europe's most controversial climate projects (TIME), Russia wants a committed fossil fuel relationship. China has cold feet (TIME), Melting ice could aid Russia-China shipping partnership (E&E $)

• London last summer was the trailer for a climate disaster movie. Here’s how to stop that coming true (The Guardian, Sadiq Khan and Chris Skidmore op-ed)
• A UK citizen’s assembly on nature gives us hope, but can we really change? (The Guardian, Sara Hudston op-ed)
• Not ‘sick or dying or dead’: The great benefit of RTOs (Utility Dive, Scott Miller op-ed)
• We should regulate SUVs out of existence (FT, Simon Kapur column $)
• Fossil fuels are impoverishing us (The Hill, William Becker op-ed)
• Stop treating adolescent girls as emotionally abnormal (New York Times, Jessica Grose op-ed $)

Dave Wiegel At Semafor Latest To Carry Koch Water About Supposed Schism With Trump

It's 2015, and Koch network operatives are reportedly not working with Donald Trump's presidential campaign, as its operatives go to work for the Donald Trump campaign.  

It's 2016, and Koch network operatives are staffing Donald Trump's presidential transition team, and the Trump administration.  

It's 2017, and Koch network operative Mike Pence is Vice President under Donald Trump.

It's 2018, and Koch network operatives are attacking the idea of more inclusive climate policy, and denying even their own anti-climate lobbying.

It's 2019, and Koch network operatives are reframing themselves as climate champs, and rebranding as “Stand Together,” while lying about the Green New Deal and denying the climate consensus. "

It's 2020, and a Koch network operative admits anyone who fell for the prior rebrand ruse is "going to be surprised" because the plan is "to go bigger than ever before." Ten months later, a Koch network operative, Charles “Chuckie” Koch gives an interview about the network's less-partisan rebrand, even as he sets up a new disinfo center at Tufts and spends over $1 billion helping Republicans in the 2020 elections.

It's 2021, and Koch network operatives are lobbying against EPA regulations, using hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to inject disinfo into schools and universities. 

It's 2022, and Koch network operatives are telling media they're going to figure out who's behind all this polarization, as though they're not the ones spreading fake news attacking their clean competitors, defending doing business in Russia, spending over $50 million on climate disinfo, buying a Supreme Court majority, and sending errand-boy Mike Pence on an ill-fated anti-ESG crusade potentially robbing taxpayers of hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.

It's 2023, and Koch network operatives are claiming to rebrand as less partisan and separate themselves from Donald Trump, not on ideological grounds, but because they want someone "who can win." Semafor, the newest entry in the access-driven DC press world, takes this as an opportunity to prove once again that it puts a greater priority in appeasing fossil fuel sponsors and billionaires who, like them, claim to want to reduce polarization, than it does on doing actual journalism. 

It's like Semafor's David Weigel read Popular Information's February explainer on "how Koch manipulates the media" and decided it was his turn to write the same exact sort of story that hacks have run about Koch and Trump since 2016, with a headline wondering, "Did Donald Trump break the Koch machine for good?" 

No. 

For the past eight years, Koch network operatives have played supposedly-savvy DC reporters for saps, pretending to oppose a political operation even as they staff it.

It's a testament to the perverse incentives of some Beltway press that—despite the obvious duplicity of these constant supposed rebrands—Koch network operatives keep finding success in running the same obvious disinfo play, even at outlets that, just days earlier, covered that playbook! 

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