SCOTUS Upholds ICWA, Tribal Sovereignty: The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act in a major victory for Native American tribal sovereignty. The 7-2 decision in Haaland v. Brackeen protects tribes' ability to prioritize adoption of Native children to Native parents — a protection specifically designed to counter ethnic cleansing practices such as separating Native children from their families and communities sending them to boarding schools in an effort to snuff out Native culture and identity. "While today’s victory is to be celebrated," Judith LeBlanc, Board Chair of NDN Collective, said in a statement, "this will not be the last time a case against Tribal rights will be brought to the courts. Haaland V. Brackeen is part of a larger campaign to undermine Tribal sovereignty and gut the legal infrastructure that codifies Tribal sovereignty.” The plaintiffs in the case, a white couple, were represented pro bono by the high-powered corporate law firm Gibson Dunn, which also represents numerous fossil fuel companies that stand to benefit from an erosion of tribal sovereignty protections. (Indian Country Today, Arizona Mirror, Arizona Republic, Minnesota Reformer, Native News Online, WBUR, AP, Washington Post $, The Guardian, CBS, MSNBC, New York Times $, NBC, HuffPost, NPR, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, The Guardian, SCOTUSblog, Amy Howe opinion analysis)

BLM Proposes More Permanent Wind, Solar Lease Rate Cuts: The Bureau of Land Management will seek to further reduce leasing rates for wind and solar energy projects on federal lands and formalize those rates in regulations. The Interior Department cut renewable lease rates 50% last year under departmental authority. The proposal, announced Thursday, would set rates 80% lower than the previous level, and would implement them through the formal notice-and-comment review regulatory process. Doing so would require a future administration to undertake that entire process again in order to raise renewable energy leasing rates. (Reuters, E&E $, Politico Pro $, The Hill)

UN Blasts Fossil Fuel Industry, COP President: UN Secretary-General António Guterres slammed the fossil fuel industry and COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber on Thursday following 10 largely-unproductive days of preparatory talks in Bonn, Germany. Guterres demanded the fossil fuel industry "cease and desist influence peddling … to knee-cap" progress on climate change. He also sharply criticized those trying to focus purely on fossil fuel emissions, describing them as “more efficient planet-wreckers," comparing their actions to Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Christ. Guterres all-but-directly criticized Sultan al-Jaber, COP 28 president CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, for his claims that fossil fuels can continue to be burned so long as their pollution is captured or offset. “The problem is not simply fossil fuel emissions,” Guterres said, “It’s fossil fuels – period.”  Criticism of, and concerns over, al-Jabar's presidency and the UAE's hosting of COP28 have been mounting for some time. “Last year, the oil and gas industry reaped a record $4 trillion windfall in net income. … Yet for every dollar it spends on oil and gas drilling and exploration, only 4 cents went to clean energy and carbon capture —  combined. … Trading the future for thirty pieces of silver is immoral," he added. Climate and transparency advocates did secure a victory, however, Thursday, in the UN climate office's announcement that COP28 delegates, including fossil fuel lobbyists, will be required to disclose their affiliations. (Guterres: AP, Reuters, E&E $, Climate Home; Bonn failure: Bloomberg $, Politico Pro $; COP28 leadup: Context, Climate Home; Lobbyist disclosure: The Guardian, AP)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: How environmental conflicts hurt — and motivate — women activists (Grist), Paid less for being trans, a woman and a trans woman (The 19th* News)

CYCLONE BIPARJOY: Cyclone Biparjoy kills 2, uproots power lines after landfall in India, churns toward Pakistan (AP, CBS, AP)

FOSSIL FUELED ENERGY CRISIS: Cyberattacks on renewables: Europe power sector's dread in chaos of war (Reuters), Russia nears deals to sell gusher of oil (Wall Street Journal $), US says price caps on Russia’s oil are cutting revenue nearly in half and weakening its economy (AP)

MONTANA CLIMATE TRIAL: Inside the unexpectedly wild landmark Montana youth climate trial (Yale Climate Connections), Meet the kids behind the historic Montana climate trial (E&E News), The kids take the climate change fight to court (New York Times, The Daily $)

IRONY? METAPHOR? IRONIC METAPHOR?: The climate story behind the Philadelphia I-95 bridge collapse (TIME)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: IEA head: Rich nations must pay up for global energy transition (Context, Fatih Birol interview), As China makes inroads, US efforts to woo the Caribbean with clean energy fall flat (HuffPost)

• WORLD BANK: Out of balance (ProPublica), World Bank's new chief wants 'better bank' before pushing for bigger bank (Reuters), Vast fossil fuel and farming subsidies causing ‘environmental havoc’ (The Guardian), Hundreds of World Bank climate projects have no direct connection to climate, research finds (FT $)

EACOP: 'A carbon bomb': Kumi Naidoo on fight to stop construction of EACOP, proposed pipeline in East Africa (Democracy Now)

GAS LEAKS: As New York’s gas infrastructure ages, some residents are left with leaking pipes or no gas at all (Inside Climate News), Two guests staying at Hyatt-owned hotel in Mexico died in room from suspected gas inhalation (BoingBoing, KTLA)

DISPLACEMENT: Climate change is causing people to move. They usually stay local, study finds (NPR, The Conversation)

GOP vs. ESG: ESG 'hurts the poor,' conservatives say. Experts don't buy it. (E&E $)

MEDIA: News junkies turn to TikTok to chart new paths in media (Reuters)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: IRS guidance on renewable tax credit transferability, direct-pay provisions of IRA, garners mixed reviews (Utility Dive)

SCOTUS: Supreme Court water ruling could transform NEPA, ESA (E&E News)

EPA: EPA could set tighter NOx limits for new gas-fired power plants under proposed consent decree (Utility Dive), EPA seeks additional scrutiny of fuels derived from plastic waste (Politico Pro $), EPA watchdog warns of fraud in green tech contracts (E&E $)

DOE: DOE launches 7th round of solar innovation competition, offering $4M in prizes (Utility Dive), New cash for industrial decarbonization (Axios), New DOE infrastructure chief pushes on hydrogen, clean tech (E&E $)

DOI: Feds announce start of public process to reshape key rules on Colorado River water use by 2027 (AP, E&E $, Politico Pro $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: 'Sooner, the better': SEC plots fall timeline for climate rule (E&E $), Tai sympathizes with EU concerns over surging Chinese EV imports (Politico Pro $), This US military base says it is ready for any enemy — including climate change (Washington Post $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden taps Cold War-era law to offer $15M for cobalt mine (E&E $)

THE HILL: Democrats call Biden methane proposal ‘insufficient’ (The Hill), GAO to study offshore wind's impact on whales (E&E $, AP), Democrats want to restore the Civil Rights Act (The Root), Senate GOP fears House actions could lead to shutdown: ‘It’s going to be a problem’ (The Hill)

HOUSE: US House Judiciary leader subpoenas documents from climate groups (Reuters), House approves bill to end Chevron deference (E&E News), House Ag chair predicts on-time, bipartisan farm bill (E&E $), House appropriations subcommittee advances Energy-Water bill (Politico Pro $), House Dems stand down on NEPA rewrite in aviation bill (E&E $), House GOP majority has been shoving big oil favors into nearly every major bill (Truthout), House OKs second gas stove bill, 'REINS Act' (E&E $), Committee OKs Agriculture spending bill with climate cuts (E&E $)

SENATE: Senators grill highway chief on climate rule (E&E $)

POLITICS: How Republicans and big business broke up (Wall Street Journal $)

ELECTIONS: Biden gets backing of leading environmental groups for re-election (Reuters, Axios, E&E $), Miami mayor Francis Suarez announces GOP presidential bid (Washington Post $, CNN), Doug Burgum’s fraught path on climate change (Washington Post $)

TRIBES: Indigenous land return as climate justice (Nonprofit Quarterly), Appeals court ends legal battle over Izembek land swap (E&E $, Politico Pro $), 

CITIES AND STATES: States and clean energy: 3 issues to watch (E&E News), 'More are sure to come.' States fret over gas ban lawsuits. (E&E $), No ifs, ands, or butts: Protesters drop pants to protest climate change at Massachusetts Statehouse (AP), R.I. regulator warns offshore wind deals could increase bills (E&E $), Republican governors intensify resistance to plan to sell land leases for conservation (AP), DeSantis signs bill blocking direct-to-consumer car sales (with a carveout for Tesla) (Jalopnik)

• CALIFORNIA: Calif. will strengthen carbon trading to meet climate goals (E&E $), California water tunnel hangs over budget talks as legislators challenge Gov. Newsom’s plan (AP), Southern Calif. using less water won't pay for itself (E&E $)

FERC: Acting FERC Chair urges utilities take immediate action to prevent winter storm outages (Politico Pro $)

INSURANCE: Can parametric insurance change the game in climate disasters? (Context, explainer), Florida homeowners battle for insurance after Hurricane Ian (Context)

IMPACTS: June temperatures briefly passed key climate threshold. Scientists expect more such spikes (AP), Fears of hottest year on record as global temperatures spike (The Guardian), Amid power outages, Florida and Gulf states brace for more hazardous weather (Gizmodo), Mexico says mass bird deaths likely caused by El Niño's hotter waters (Reuters, AP), Punishing winds, possible tornadoes inflict damage as storms cross US South (AP), The world just saw its hottest early June on record (Bloomberg $), Without climate change, these extreme weather events would not have happened (CNN)

HEAT: Texas heat wave tests state power grid (Newsweek), The heat tracker (Heatmap $), Brutal heat wave to scorch US South through holiday weekend (Reuters), Mexico swelters as 'atypical' heat wave grips nation (Reuters)

WILDFIRES: Dangerous fire weather conditions becoming more common across US (Axios), US East Coast cities warned to draft air quality plans similar to those in the West (The Guardian), Canada’s fires could worsen next week, sending more smoke into US (Washington Post $), An unlikely foe is slowing the fight against wildfire pollution (Heatmap $), Minnesota records record air pollution as Canadian wildfire smoke spreads over region (Democracy Now), Wildfire smoke blankets upper Midwest, forecast to head east (CBS), Wildfires driven by climate change are on the rise - Spain must do more to prepare, say experts (AP), Drought and rising heat bring unusual wildfire warnings in Northern Europe (AP), 

OCEANS: Ocean warmth set a record for May (New York Times $), Oceans absorb 30% of our emissions, driven by a huge carbon pump. Tiny marine animals are key to working out its climate impacts (The Conversation)

DROUGHT: Potomac River levels dropping as drought expands across DC area again (Washington Post $)

WATER: One way to lower California's flood risk? Give rivers space (NPR)

DEFORESTATION: One change could help US drugmakers save 11 million trees a year (Wall Street Journal $), ‘The power of trees:’ Among the ‘machines’ fighting climate change (New York Times $)

RENEWABLES: Inexpensive solar panels are essential for the energy transition. Here’s what’s happening with prices right now (Inside Climate News)

BATTERIES: Tesla battery material supplier tops list of human rights abuses for second year in a row (The Verge)

BUILDINGS: Pay-monthly option for heat pumps could help Europe cut emissions (New Scientist)

STORAGE: Form Energy closes its biggest deal yet for long-duration energy storage (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS: Shell shifts position on oil production, causing uproar (E&E $)

MINERALS: A once-shuttered California mine is trying to transform the rare earth industry (Grist)

COAL: UK’s Drax says not in negotiations to restart coal units this winter (Reuters)

UTILITIES: Lawsuit: TVA violated NEPA with coal-to-gas plan (E&E $)

GRID: PJM and allies stand by power markets, but reliability concerns grow (Politico Pro $)

EVs: Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production. Just don't mention climate (NPR)

ART: Spacesuit-clad artists come together to rewild Nairobi (CNN)

AGRICULTURE: Robert Mondavi changed wine. His grandson aims to change farming. (New York Times $), Roundup weedkiller manufacturers to pay $6.9 million in false advertising settlement (Inside Climate News)

WILDLIFE: Exotic bee-eater returns to UK for second summer in a row (The Guardian), Why sharks are at a much greater risk of going extinct than previously thought (Washington Post $)

INTERNATIONAL: Jamaican finance minister sees interest in regional Caribbean catastrophe bond (Reuters), Just Stop Oil protesters interrupt opera at Glyndebourne festival (The Guardian), South Africa seeks a way to allow Eskom to take on green debt (Reuters), Australia’s opportunities and challenges on the path to ‘net zero’ (New York Times $)

• EU: EU to vote on extension for coal subsidies beyond 2025 Monday, draft shows (Reuters), EU nature restoration law narrowly survives attack by conservative lawmakers (AP), EU told to slash greenhouse gas emissions 90-95% by 2040 (Reuters)
• CANADA: Canada presents long-awaited sustainable jobs bill for green transition (Reuters), Canada ties energy transition to union jobs (Politico Pro $)

• Dr. Beverly Wright on how to keep environmental justice momentum (Environmental Health News, interview)
• The Bluegrass may seem immune from climate change dangers. But that’s more denial. (Lexington Herald-Leader, Henry Jackson op-ed)
• The hard right and climate catastrophe are intimately linked. This is how (The Guardian, George Monbiot column)
• Global heat records are falling. a little panic might be in order. (Bloomberg, Mark Gongloff column $)
• The west has broken its promises to developing countries – and we’re all paying the price (The Guardian, Larry Elliott op-ed)
• New York’s choice can’t be a congestion toll or subway angst (Bloomberg, Liam Denning column $)
• On climate change adaptation, consult the original experts: Indigenous people (The Hill, Marcos Moreno op-ed)
• How many Americans have to die before we do something about road safety? (The Hill, Tara Sonenshine op-ed)
• Vietnam faces many risks with climate change. Why is it jailing activists? (Washington Post, Editorial Board $)
• What I learned while trying to negotiate a bipartisan climate policy in a divided D.C. (TIME, Adam Yet op-ed)
• Red states have slowed the ESG juggernaut (Wall Street Journal, Andy Puzder op-ed $)
• 6 lessons from transportation electrification’s past to guide its future (Utility Dive, Bryan Jungers op-ed)
• The World Economic Forum is coming for your cars (Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board $)

Summer Reading: These Days, There Are Lots Of Climate Disinfo Debunking Options To Choose From! 

On June 17, 2014, we posted our first diaries on Daily Kos, and though much shorter and sweeter than our diatribes these days, those first posts from nine years ago remain painfully relevant. The supposed "Lone Wolf" with a nonsense theory being "censored" sounds just like Shellenberger's UFO whistleblower, the supposed pause in global warming covered the next day is still a cherry picker's favorite, and the week closed out with a reminder that Patrick Moore didn't co-found Greenpeace, despite constant claims otherwise. 

While we were hardly the only ones talking about the problem when we started, and outlets that were doing the work then, like Skeptical Science, DeSmog and Inside Climate News, also keep putting out great stuff, there are also now a bunch of other options for newsletters that call out and debunk climate denial and disinformation! 

For example, the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition has a weekly newsletter we're partnering on, called the Climate Disinfo Digest. It summarizes the good and the bad of the denierworld that week, with the great coverage you might've missed, and the worst and most viral disinfo that's being spread around social media. It's email-only, for now at least, so you'll have to trust us and sign-up to start receiving them next week! 

Also, CAAD has begun producing a monthly bulletin on information integrity! The first edition is on the 15-minute city conspiracy theories that disinfluencers have begun incorporating into their warped worldview where the freedom to walk instead of being dependent on a car is portrayed as a draconian restriction on movement and travel.  

Then, if you'd like a weekly dispatch on the digital fight between Big Oil and green groups, Climate Monitor covers environmental and energy posts, with a particular focus on ad buys.  

There's also our friends at ExxonKnews, who provide regular updates on the litany of court cases seeking to hold Big Oil accountable for its decades of disinformation, as well as coverage of studies and reports outlining the problem or proposing solutions for climate accountability. 

But if that's a little too niche, you could zoom out and take a daily look at right-wing media more broadly with The Righting. Alternatively, check out MisinformationKills to learn about COVID conspiracy theories, get a friendly weekly readout on fighting online extremism from CtrlAltRightDelete, or, even more broadly, get general tips for digital investigations from Craig Silverman's aptly named Digital Investigations. 

Finally, there's Gen Dread, Dr. Britt Wray's newsletter on the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, which isn't directly disinfo-related but is certainly relevant! 

This is all just to say that after some 2,000 posts 5 times a week, we're going to dial things back just a little, and on Fridays and/or Mondays, at least for the summer, we'll be leaving you in the hands of our many smart friends. 

And since Monday is Juneteenth, we won't be back until next Wednesday. See you then! 

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