Hoosier Coalition Calls For Equitable EV Charging Plan: A coalition of Black and environmental justice groups are calling on Indiana regulators to build equity considerations into its plan to build out electric vehicle infrastructure. “The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission needs to ensure that the electric utility companies across Indiana are required to ensure that everyone has fair and equitable access to electric vehicle charging stations,” said Rev. David Greene — President of Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis. The state will receive $5 billion over five years from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program to implement its EV infrastructure plan, and the Indiana Alliance for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and Economic Opportunities says that plan must serve Black and brown communities. “We call on [the Indiana Department of Transportation] to commit to placing EV charging stations and gear resiliency improvements in and on Black, racially, ethnically diverse communities and business-owned properties," said Jorden Giger, founder of Black Lives Matter South Bend. That requires "the Utility Regulatory Commission to hold utility companies accountable to our communities as we are worthy of investment.” (WIBC, Indiana Public Broadcasting)

NOAA Confirms July Was Hottest Month On Record: July was the hottest month on record … so far, NOAA confirmed Monday, and August doesn't appear to be cooling off. NOAA joins NASA and the nonprofit Berkeley Earth in their assessments. “It is virtually certain (> 99.0%) that 2023 will rank among the five-warmest years on record, with a nearly 50% probability that 2023 will rank as the warmest on record,” NOAA said. It was the fourth straight month in which global ocean surface temperatures hit record highs. Following the hottest June on record, 9.35% of Earth's surface saw record-high July temperatures. August looks to be in the running to continue the trends. On Monday alone, several all-time records were set across the American Southeast, Nagaoka, Japan, broke it's all-time record high and Itoigawa broke the country's all-time highest overnight minimum, Khanaqin, Iraq, broke high and highest minimum temperature records for the seventh straight day as the central and northern portions of the country experience "the worst heat wave in its history" weather historian Maximiliano Herrera tweeted. The Pacific Northwest is also in the midst of a brutal heatwave. Portland, Ore., hit 108° on Monday and at least 16 daily record highs were broken in British Columbia. (Hottest month: Washington Post $, Axios, NPR, CBS; Pacific Northwest: NPR, Washington Post $; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves; Sea surface temperature increase)

Colorado River Slightly Less Depleted: The state of the Colorado River is less dire than a year ago, federal officials said Tuesday, but substantial climate- and over-consumption-driven challenges remain. The Bureau of Reclamation — a division of DOI that implements agreements made by states, tribes, and other stakeholders — said heavy rain and snow over the winter have eased the crisis slightly, meaning that cuts to state water usage will be eased somewhat. But the river, and the overall hydrological system, are still stressed by climate change-fueled heat and drought, as well as fundamentally unsustainable assumptions of water availability. Between 70% and 80% of all water in the Colorado River basin is used for large-scale agriculture. Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two biggest Colorado River reservoirs, are still only about 39% and 33% full, respectively. “If we want to keep the reservoirs functioning – which is a very wise thing to do – you need to reduce consumption by 15 to 20%,” Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, told CNN. “But you’ve got to acknowledge that climate change is going to make the situation worse, and in the future, we’re going to have to reduce consumption even more.” (BOR assessment: AP, Denver Post, Inside Climate News, CNN, KUNC, Arizona Republic, The Hill; Overpeck: CNN)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Who took the water barrels meant to help migrants on the searing hot Texas border? (NBC)

MAUI FIRES: Death toll from the Maui wildfires climbs to 106 as governor warns identifying all the victims will be difficult (CNN, AP, Washington Post $, AP), Relief and recovery efforts after deadly Hawaii wildfires (Washington Post PHOTOS $), Survivors of Maui fires face power cuts and poor cell service as teams work to find and ID the dead (AP), As people fled the fires, pets did too. Some emerged with marks of escape, but many remain lost (AP), These maps show where wildfires have burned across Hawaii (Washington Post $), Maui's wildfires are among the deadliest on record in the US here are some others (NPR, Reuters), The Bidens plan to head to Maui ‘as soon as we can’ as death count rises from wildfires (Politico Pro $), Dogs help search for Maui fire victims (AP), Why did the wildfires in Maui become so devastating? (The 1A, TIME)

• EXTRACTIVISM: In Maui, echoes of the deadliest US wildfire: The 1871 Peshtigo blaze (Washington Post $), Maui residents and officials implore tourists to stay away (The Guardian), Maui residents with wildfire-damaged homes are being targeted by real estate scams, officials warn (CBS)
• PROXIMATE CAUSATION: Power lines likely caused Maui’s first reported fire, video and data show (Washington Post $, Reuters, The Hill)

WORKERS: During some of the hottest months in history, millions of app delivery drivers are feeling the strain (Inside Climate News), Grueling heat takes toll on outside workers' physical and mental health (Axios)

MONTANA CLIMATE TRIAL: In blow to oil companies, Montana judge rules state climate policy unconstitutional (Houston Chronicle, NPR, Teen Vogue, Wall Street Journal $, HuffPost, Grist, Truthout), Climate change was on trial in Montana (New York Times $), Should governments be blamed for climate change? How one lawsuit could change US policies (USA Today), Young environmentalists won a landmark climate change ruling in Montana. Will it change anything? (AP), Youths sued Montana over climate change and won. Here’s why it matters. (Washington Post $, Heatmap $, Axios), Montana youth victory could spur momentum on other climate cases (E&E News)

MOUNTAIN VALLEY PIPELINE: Landowners fight to keep Mountain Valley lawsuit alive (E&E News), Feds warn of safety risks from Mountain Valley pipeline (E&E $)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: A $500 million deal to restore Gabon’s coast reignites climate finance debate (AP)

🐦🗑️🔥: Alarm at exodus of climate voices on Twitter after Musk takeover (The Guardian)

INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: New ad campaign touts Biden’s clean energy jobs record (NBC, The Hill), 15 GOP districts benefit the most from clean energy cash — report (E&E $), A behind-the-scenes look at how the Inflation Reduction Act came together (Canary Media), Biden’s climate bill leaves workers behind in shift to electric cars, union says (The Guardian), Biden’s climate bill drives demand for key minerals (Axios), Report: Climate law puts US at risk of critical mineral shortage (Politico Pro $), One year in, climate law tests Biden's environmental justice pledge (Washington Post $), US climate law introduces billion-dollar ​‘game-changer’ for nonprofits (Canary Media), Is there really a working class backlash to Biden’s climate law? (Heatmap $)

AGENCIES: Expert: Biden admin rulemakings revamp ‘largely got it right’ (E&E $)

EPA: Flawed EPA guidance left states blind to water utilities' financial woes, IG finds (Politico Pro $), The EPA is rejecting calls for tougher regulation of big livestock farms. It’s promising more study (AP)

DOE: Controversial carbon removal technology just got $1.2 billion from the Biden administration (The Verge), 

TREASURY: Yellen warns of 'over-concentration' of clean energy supplies (E&E $)

EXECUTIVE BRANCH: NRC approves emergency preparedness rule for small modular reactors (Utility Dive, E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: At White House pride event, a sunny reprieve from a fog of antagonism (Washington Post $), Biden's tricky foray into auto contract talks (Axios)

THE HILL: Plan elusive for disaster spending, preventing shutdown (E&E $)

POLITICS: ‘Bidenomics’ delivered a once-in-generation investment. It shows the pros and cons of policymaking (AP)

ELECTIONS: Schumer promises to build on climate law if Dems win (E&E News)

TRIBES:  US launches program to provide electricity to more Native American homes (AP)

CITIES AND STATES AND DISENFRANCHISED COLONIAL TERRITORIES: Chicago looks to overhaul its zoning and land use policies to address environmental discrimination (Inside Climate News), Texas sues Shell over May fire at Houston-area petrochemical plant (AP)

• CALIFORNIA: Washington can’t get a climate pact. Gavin Newsom just cut another one. (E&E $), Calif. eyes keeping 4 gas plants online to fortify grid (E&E $), Calif. limits carbon-heavy building materials (E&E $)
• PUERTO RICO: A former Marine’s crusade to bring renewable energy to Puerto Rican communities (Yale Climate Connections), Buying local isn’t easy in Puerto Rico — but the fight for food sovereignty is brewing (HuffPost)

IMPACTS: Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C would save half the world’s glaciers, study finds (Yale Climate Connections), Vast swath of northeastern China threatened by flooding as rivers rise above warning levels (AP), Death toll after landslides in Indian Himalayas rises to 57; 10 still missing (Reuters, Reuters)

HEAT: A table outside? More diners say no way (Wall Street Journal $), After hottest summer on record, heat-related illnesses are now being tracked nationwide (The 19th* News), Brutal summer heat tests ability of energy exporters to keep their citizens cool (Wall Street Journal $), The Grand Canyon is getting hotter — and more dangerous (E&E $), Iced coffee and flip-flops as Europe broils? not so fast, Americans. (New York Times $)

OCEANS: Gulf of Mexico waters are hottest on record as coastal areas cook (Washington Post $)

WILDFIRES: Canadian military mobilizes to help fight wildfires in Northwest Territories (AP), Fire destroys campsite and 500 hectares in south of France (Reuters), Evacuations ordered as Northern California fire roars through forest near site of 2022 deadly blaze (AP)

HURRICANES: Warm waters complicate hurricane forecasts and raise fears along the coast (New York Times $)

WATER: Water scarcity in Iraq leads to the disappearance of a signature rice (Washington Post $), Dry springs in Central Texas warn of water shortage ahead (Inside Climate News)

POLLUTION: Air pollution may be to blame for thousands of dementia cases each year, researchers say (CBS)

RENEWABLES: First Solar says audit found unethical labor practices at Malaysia factory (Reuters), First Solar selects Louisiana as home of next solar panel factory (Utility Dive), Norsk Hydro unit, Norwegian church fund create solar power company (Reuters), Onshore wind struggles to grow, casting doubts on climate goals (E&E $), Siemens to make solar energy equipment for US market in Wisconsin (Reuters)

LNG: European gas spikes on market jitters over LNG strike risk (Bloomberg $), Woodside, unions remain at odds over wages at Australia's largest LNG facility (Reuters)

OIL & GAS: Chesapeake exits Eagle Ford with sale of last assets to Houston-based SilverBow (Houston Chronicle), Gasoline prices on the rise despite high oil production in the US (The Hill), Private equity gets into oil and gas (High Country News), Offshore drilling rig arrives in Lebanese waters ahead of work near Israel border (AP)

HYDROGEN: BP backs green hydrogen start-up aiming to cut fuel's costs (Reuters)

UTILITIES: The power utilities most closely aligned with net zero in 2023 (Energy Monitor), Top utility group opposes EPA rule as some members invest in compliance (Washington Post $), Duke Energy prefers meeting North Carolina carbon target by 2035. But regulators have final say (AP)

EVs: 5 things to know about a possible UAW strike (The Hill), US issues draft cybersecurity guidelines for EV charging networks (Wall Street Journal $), Nikola recalls electric trucks due to battery pack fire risks (Utility Dive)

BIG GREENS: Sierra Club staff slams boss for Alaska schmooze cruise (E&E $)

AGRICULTURE: Livestock are dying in the heat. This little-known farming method offers a solution. (Grist)

CARBON REMOVAL: The dawn of a new climate industry (Heatmap $), US sparks controversy by backing oil company’s carbon-sucking plans (Climate Home)

INTERNATIONAL: Colombia's potential renewables boom short circuits on Indigenous resistance (Reuters), Shortage of experts and low pay ‘major barriers to UK’s net zero future’ (The Guardian), A plan for how Indonesia will spend $20 billion to transition to cleaner energy has been submitted (AP), Oil, aquatic trash and toxic algae threaten life in Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo (AP)

• Racial equity a must in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (South Bend Tribune, Henry Davis Jr. op-ed)
• The Inflation Reduction Act took US climate action global. Here's what needs to happen next (TIME, Gina McCarthy op-ed)
• Maui and the age of the urban firestorm (New York Times, David Wallace-Wells column $)
• Apocalyptic rhetoric is just as dangerous as the violent kind (Washington Post, Paul Waldman column $)
• Welcome to Europe, where mass death has become normal (New York Times, Sally Hayden op-ed $)
• Why you should wear reef-safe sunscreen, even if you’re not snorkeling (Washington Post, column $)
• I turned my house into a zero-carbon utopia (The Atlantic, Leah Stokes op-ed)
• How to make the Inflation Reduction Act protect birds, people from climate change (The Hill, Marshall Johnson op-ed)
• California’s facing climate and electric rates crises. Here’s how to solve them. (Utility Dive, Matt Baker op-ed)
• Pakistan must adapt to climate change. But who will help us? (TIME, Sherry Rehman op-ed)

Daily Caller Debunks Itself With EV Attack And Inconvenient Gas Car Facts (Gas Is Flammable!) 

Yesterday, the pay-to-play Daily Caller ran an op-ed by Stephen Moore that rips off the old Ralph Nader book "Unsafe at Any Speed" to attack electric vehicles. Why? Because of fires in lithium-ion batteries, which have unfortunately injured 66 people and killed 13 in New York City this year. Now, this figure includes basically any electronic device with a battery, not just electric vehicles, so Moore introduces his first deception in the first paragraph. 

After giving an example of an e-bike shop fire, Moore does admit that "13 deaths in a city the size of New York with some 8 million people is hardly an epidemic. Regulations should always be based on a cost versus benefit calculation, or there would be no cars at all."

Given that Moore opposed measures to constrain a literal epidemic, comparing opposition to COVID policies to Rosa Parks’ activism against racial segregation, even if it were an epidemic, Moore still wouldn't care. 

But does Moore undertake any such cost/benefit calculation? Of course not! Because obviously it would show that cars powered by gasoline, a highly flammable fuel that works specifically because it is combustible, are going to be more prone to explosions than battery-powered EVs. (To say nothing of the fact that fossil fueled air pollution is behind one in five deaths on Earth.) 

"For the record," Moore concludes, "I'm not in favor of the government banning EVs or e-bikes or just about anything. I just believe that we should make policy decisions based on real and factual risk assessments, not false scares and sensationalism." 

Well, okay! Let's do that! Let's embark on a lengthy intellectual journey to compare EVs and gas cars. Oh wait, we don't even have to leave the Daily Caller to see through Moore's lies. 

In fact, his whole argument was debunked, on the Daily Caller, forty minutes before Moore's op-ed was even published there. Not on purpose of course, but because the Daily Caller chases whatever clicks it can and covered a tragedy in Russia. 

"Explosion at Russian Gas Station Kills At Least 35," according to the headline and the body of the story, cribbed from the AP and CBS. The explosion injured 115 people in Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan, Russia, on the coast of the Caspian Sea.  

Maybe Moore can help us out with the math here, and figure out which is more dangerous: 13 deaths out of 8 million people, spread out over months and multiple causes, of which EVs are just one? Or 35 deaths out of 623,000 people, in a single event, 100% attributable to fossil fuels? 

And just in case it somehow came out as a tie, the CBS story ends by noting that "Across Russia, in western Siberia, another blast killed two people and wounded five more on Monday night. That explosion occurred at an oil mine in the Khanty-Mansiysk region late in the evening, local authorities said." 

Of course, these are just a few cherry-picked examples. But the reality is that US government research shows that:

“The propensity and severity of fires and explosions from the accidental ignition of flammable electrolytic solvents used in Li-ion battery systems are anticipated to be somewhat comparable to or perhaps slightly less than those for gasoline or diesel vehicular fuels, with the overall consequences for Li-ion batteries also expected to be less because of the much lower amounts of flammable solvent released and burning.” (pg. 56)

“Real and factual risk assessments,” are readily available, but for some strange reason, the fossil fools never seem to be able to find them!

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