New Gas Plants Unnecessary — Report: Increasing electricity demand can likely be met without building new gas-fired power plants, according to a new report from Energy Innovation. The report also warns utilities' "panicked rush" to build new methane gas plants will leave those utilities, their investors, and possibly their customers, paying the cost of "stranded assets." Instead, the report argues, improving energy efficiency though improved building codes and appliance standards and incentives programs, along with building out renewable energy and storage capacity, is a better long-term way to prevent demand from outstripping supply. Oil and gas companies, and many utilities (especially in the Southeast) have sought to exploit the proliferation of energy-gobbling Artificial Intelligence and data centers, along with EVs and the electrification of the broader economy, as justification for building new gas plants and infrastructure. The EI report comes as a new Global Energy Monitor report warns expansion of U.S. oil and gas extraction threatens to blow past the 1.5°C goal established by the Paris Agreement. “It’s disheartening to see utilities doubling down on new gas,” Mike O’Boyle of Energy Innovation told E&E. “We don’t see that there’s a need for new gas.” (New gas plants unnecessary: E&E $; Oil & gas operations: The Guardian)

Agriculture And Drought Sucking Colorado River Dry: Far more than just a Little Rascal, Alfalfa and other crops grown to feed cattle account for 46% of the water pulled from the Colorado River, a study published Thursday in Communications Earth & Environment finds. Overall, agricultural operations used 74% of the water pulled from the beleaguered river, roughly triple the combined usage of all the cities dependent upon it. The extreme megadrought across the American West has laid bare the fundamentally unsustainable water supply and usage assumptions that long-underpinned withdrawals from the river and the new research comes as representatives from states, tribal nations, and the federal government are negotiating new rules for dealing with shortages after 2026. “The cities that depend upon the Colorado River are doing a miraculous job of reducing their needs for that water," lead researcher Brian Richter said. "We now need to see a commensurate reduction in agriculture’s use of the river.” (LA Times $, E&E News, High Country News, ABC, NPR, Courthouse News, CAL Matters)

New England's Last Coal Plant To Shut Down: A New Hampshire utility and the EPA announced an agreement Wednesday that includes the closure of New England's last coal-fired power plant. Under the terms of the agreement, Granite Shore Power will close the 460-MW Merrimack Station plant in Bow, New Hampshire, by June 2028 and a dormant 100-MW plant in Portsmouth by next summer. It will also build multiple "renewable energy parks" at the locations of the coal plants to house battery storage facilities. Up until December 2023, the Merrimack Station supplied more than half of the New Hampshire grid's electricity but more recently have only operated intermittently, repeatedly in violation of emissions standards. Granite Shore hopes the battery station installed at the Portsmouth site, which will have enough capacity to power 24,000 homes per year, will serve as a destination for electricity produced by future offshore wind facilities in the region. (Boston Globe $, New Hampshire Public Radio, PV Magazine, New York Times $, Concord Monitor, AP, E&E $, The Hill)

ENVIRONMENTAL (IN)JUSTICE: “¡Qué les pasa!”: El grito de las niñas amazónicas al Estado Ecuatoriano (El País)

CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: As Europe shifts to clean energy, does it still need so much US LNG? (Canary Media), Cancellation of UN climate weeks removes platform for worst-hit communities (Climate Home), China is all in on green tech. The USand Europe fear unfair competition. (Washington Post $)

AI: AI already uses as much energy as a small country. It’s only the beginning. (Vox)

CERAWEEK: An oil company executive said the energy transition has failed. What's really happening? (Inside Climate News)

TRASH GAS: ‘Garbage lasagna’: Dumps are a big driver of warming, study says (New York Times $), Aerial surveys show US landfills are major source of methane emissions (Reuters, Grist, CNN, E&E $)

POP CULTURE: Meet the writers pitching Hollywood studios on climate change stories (LA Times $)

KEY BRIDGE: Baltimore port closure could dent US coal export volumes, EIA says (Reuters, The Hill), Bridge collapse brings stark reminder of immigrant workers’ vulnerabilities (Washington Post $), Hazardous materials are leaking from ship that razed Baltimore bridge (E&E $), Baltimore fuel suppliers face logistical challenges after bridge collapse (Reuters)

AGENCIES: Biden administration restores wildlife protections weakened under Trump (New York Times $, E&E $)

EPA: EPA ‘data alignment’ could make it easier for areas to meet soot standard (E&E $), EPA to announce $20B in ‘green bank’ grants (E&E $), The new EPA car standards could mean even more hybrids (Heatmap $)

DOI: BLM announces final methane waste rule (New Mexico Political Report)

DOT: Judge strikes down Biden highway climate emissions rule (E&E $, Politico Pro $)

TREASURY: Yellen sounds alarm on glut of Chinese clean energy exports (E&E $)

WHITE HOUSE: Biden’s climate playbook: Propose strong rules, then soften them (E&E $), Biden’s oil boom (Reuters)

THE HILL: Republican: ‘Outrageous’ for Biden to promise feds will pay for Baltimore bridge (The Hill)

CITIES AND STATES: Phoenix approves measure to protect workers from extreme heat as Florida blocks similar efforts (Democracy Now), Potential changes to alternate-fuel standards could hike gas prices in California. critics see a ‘regressive tax’ on low-income communities (Inside Climate News)

IMPACTS: A growing number of homeowners face repeat flooding (Yale Climate Connections), Sinking US cities increase risk of flooding from rising sea levels (The Guardian), Polar ice is melting and changing Earth’s rotation. It’s messing with time itself (CNN, E&E $, Axios), The worst climate disaster you haven’t heard of just got more deadly (HuffPost)

WILDFIRES: From Michigan to Nebraska, midwest states face an early wildfire season (Inside Climate News), Yes, even most temperate landscapes in the US can and will burn (Vox)

CRYPTO: Crypto miner, Pennsylvania hit with lawsuit over pollution from bitcoin mine (Reuters)

BU$INE$$ OPPORTUNITY: It's a bittersweet Easter for chocolate lovers and African cocoa farmers but big brands see profits (Washington Post $), Cocoa’s relentless rally is pushing the market to breaking point (Bloomberg $)

WELCOME TO PARADISE: Green Day will headline United Nations-backed global climate concert in San Francisco (AP)

RENEWABLES: Geothermal cuts emissions and costs at these Minnesota public schools (Canary Media), Massive power demand boosting solar in US, Nextracker CEO says (Bloomberg $), Ørsted, Avangrid and two others submit bids to first-ever 3-state offshore wind solicitation (Utility Dive)

BUILDINGS: Shade trees and reflective roofs: US advises the world on heat (E&E $)

STORAGE: Up to $300M more required for 2030 energy storage goal: New York road map (Utility Dive)

EFFICIENCY: Efficiency, clean energy are options for meeting demand growth before gas generation: Energy Innovation (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: Most oil executives fear EPA methane rule and gas export pause, Dallas Fed finds (Politico Pro $, E&E $), New oil and gas projects expected to grow despite IEA warning (FT $), Over 20% of the world’s oil refining capacity is at risk of closure (OilPrice), Chesapeake is stockpiling new gas wells to await higher prices (Bloomberg $)

PLASTICS: Can a legally binding treaty fix the world’s plastic problem? (Bloomberg $)

COAL: Keeping standby German coal plants is too costly, says operator (Bloomberg $)

NUKES: Michigan nuclear plant aims to be first ever to reopen in US (Canary Media), The tiniest nuclear reactors are untried, untested, and gaining legions of fans (Heatmap $)

UTILITIES: Bonds got relabeled. Now millions of Americans get higher electric bills. (Wall Street Journal $), California PUC proposes $24 monthly fee for PG&E, SCE, SDG&E customers (Utility Dive, E&E $)

EVs: Automakers face 'daunting' task to meet 2032 EV rules, industry says (Reuters), Federal EV charging stations are key to Biden’s climate agenda, yet only 4 states have them (AP), NYC's curbside EV chargers are popular — and often blocked (Bloomberg $)

FOOD WASTE: 783 million people face chronic hunger. Yet the world wastes 19% of its food, UN says (AP)

CARBON CAPTURE & REMOVAL: Louisiana is officially getting a direct air capture hub (Heatmap $)

FINANCE: Citi says 42% of energy clients lack climate transition plans (Reuters), ESG down for the count, but not totally knocked out (Axios)

INTERNATIONAL: Brazil aims to lower electricity bills with Eletrobras funds (Bloomberg $), Cuba warns over climate damage due to NATO’s military expenditures (Prensa Latina), EU hits roadblocks in reaching green milestone as elections loom (FT $), German mail service stops using domestic flights to transport letters after nearly 63 years (AP), Macron calls proposed EU-Mercosur trade pact ‘very bad deal’ lacking strong climate commitments (The Guardian)

• Here’s how much money you’ll get with the Inflation Reduction Act (Electrek, Michelle Lewis commentary)
• A grid for a greater Indiana (Indiana Capital Chronicle, Sarah Beth Aubrey)
• The secret to surviving climate apocalypse (New York Times, Jaime Lowe essay $)
• Elizabeth Kolbert wants US to rethink the stories we tell about climate change (Grist, interview)
• Defend our public lands (The Hill, David Willms op-ed)
• Utilities must come clean about the full value of community solar (Utility Dive, Jeff Cramer and John Farrell op-ed)
• A data scientist’s case for ‘cautious optimism’ about climate change (Yale Climate Connections, Hannah Ritchie interview)
• Bidenomics is making China angry. That's ok. (New York Times, Paul Krugman column $)
• America’s energy needs and climate goals (New York Times, Kit Kennedy letter to the editor $)
• Severe weather is hurting homeowners — but not reinsurers (FT, Lex commentary $)
• California has to conserve water. Why is Sacramento dragging its heels? (LA Times, Robert Hertzberg and Laura Friedman op-ed $)

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