57 Firms To Blame For 80% Of Post-Paris Carbon Pollution: Just 57 companies are responsible for 80% of climate pollution emitted after the Paris Agreement, a new report shows. Using data from 122 of the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers, the Carbon Majors Database shows 65% of state entities and 55% of private-sector firms have increased fossil fuel extraction since that 2015 agreement. States and state-backed entities are the biggest polluters, with ExxonMobil, the largest investor-owned firm, responsible for 1.4% of global CO2 pollution from 2016-2022. In May 2021, the International Energy Agency warned all new oil and gas extraction, and coal plant construction, must cease in order to limit global warming to the goals set in the Paris Agreement and in April 2022, the IPCC said the barrier to climate action were entrenched political and economic actors interested in upholding the status quo. The disproportionate share of climate pollution from this relatively small group of firms mirrors the disproportionate amount of methane pollution from a relatively few polluters in the Permian Basin. (The Guardian, Reuters, Axios, The Hill)

Pipeline Safety Regulators Not Gathering Pipeline Safety Data — GAO: The industry-commissioned formula for estimating the blast radius of methane gas pipelines is likely insufficient to protect people from an explosion, a government watchdog warns, but federal regulators aren't collecting the data necessary to assess or fix it. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) warned the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) last year of inadequacy of current blast radius formula, saying it underestimates the area where people could be wounded or killed by a pipeline explosion. But, PHMSA isn't collecting the data necessary to calculate a new formula, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report released Wednesday. From 2010 to 2021, more than 2,600 pipeline leaks or other incidents were sufficiently serious to warrant their reporting to the federal government, including 328 explosions killing 122 people and injuring more than 600 more. E&E $)

CSU Forecasts Extremely Active Atlantic Hurricane Season: An early forecast of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season predicts an extremely active season. The predictions, released Thursday by the Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team, include 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and 5 major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricanes — all of those are well above average over the last three decades. Climate change, mainly caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels, is increasing hurricane precipitation, exacerbating storm surges and flooding, and fueling more intense hurricanes as measured by wind or central pressure. The CSU forecast also predicts above-average chances of those storms hitting the U.S. (Yale Climate Connections, Washington Post $, Axios, New York Times $, CNN; Climate Signals background: Hurricanes)

(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: Black residents want this company gone. Will Alabama’s environmental agency approve a new permit? (Inside Climate News)

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Hunger grips southern Africa as Zimbabwe declares drought a disaster (Reuters, The New Humanitarian, Democracy Now), Tens of millions facing hunger and water shortages as extreme drought and floods sweep southern Africa (CNN)

ACTIVISM: La lotta delle 'amazzoni' ecuadoriane contro l’industria Oil & Gas (Las Volta)

THOUSANDS OF WORDS: How climate change looks through the lens of top photojournalists (Bloomberg $)

MEDIA: Lynzy Billing wins a 2024 Izzy for environmental reporting on Afghanistan (Inside Climate News)

LITTLE ICE AGE: A 600-year-old blueprint for weathering climate change (The Atlantic)

AGENCIES: Can Biden protect the civil service from Trump? (E&E News)

EPA: Biden administration awards $20 bln for clean energy investment in low-income communities (Reuters, Axios, The Hill, Politico Pro $, Washington Post $, Heatmap $, E&E News)

DOE: DOE defends LNG export pause, dismisses industry challenge (E&E $), Biden administration cancels buyback of 3 million barrels to replenish oil stockpile (The Hill, E&E $), DOE data show grid security breaches reached all-time high in 2023 (Politico Pro $), DOE final distribution transformer rule adds 2 years for compliance (Utility Dive), Greens sue to block DOE loan for California nuclear plant (E&E $)

DOI: Reclamation to award $320M for tribal water infrastructure (E&E $)

DOT: State transportation projects need better Federal Highway Administration oversight: DOT audit (SmartCities Dive)

THE HILL: Hill climate caucus warns EPA of 'crippling' delays on carbon storage (E&E $), Lawmakers prod Biden to act on Interior oil rules ahead of deadline (E&E $)

CITIES AND STATES: Wyo. wells show scale of public land cleanup cost — report (E&E $), How federal tax dollars meant to fight climate change could end up boosting Louisiana’s fossil fuel production (The Conversation)

IMPACTS: A nemesis of clams is thriving as Maine’s waters warm (Yale Climate Connections), Late-season winter storm slams Northeast, knocking out power to more than 600,000 (Axios)

WILDFIRES: As fire season fast approaches, Greece’s planners look for an edge in response time (AP)

WATER: The senior rights to California's water and balancing access to safe drinking water (ABC-10 explainer), California’s water outlook has brightened for now, but salmon and other fish are still in peril (LA Times $)

DEFORESTATION: Global forest loss remains high, despite recent progress (New York Times $, Climate Home, E&E $, The Guardian), Are rainforests doomed? Not necessarily. (Vox)

HOUSING: North Carolina tried to rebuild affordable housing after a hurricane. It took half a decade. (Grist)

RENEWABLES: How big-box stores and schools can help marginalized communities go solar (Grist), US wind rebounds to set up stronger mid-term outlook (Reuters), Renewables growth still lags climate targets, think tank says (Reuters)

BATTERIES: This California city is trading an old gas plant for a giant grid battery (Canary Media)

MINING: Boom in mining for renewable energy minerals threatens Africa’s great apes (The Guardian, Inside Climate News), Mercury exposure widespread among Yanomami tribe in Amazon, report finds (AP)

BUILDINGS: National blueprint for building-sector decarbonization released by Biden administration (Utility Dive), Power forward communities awarded $2 billion to decarbonize US homes (Clean Technica), Will a heat pump save you money? It depends (Canary Media)

LNG: Egypt in talks to lease new LNG terminal as imports pick up (Bloomberg $)

OIL & GAS: US crude oil hovers around $85 as gas[oline] prices hit highest level since October (CNBC), Oil is hitting its highest level in months—just in time for summer driving season (Wall Street Journal $)

PLASTICS: As Amazon eliminates plastic packaging abroad, it’s using even more in the US (Grist), A breakthrough in plastic recycling is coming up short (New York Times $)

PIPELINES: Small pipeline, big risks: Carbon capture project sparks concern in rural Illinois (Energy News Network)

HYDROGEN: Few stations and $200 to fill up: Life on California’s ‘hydrogen highway’ (Bloomberg $)

NUKES: A nuclear power revival is sparking a surge in uranium mining (Yale Environment 360), California’s last nuclear plant should stay open, PG&E CEO says (Bloomberg $), Non-proliferation experts urge US to not support nuclear fuel project (Reuters)

RUBBER: Backing for climate-smart rubber grows amid water woes (E&E $)

GRID: America’s green manufacturing boom, from EV batteries to solar panel production, isn’t powered by renewable energy − yet (The Conversation), Monday’s eclipse could cut US solar output by 40 GWh. Here’s how 5 grid operators are preparing. (Utility Dive)

EVs: An electric minivan might be the perfect car (Heatmap $), Big winner in Biden’s EV charging revolution: Gas stations (E&E News), India says up to Tesla to lay down EV plant investment plans (Bloomberg $), Indiana DOT, Purdue collaborate on highway that charges EVs (Utility Dive)

ART: Her art is at odds with museums, and museums can’t get enough (New York Times $)

TRAINS: Trains are cleaner than planes, right? (New York Times $)

GEOENGINEERING: Geoengineering test launched with salt flecks and secrecy (E&E $), Climate engineering carries serious national security risks − countries facing extreme heat may try it anyway, and the world needs to be prepared (The Conversation)

BOOKS: As Biden pushes for clean factories, a new ‘how-to’ guide offers a path forward (Inside Climate News)

FINANCE: US banks ‘sabotaging’ own net zero plans by livestock financing, report claims (The Guardian, E&E $), Citi, JPMorgan, RBC to give new climate metric in deals with New York City (Reuters), NYC pensions reach deal with RBC on green-funding disclosure (Bloomberg $)

WILDLIFE: Want an elephant? Botswana's president says his country has too many. (Washington Post $)

INTERNATIONAL: Mexico’s likely next president is a scientist. Politics has her mostly quiet on climate threats (AP), Bangladesh power system gets dirtier on rapid coal use growth (Reuters), EU's power sector emissions have steep drop as renewables surge (E&E $), Inside the climate watchdog holding the UK government to account (Bloomberg $)

BOOZE FOR YOUR WEEKEND: Aluminum and paper wine bottles are here to stay. Here are 3 to try. (Washington Post $)

• Grid reliability’s core challenge is governance, not a changing resource mix (Utility Dive, Alexandra Klass, Josh Macey, Shelley Welton and Hannah Wiseman op-ed)
• The greatest machine needs a tune-up (RTO Insider, Nora Brownell commentary)
• We heroicize migrant workers in their deaths and deny them dignity in life (Prism Reports, Tina Vásquez op-ed)
• Investing in oil and gas doesn’t make sense anymore (CNN, Tom Steyer op-ed)
• The water came early (Yes Magazine, Zoe Young essay)

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