Energy News
New York's Global Warming Suit Against Oil Companies Tossed
Bloomberg | Posted on July 25, 2018A U.S. judge threw out New York’s lawsuit seeking to hold five of the world’s biggest oil companies financially responsible for contributing to climate change. U.S. District Judge John Keenan dismissed the city’s claims against Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ConocoPhillips, ruling that the federal Clean Air Act controls carbon dioxide emissions and blocks suits such as New York’s. The problem of climate change is for Congress and the Executive Branch to address, he said.
EPA hasn’t told the whole story of the benefits of biofuels
The Hill | Posted on July 24, 2018America’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been in place for more than a decade, undeniably improving the nation’s energy security and environmental health by diversifying our energy choices. It also has boosted rural economies by expanding markets for agriculture — something that farmers need now more than ever. Growing America’s agricultural and energy production brings additional benefits for global food security. Too often, those benefits are overlooked or misunderstood. A recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report released to Congress on the environmental and resource conservation impacts of biofuel production deliberately misses the mark because of what it excludes. The EPA authors note that their report excludes any consideration of biofuels’ reductions of greenhouse gas emissions or the additional environmental benefits of displacing fossil fuels. How can that be excluded if the report is about environmental and resource conservation impacts of biofuels? In fact, those are major advantages of the biofuels industry and the primary measures of environmental success for the RFS. The EPA continues to recognize those same benefits in its other publications.
Ethanol backers say waivers depressed ethanol use by 2 billion gallons
Radio Iowa | Posted on July 19, 2018Ethanol advocates are urging the Environmental Protection Agency to raise the 2019 federal ethanol production mandate to make up for waivers granted this year. Scott Pruitt, the EPA Administrator who resigned earlier this month, issued waivers so some small refineries didn’t have to blend ethanol into gasoline. Ethanol advocates say more than two billion gallons of the corn-based fuel would have been added to gasoline if Pruitt hadn’t granted those waivers. Lamberty and others are lobbying the EPA to add onto the 2019 federal production guidelines to make up for the losses.
Rural America is spending 40% more on energy bills
Ag Daily | Posted on July 19, 2018Rural households across the United States spend a disproportionately high share of their income on energy bills — about 40 percent more than their metropolitan counterparts, according to a new report released today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) coalition. The problem is most glaring in the East and Southeast, and among low-income households across all regions. Overall, rural households have a median energy burden — the percentage of a household’s income spent on home energy bills for needs such as air conditioning, heating, lighting, appliances, and cooking — of 4.4 percent, which is one-third higher than the national burden. Those with low incomes have a median energy burden of 9 percent, which is almost three times that of higher-income counterparts. In several rural regions, this burden exceeds 15 percent for one of every four low-income households.
Biofuel supporters call for EPA course correction
Feedstuffs | Posted on July 19, 2018Amid Scott Pruitt's departure as administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, biofuel interests are ramping up their calls for a course correction at the agency as it looks to set upcoming blending levels. Amid Scott Pruitt's departure as administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, biofuel interests are ramping up their calls for a course correction at the agency as it looks to set upcoming blending levels. Biofuel leaders also urged the agency to act on the President’s pledge to lift outdated restrictions on the summertime sale of higher ethanol fuel blends, specifically E15, a fuel blend containing 15% ethanol. In its proposed rule, the agency declined to accept comments on the controversial waiver program or Reid vapor pressure restrictions on E15, but advocates are hopeful that the new EPA leader is ready to reopen an honest dialogue with rural America.
Minnesota Pipeline Replacement Threatens a Repeat of ‘Standing Rock’
Wall Street Journal | Posted on July 17, 2018Weeks after Minnesota regulators approved the replacement of an oil pipeline that crosses the state, Native American and environmental groups are starting to oppose the project with a similar playbook to a failed effort to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.
U.S. hits $1.1 billion Texas oil pipeline with steel tariff
Reuters | Posted on July 17, 2018A $1.1 billion U.S. shale pipeline on Monday was denied an exclusion to the Trump administration’s tariff on imported steel, the first such ruling on a major energy project since the tariff went into effect. Pipeline operator Plains All American Pipeline LP’s request was denied because suitable product is available from domestic producers, the Commerce Department ruling said.The Trump administration this spring slapped a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum to safeguard U.S. jobs. It allowed companies to seek exemptions if metals were not available in sufficient quality, quantity or in a reasonable time.
Lawmakers aim to use spending bill to block offshore drilling
The Hill | Posted on July 17, 2018House lawmakers in both parties are hoping to use a spending bill to block offshore oil and natural gas drilling in the waterways off their states’ coasts. A handful of lawmakers, mainly from coastal states, are sponsoring proposed amendments to the annual appropriations bill for the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would block Interior funding to allow drilling in particular areas.
Meet Georgia’s Solar Road
US News and World Report | Posted on July 17, 2018The Ray C. Anderson Memorial Highway, or "The Ray" for short, is a section of Interstate 85 in southwestern Georgia that has implemented environmentally minded projects in honor of its namesake. Anderson founded carpet manufacturer Interface Inc. and was called the "greenest CEO in America" for his efforts to make his company environmentally sustainable. The Ray was dedicated in his memory in 2014."We haven't thought about how to make a road smarter, be able to communicate with drivers," says Harriet Langford, Anderson's daughter and founder and president of The Ray, an organization that is dedicated to working on the highway. "We haven't really thought about the extensive land we have. Just on our 18-mile corridor, we have 250 acres of land that's just underutilized."The Ray works to use that land. Kernza wheat, whose deep roots help retain clean water and trap carbon, grows on the shoulder. Bioswales, drainage ditches filled with native Georgia vegetation, capture pollutants during rainstorms. The I-85 visitor center in West Point, Georgia, has a solar-powered charging station, a solar-paved roadway and a tire pressure system to improve road safety, another goal of The Ray. After cars drive over the system, they come across a kiosk where drivers request a paper ticket or enter their phone number to get a text with information about their tire pressure. A 7,000-square-foot pollinator garden provides a butterfly and honeybee habitat.
NH Biomass plants may have to shut down after governor's veto
WMUR | Posted on July 17, 2018Six New Hampshire biomass plants might be in jeopardy of closing after a bill was recently vetoed by Gov. Chris Sununu. The governor said the bill could have cost Granite Staters millions, but plant managers and employees said the plants are in jeopardy if lawmakers don't act. The governor issued the veto in June, saying the veto would not take anything away from the biomass industry. He said the bill would have given the industry an additional $30 million in subsidies, and vetoing it saved ratepayers about $25 million. Plant managers said the veto has already had an impact. At Pinetree, the pile of wood chips that fuels the plant is running low and will likely last for about a week."Once we go through that fuel, we will go into economic shutdown," manager Robert Lussier said.Officials at six biomass plants that employ about 900 people said they could close if nothing changes.