Opinion:
¶ “Rolling Back The Rollbacks: Putting Cars And Trucks Back On Track To Meet Climate Goals” • As the White House gets ready to release new climate targets, the Union Of Concerned Scientists calls for cutting GHG emissions at least a 50% by 2030, compared to 2005. Passenger cars and trucks, the biggest emissions sources, are critical to this effort. [CleanTechnica]
Rivian in New York City (Image courtesy of Rivian)
¶ “The Danger Of Japan Dumping Fukushima Wastewater Into The Ocean” • The Japanese government intends to release over 1.2 million tons of radioactive wastewater, and with it dangerous radionuclides, from Fukushima Daiichi into the Pacific Ocean. The Biden administration must urge Japan to abandon this unnecessary and dangerous plan. [The Hill]
¶ “Scotland Must Not Let Chance To Create World-Leading Renewable Energy Industry Slip Through Its Fingers” • Scotland has a long way to go to create a truly world-leading renewable energy industry. Two Scottish unions, jointly welcoming jobs building wind turbine jackets, called for an industrial plan for Scotland’s future. [The Scotsman]
Windfarm (Alessandro Stigliani, Unsplash)
¶ “For The Health Of Americans, A Dollar of Carbon Emissions Prevented Is Worth A Ton of Cure” • The Biden administration made an announcement in February that could affect the health of Americans for generations. It had nothing directly to do with COVID-19 or even health care reform. It is about the societal costs of fossil fuels. [Scientific American]
World:
¶ “US And China Agree To Cooperate On Climate Change After Talks In Shanghai” • The US and China have agreed to cooperate on “addressing the climate crisis” after two days of high-profile meetings in Shanghai, despite rising tensions between them. The two countries said the climate crisis “must be addressed with seriousness and urgency.” [CNN]
Special Envoys John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua
(Ministry of Ecology and Environment)
¶ “You Can Now Buy The New BYD E6 With Blade Battery In Zimbabwe” • BYD Zimbabwe recently launched the T3 electric van in the Zimbabwean market. This made it the first company to introduce brand new electric vehicles in Zimbabwe. Early adopters and EV enthusiasts had been importing some used EVs directly from the UK and Japan. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Lisbon Orders Ten Electric Ferries” • Electric ferries have been available for years. You don’t often see large orders for them, but Lisbon is shaking things up. It is getting ten electric ferries, with the internal muscle and brains coming from ABB. Public ferry company Transtejo will put the electric ferries into service between 2022 and 2024. [CleanTechnica]
Lisbon electric ferry (Image by Astilleros Gondan, ABB)
¶ “Renewable Energy Schemes For Homes Launched” • Malta’s Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development launched three schemes to encourage families to invest in renewable energy and to reduce their energy bills. The schemes allow consumers to switch from the conventional water heaters to efficient, clean heaters. [MaltaToday]
US:
¶ “California Approves $44 Million For San Diego EV Charging” • San Diego Gas & Electric will deploy roughly 2,000 new electric vehicle charging stations at apartment and workplaces across the San Diego region, where cars are parked for long periods. Funds are from a $44 million program approved by the California Public Utilities Commission. [CleanTechnica]
Solar-powered rural EV charging (Courtesy of Electrify America)
¶ “Time To Repeal New England’s Anti-Consumer Dirty Energy Rule” • For years, ISO New England, which operates the New England grid, has resisted reforms of Minimum Offer Price Rule, except to continue prioritizing fossil fuel generator profits over consumers. Now, the new FERC chairman is prioritizing reform or replacement of the rule. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “In Response To Outages, Texas Politicians Aim To Penalize Wind And Solar” • Though gas plants played a larger role in the February power crisis, Texas lawmakers are pushing bills to make wind and solar plant owners pay for replacement power that would be ready if their plants underperform, along with grid balancing services. [Inside Climate News]
Roscoe wind farm (Matthew T Rader, Unsplash)
¶ “The EPA Knows Tanks Holding Heavy Fuels Emit Harmful Chemicals. Why Are Americans Still At Risk?” • In an 18-month investigation, Inside Climate News found that emissions from heated tanks of asphalt and No 6 fuel oil pose a risk to the health of millions of Americans. Federal and state regulators have failed to address the risks adequately. [Inside Climate News]
¶ “North Carolina Panel Signs Off On Duke Energy Orders On Rates, Coal Ash” • The North Carolina Utilities Commission has signed off on orders involving two Duke Energy electric utility subsidiaries, over their 2019 rate increase requests and a plan for how the company will pay to get rid of coal ash stored in North Carolina. [Greensboro News and Record]
Have an advantageously effective day.
geoharvey 