** Firms that haul freight across the San Diego-Tijuana border say they are not prepared for California’s plan to phase out diesel trucks because Mexico lacks zero-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure.
** Under pressure from environmentalists, New York lawmakers on Tuesday made their state the first in the nation to ban the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels for heating and cooking in most new buildings.
** A Colorado company markets teardrop camping trailers with integrated battery systems that can charge electric vehicles or provide home backup power during an outage.
** Montrose Environmental Group Inc. (NYSE: MEG) of North Little Rock on Wednesday announced an agreement to acquire Canadian environmental and engineering consulting firm Matrix Solutions Inc. The deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions aimed at expanding Montrose’s consulting business.
** New data from J.D. Power found that an increasing number of Americans say they are “very unlikely” to purchase an EV. From January through March alone, that number has risen from 17.8 percent to 21 percent of respondents.
** The Senate approved a measure Wednesday evening to override President Biden’s move last year to allow Chinese solar panel makers to avoid tariffs for 24 months. In a bipartisan 56-41 vote, the Senate voted in favor of the resolution — which was sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and co-sponsored by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. — the latest congressional action to face an expected veto from President Biden.
** A large coalition of 43 of the most influential oil and gas industry trade groups including the Western Energy Alliance and the American Petroleum Institute are opposing President Biden’s nominee, Ann Carlson, to lead a Department of Transportation safety subagency.
** Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed one of the most extensive anti-ESG bills in the country into law on Tuesday, barring the managers of state or publicly controlled funds from considering environmental, social justice, and governance factors when making investment decisions.
World
** More than half of the 22 oil tankers in Venezuela’s fleet are so run down that they should be immediately repaired or taken out of service, according to an internal report from state-run oil company PDVSA that was shared exclusively with Reuters.
** American semiconductor companies want access to the China market despite US government national security concerns and need clear rules from the Biden administration, according to a major industry group.
** With sea surface temperatures swelling to new highs in recent weeks, scientists warn that humanity’s carbon pollution has the potential to turn oceans into a global warming “time bomb”.
** Desperate to find new markets for the vast quantities of natural gas it once sent to Europe by pipeline, Russia is on a mission to dramatically increase its ability to export the fuel by sea.
** TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace France and climate consulting company Factor-X over a report that claimed that Total had significantly underestimated its emissions from burning fossil fuels.