** Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led a coalition of eight state attorneys general in filing a court brief supporting Ohio’s lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over California’s electric vehicle mandates. Bird is joined by the Republican attorneys general from the states of Idaho, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming.
** In June 2021, Oregon’s Multnomah County experienced three back-to-back days of record-breaking heat, topping out at 108, 112, and 116 degrees Fahrenheit, Inside Climate News reports. That’s uncharacteristic of the region, with highs usually in the low 80s — and it came with a death toll. Multnomah County has filed a suit in Oregon state court against large oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron, to attempt to hold them accountable for the events of June 2021.
** Vehicle prices continued a downward trend in July — the most of any major category in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the last year as the car market continues its return to “normal” following pandemic-fueled inflation.
** Fervo Energy is expediting its underground heat extraction process, unlocking renewable geothermal power that could begin playing a greater role in electricity production in the United States. The latest drilling breakthrough has been making headlines, including in Renewable Energy Magazine and The Salt Lake Tribune, for shaving 70% off the time needed to complete a borehole.
** California Democrats are calling on the Biden administration to freeze reported plans to impose fresh restrictions on U.S. technology exports to China, arguing unilateral curbs benefit foreign rivals at the expense of U.S. businesses.
** A revolutionary nuclear energy bill recently passed the United States Senate with nearly unanimous bipartisan support in a crucial step toward energy security and economic growth. As detailed by HuffPost in June, the U.S. Senate approved the ADVANCE Act by a vote of 88-2 after a version of the bill passed the House with overwhelming support the previous month.
World
** Two-thirds of Puerto Rico’s homes and businesses (roughly 975,000 people) were without power this morning after downpours from Hurricane Ernesto, which is expected to strengthen before passing over Bermuda reported CBS News.
** Steelmaker giant Baowu warned that the industry is falling into dire straits, as a severe Chinese downturn could spell trouble for worldwide producers. According to a company statement cited by Bloomberg, the firm’s chair Hu Wangming told staff that a “harsh winter” was looming over the country’s steel sector, with conditions that are “longer, colder and more difficult to endure than we expected.”
** Swedish electric-vehicle (EV) maker Polestar moved one step further in avoiding major tariffs imposed on Chinese-made cars on Wednesday when the automaker said it began production of its Polestar 3 SUV in the United States.