** Alaska officials urge a court to dismiss youth advocates’ lawsuit alleging a state-sponsored proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline and export terminal would exacerbate climate change.
** Amazon.com Inc. and billionaire financier Ken Griffin are among the backers anchoring a $500 million investment in small nuclear reactors, a burgeoning technology heralded as the next era for atomic energy.
** Second-hand electric vehicles are plunging to bargain prices as dealerships clog up with unwanted models, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the average selling price of a three-year-old EV had dropped by 25 percent since the start of 2023, making them cheaper than gas-drinking vehicles of the same vintage.
** Colorado industry officials criticize Xcel Energy for blocking rooftop solar customers from connecting to the grid, and say planned transmission upgrades won’t solve the problem.
** A startup announces plans to build a Reno, Nevada, “gigafactory” to produce lithium-sulfur batteries for electric vehicles, with backing from automaker Stellantis.
** Hawaii regulators step up their probe into a utility’s role in sparking the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires, building on a state and federal investigation’s findings.
** Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to take another look at a state law after a legal loophole and reluctance by some gas station owners to deploy generators led to fuel shortages after Hurricane Milton.
** The US Supreme Court let the Environmental Protection Agency move ahead with its stringent new emissions limits for power plants, rebuffing businesses and Republican-run states that complained the rule will impose exorbitant compliance costs.
World
** Automakers flocked to Paris for Europe’s largest motor show this week — and China’s EV giants were the star attraction. BYD, Xpeng, and Leapmotor showcased new vehicles at the Paris Motor Show, even as the European Union prepares to impose punishing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
** Automakers flocked to Paris for Europe’s largest motor show this week — and China’s EV giants were the star attraction. BYD, Xpeng, and Leapmotor showcased new vehicles at the Paris Motor Show, even as the European Union prepares to impose punishing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
** High energy costs, weak global demand, a disruptive shift towards net-zero economies, and growing competition from China are raising existential questions for Germany’s export-oriented, industrial economic model, with CEOs clamoring for more government support.
** Chrysler parent Stellantis is expanding its factory complex in northern Mexico to build Ram 1500 pickup trucks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Stellantis has been building additional factory space next to its existing plant in Saltillo, Mexico, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
