** As President Joe Biden pushes to accelerate the nation’s transition to clean energy, three Chicago suburbs and more than two dozen other Illinois communities are mulling plans to double down on lung-damaging, climate-changing coal. ** The White House announced steps Tuesday to modernize the country’s aging electric infrastructure.The new initiative between the feds and 21 states …
Category: Wind Energy
Energy briefs
** The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and the railroad promised to pay more than $500 million to complete the efforts to improve safety that it announced after the crash and address community health concerns. ** Tesla has left out its goal of delivering …
Energy briefs
** Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) are asking the Justice Department to look into the oil industry’s handling of climate change after their own investigation. ** A group of state financial officers and other public and labor leaders called on Tuesday for major asset managers to vote against top Exxon directors, citing the …
Energy briefs
** The Biden administration said Tuesday it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites in New Jersey and Maine, will be allocated in increments of 100,000 barrels at a time. ** Broad majorities …
Damage trial underway in Osage County and tribal wind farm fight
A Federal Judge who ordered wind energy company Enel Green to remove 84 wind turbines and towers from the Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma, was scheduled this week to begin hearing arguments in a trial on damages in the case. U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Choe-Groves, of the U.S. Court of International Trade, …
Conservationist urges new approach for development of energy projects
Conservationist Wayne Walker wants a new approach to the development of energy projects and at the same time, the protection and growth of wildlife habitat. Writing this week in The Oklahoman, Walker, managing partner of LPC Conservation LLC, a federal partner in managing Habitation Conservation Plans, suggested a new and faster approach to …
Energy briefs
** Wyoming legislators are examining an approach to energy independence and ownership of coal- and natural-gas power plants that would directly pit them against the Biden administration’s policy of ending coal production by 2041. ** Toyota plans $532M expansion to add 411 jobs at its San Antonio manufacturing plant. ** Regional electrical grid operators have …
Energy briefs
** A group of states that loosely parallels those that filed suit last year to stop California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule have taken similar action against the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) rule, seeking to stop the ACF while it awaits a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency. ** California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s administration said it …
Energy briefs
** Crews continued to evaluate on Tuesday a controlled explosion aiming to dislodge the cargo ship Dali from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The Dali has been stuck in Baltimore for 50 days after losing power and ramming into a column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the structure to collapse. ** Utility …
Texas faces another possible grid emergency
ERCOT, the power grid operator in Texas warned customers they could face a potential electricity emergency this weekend. According to the alert issued by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid might reach emergency conditions by Friday night and continuing through Saturday evening. Supplies of electricity are expected to be tightest Friday evening. …