Sierra Club

Congress

Biden Diversifies Cabinet With EPA Administrator, Interior Secretary Picks

President-elect Biden made two historic cabinet selections: Michael Regan, who heads the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to run the U.S. EPA, and Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico, to head the Interior Department.

December 21, 2020 - The Washington Post

Coal Railroad

Mountain Coal States vs. West Coast Cities

A legal battle is being waged between the coal-exporting states of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana and coastal cities in California, Oregon, and Washington that pits the power of local land-use authority against the protection of interstate commerce.

March 16, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Electric Car

New Jersey Might Be the Most EV-Friendly State in the Nation

Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation Friday establishing an incentive program for purchasing battery electric vehicles, allowing up to a $5,000 rebate, the nation's highest, plus $500 rebates for home-chargers. EVs are already exempt from sales tax.

January 22, 2020 - NJ Spotlight

Green Hydrogen, Plus Storage, Key to Los Angeles' Plan for Carbon-Free Electricity

The Los Angeles municipal utility will convert a Utah coal power plant to run on natural gas in 2025. According to a proposal unveiled Dec. 10, the plant will incrementally be converted to run entirely on hydrogen, a zero-emission fuel, by 2045.

December 22, 2019 - Utility Dive

Wisconsin Capitol

Madison Common Council Narrowly Approves Unpopular $40 Wheel Tax

Despite major opposition by residents, the Madison Common Council approved a $40 motor vehicle registration fee (aka 'wheel tax') on an 11-8 vote on Oct. 29 to help fund the city's new East-West Bus Rapid Transit system.

November 29, 2019 - Wisconsin State Journal

Tacoma Washington

Election 2019: Devastating Transportation Funding Loss in Pacific Northwest

Washington voters' approval of Initiative 976, which put a limit on car tab increases as well as repealing many motor vehicle fees, will have far-reaching consequences for funding road maintenance, transit, and bike and pedestrian projects.

November 9, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Detroit, Michigan

GM, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler Back Trump on Weaker Auto Emissions Rule

The auto industry is divided on whether to back stronger emissions standard adopted by California and 13 other states. Three major automakers and three auto industry groups sided with Trump on Monday in a court battle over 'one national standard.'

November 3, 2019 - Reuters

Oil Pump in Los Angeles

Trump Administration Reopens California Public Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling

A decision by the Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 3 may reverse the outcome of a 2013 lawsuit against the Obama administration by two environmental groups that effectively halted drilling in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties.

October 11, 2019 - The Hill

Las Vegas strip

Nevada to Embark on 7-Year Program to Record Mileage of Motorists

Nevada is one of 15 states in the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium that are considering a transition from funding their transportation budgets largely by taxing the gallons of fuel that vehicles burn to charging drivers for miles driven.

August 30, 2019 - Route Fifty

Natural Gas

California Takes Step Toward Replacing Gas with Electricity in Buildings

Two weeks after Berkeley became the nation's first city to outlaw natural gas lines in new buildings, the California Public Utilities Commission voted to update an old regulation to allow funding for 'fuel switching' from gas to electric appliances.

August 7, 2019 - Utility Dive

Glendale, California

Repowered Southern California Natural Gas Power Plant Will Have Lots of Green

Most of the aging 350-megawatt Grayson Power Plant, operated by Glendale Water & Power, will be retired by 2021. The city's utility district has struggled with how to repower it. A compromise reached last month ensures low emissions and reliability.

August 5, 2019 - Greentech Media

Coal Power

Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States

Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.

July 23, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

East Bay Area

Another Berkeley 'First': Banning Natural Gas Lines in New Buildings

On Tuesday night, the City Council of Berkeley, Calif., unanimously voted to ban natural gas infrastructure from new buildings starting next year, the first city in the U.S. to pass such an ordinance. Fifty cities in the state could be next.

July 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Michael Bloomberg Launches $500 Million 'Beyond Carbon' Campaign

The "War on Coal" is back, in the form of a new grassroots political campaign bankrolled by Bloomberg Philanthropies to decarbonize power generation by targeting existing coal power plants and halting the growth of natural gas replacements.

June 10, 2019 - The New York Times

Dakota Access Pipeline

Dakota Access Pipeline Owners Win Eminent Domain Appeal in Iowa Supreme Court

The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that found that the Iowa Utilities Board was justified in giving the private owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline the use of eminent domain. Climate change was considered in the ruling.

June 6, 2019 - Des Moines Register

Interstate 4 - Florida

Environmentalists Urge Gov. Ron DeSantis to Veto Florida Toll Roads Bill

Florida has the distinction of having more toll roads than any other state. Environmentalists want Gov. DeSantis (R) to veto a bill that would build three new ones, adding over three hundred miles of asphalt through mostly rural, unpopulated areas.

May 17, 2019 - South Florida Sun Sentinel

Coal-Fired Power Plant

Regulators Scold Utility for Proposing Natural Gas to Replace Coal

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is concerned about the lack of renewable options for replacing a coal plant in Wabash County.

May 3, 2019 - The Evansville Courier & Press

Fracking

Department of Interior Plans to Open 1 Million Acres in California to Fracking

The Bakersfield Office of the Bureau of Land Management released an environmental study that is the basis for undoing a 2013 de facto moratorium on fracking on federal lands in California. The Supplemental EIS triggers a 45-day public comment period.

April 28, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Coal Extraction

Judge Halts Sales of New Coal Mining Leases on Federal Lands

Once again, the president's efforts to undo his predecessor's environmental legacy were thwarted by a court ruling. In this case, the Interior Department's failure to conduct an environmental review of a Trump executive order ran afoul of NEPA.

April 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Donald Trump

Trump Signs Two Executive Orders Limiting States' Authority Over Energy Pipelines

The Trump administration's "energy dominance" agenda depends, in part, on growing the energy distribution network, namely pipelines, rail facilities, and ports. However, states can use the Clean Water Act to block pipelines and coal terminals.

April 15, 2019 - InsideClimate News

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