The California Public Utilities Commission voted today to allocate over $40 million worth of incentives to boost the installation of efficient, emission-free heat pump water heaters in place of polluting gas-fired water heaters in new and existing buildings. Gas-fired appliances in homes and buildings account for 17 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions.
This afternoon, Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a proposal by Dairyland Power and Minnesota Power to build the Nemadji Trail Energy Center (NTEC) gas plant in Superior, Wisconsin. If constructed, NTEC would cost customers an estimated $700 million. Arguments submitted in opposition pointed to expert studies showing that the gas plant is unnecessary and that utilities could more cheaply meet customer needs with common-sense energy efficiency and renewable, home-grown energy. In the fall a study published by Rocky Mountain Institute found 90 percent of 88 proposed gas plants, NTEC included, would end up costing more than if the utilities instead invested in wind, solar and energy efficiency.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Senate voted to pass Donald Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 despite serious, high-profile concerns over the proposal.Over the past two weeks, prominent members of Congress -- including Senators Sanders, Harris, Schumer, Gillibrand, Markey, Whitehouse, and more -- have pledged to vote against Trump’s deal, citing its major climate failures as a primary reason for their opposition.
ALBANY, NY– This week, the New York Department of Public Service (NYDPS) released a “make ready” incentive plan for utilities to spend more than half a billion dollars in workplace and public electric vehicle charging stations, accelerating New York’s goal of having 850,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025 by creating a robust charging network across the state.
WASHINGTON -- Today, the House voted to send formal articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate, beginning the first phase of his impeachment trial. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have both called for the inclusion of witnesses and evidence in the trial, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far rejected the terms while admitting to coordinating directly with the White House as opposed to acting as an impartial juror and is actively blocking press coverage of the trial.
Washington, D.C., -- Today, POLITICO reported that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will lift the illegal hold on $8.2 billion in disaster mitigation funds for Puerto Rico, already approved by Congress and dating back to Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Las Vegas, NV-- On Martin Luther King Day, conservation organizations and members of the Las Vegas community will join for a day of service at Ice Age Fossils State Park to remove debris, remove invasive weed species, and help restore the public landscape. The 315-acre park-- a unique part of the Mojave Desert-- contains preserved traces of mammoths, camels, bison, horses, sloth and dire wolves.
TOPEKA, KS -- Earlier today, Kansas-based Sunflower Electric announced it was cancelling the proposed 895 MW Holcomb 2 coal plant and that it would allow a construction permit for the facility to expire in March. This followed an announcement by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the major investor in Holcomb 2, that it would cancel the project.
FT. LAUDERDALE-- Gov. Ron DeSantis today announced that the state will purchase 20,000 acres in Broward County from Kanter Real Estate. The state’s action follows tremendous public opposition to plans by Kanter to drill for oil on the land, which is part of the Everglades Protection Area. The area is vital to the region’s water, Everglades restoration and endangered species.
Today, Tri-State Generation and Transmission made some major renewable energy announcements as part of its Responsible Energy Plan.