After turmoil in D.C., a path forward on climate

POLITICS: After a failed insurrection yesterday by Trump loyalists, Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory; meanwhile, Democrats will gain control of the Senate after Jon Ossoff’s lead in Georgia passes the recount threshold, clearing a path for federal clean energy and climate policy to advance in 2021. (New York Times, Reuters)

ALSO:
• The head of the National Association of Manufacturers urges use of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office for inciting yesterday’s siege of the U.S. Capitol. (Reuters)
• Senate Democrats are poised to use the Congressional Review Act to undo Trump administration regulations passed in recent months. (E&E News)
• A member of Biden’s transition team warns ​“rebuilding efforts across the government are going to be more extensive than we have understood before,” seeking to temper expectations for quick action on climate. (E&E News)

EQUITY: Arrest figures reveal the starkly disparate treatment that pro-Trump insurrectionists were granted compared to the aggressive police response to social justice protests last year. (Forbes)

TRANSPORTATION: EPA data shows average vehicle fuel economy declined in 2019 as consumers buy more SUVs than cars, with the trend expected to continue. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:
• The Bureau of Land Management’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas lease sale only attracted three bidders, none of which were major oil companies. (Alaska Public Media)
• Leaders of several tribal nations object to a Bureau of Land Management decision to allow the drilling of 5,000 oil and gas wells in the southern region of Wyoming’s Powder River Basin over the next decade. (Casper Star-Tribune)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: A North Carolina board makes changes to the state building code that would allow developers to skimp on insulation and other energy-saving basics in exchange for flashier additions such as solar panels and super-efficient appliances. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Fishing groups in Maine are skeptical of the state’s commitment to work with them as plans are devised to develop an array of floating offshore wind turbines. (Energy News Network)
• An offshore wind farm in New Jersey will be among the first in the world to be powered by the largest wind turbines ever built. (NJ Spotlight)

UTILITIES: Illinois’ Citizens Utility Board files a complaint in federal court claiming ComEd continues to benefit from an alleged bribery scheme after admitting wrongdoing in a deferred-prosecution agreement. (Chicago Sun-Times)

NUCLEAR: A 35-year-old Mississippi nuclear plant spent nearly three-quarters of 2020 at zero or reduced power for maintenance and other reasons, raising questions about nuclear power’s long-term reliability. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE:
• In a report released Tuesday, Exxon Mobil released its greenhouse gas emissions for the first time, showing they are the highest among major oil companies. (Bloomberg)
• Burlington, Vermont became the first city to declare itself powered by 100% renewable energy but the reality is more complex as cities are unlikely to fully zero-out their carbon footprints. (Grist)

COMMENTARY:
• Democratic victories in Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff elections give President-elect Joe Biden the opportunity to go big on climate change and other issues, writes an opinion columnist. (Bloomberg)
• An analyst says that New England households would pay substantially more for heating costs than those elsewhere in the country if homes are fully electrified. (Energy Institute at Haas)