Electric compact SUVs dominate the market

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: More than a third of small SUVs sold in the U.S. are now electric, compared to just 15% of sedans, making small SUVs the cleanest category of new vehicles, according to the U.S. EPA. (Washington Post)

ALSO: President-elect Trump is reportedly considering canceling the U.S. Postal Service’s contracts to buy tens of thousands of electric delivery vehicles and charging stations. (Reuters)

GRID:

• A consultancy predicts power demand from data centers and manufacturing will accelerate beyond previous expectations, pushing utilities to build out fossil fuel power plants and grid infrastructure and putting strain on ratepayers. (Utility Dive, Canary Media)
• Clean energy groups say PJM’s proposal to rush fossil fuel generation projects through the interconnection queue to maintain reliability could jeopardize state-level clean energy targets. (Inside Climate News)

CARBON CAPTURE: Federal subsidies and utilities’ desires to keep fossil fuel plants running while meeting emissions goals will likely continue to stoke the carbon capture industry even as the Trump administration looks to dismantle climate incentives. (E&E News)

CLIMATE: Last month marked the Earth’s second-hottest November on record, putting the planet on track for its hottest year ever — and its second record-breaking year in a row. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR: Some experts are skeptical that restarting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant and pursuing other nuclear power projects will actually be a meaningful solution for the energy needs of artificial intelligence. (NPR)

WIND: The federal Bureau of Land Management approves a downscaled version of the proposed Lava Ridge wind facility in southern Idaho amid lawmakers’ and advocates’ concerns about its impact to rural communities and a World War II Japanese American incarceration site. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:

• Officials in a small Pennsylvania city announce plans to convert a shuttered coal-burning power plant to a natural gas-fired station and double its capacity, which would make it the largest gas-burning plant in the country. (Power)
• A new investigation reveals how ExxonMobil and a coalition of free-market think tanks worked closely to obfuscate the effects of climate change and support fossil fuel-friendly policies. (DeSmog)

SOLAR:

• Cities in Michigan and Wisconsin are contracting with large utilities to provide solar power after encountering financial and logistical challenges with building rooftop solar installations. (Energy News Network)
• California advocates say state policies limiting incentives have hampered community solar development. (Bloomberg)

POLITICS: With just two weeks left in the session, congressional lawmakers push to pass a long-delayed permitting reform bill. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT: Analysts say the outcome of a Utah oil-hauling railway case before the U.S. Supreme Court this week could curtail a landmark federal environmental law. (Inside Climate News)