How Amazon accelerated its EV and charger rollout

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Amazon has installed more than 17,000 electric vehicle chargers at its warehouses over the last two years, making it the biggest U.S. private charging operator as it easily surpasses competitors’ clean vehicle goals. (Bloomberg)

ALSO:

• Indiana officials say a pilot highway construction project that charges electric vehicles as they drive has the potential to spur greater adoption and change how the public thinks about EVs. (Inside Climate News)
• A California startup trains workers and develops software aimed at facilitating public electric vehicle charger maintenance and repair. (Los Angeles Times)

OIL & GAS:

• The Biden administration finalizes rules raising royalty rates and reclamation bond amounts for oil and gas drilling on federal land, drawing mixed reactions from industry and advocates. (High Country News)
• As a real estate redevelopment firm plans to remediate the site of what was once the East Coast’s largest oil refinery, community activists want the site to have a more sustainable future. (CNN)

GEOTHERMAL: Geothermal has the potential to be a reliable, zero-emission source of energy that’s a natural transition from oil and gas drilling, experts say, if political tensions don’t derail its takeoff. (The Hill)

EFFICIENCY:

• The U.S. Energy Department finalizes new rules that will double the efficiency level required in the most common lightbulbs. (The Hill)
• A new partnership between the Energy Department and manufacturers aims to accelerate the development of heat pumps for commercial buildings. (Canary Media)
• A Washington, D.C., home efficiency fair showcases emerging heat pumps, electric vehicles, and other efficient, zero-emission appliances. (Washington Post)

STORAGE: Dominion Energy sends a 1.5 MW metal-hydrogen battery to the historically Black Virginia State University to power a venue and become part of a hands-on laboratory and research project for its engineering program. (Energy News Network)

EQUITY:

• Advocates say the U.S. EPA’s​new rule cracking down on cancer-causing air pollutants leaves out a chemical production category that disproportionately affects a majority-Black community in West Virginia. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• A think tank’s new report finds that New York has given very few state subsidies to low-income families for solar panel installations. (Gothamist)

CLIMATE:

• This year’s COP29 climate conference will likely revolve around putting a price tag on wealthy countries’ aid obligations to poorer countries that have contributed far less to climate change. (Grist)
• Forecasters predict ​“an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season” with 170% more storm activity than usual. (Wilmington StarNews)

SOLAR: California lawmakers introduce bills aimed at mitigating the effects of or revoking recent state policies slashing incentives for rooftop and community solar. (Canary Media)