IRA crosses $100 billion in grant awards

CLEAN ENERGY: The Biden administration says it has handed out $100 billion in Inflation Reduction Act grants, and is on track to allocate more than 80% of available funds by the time President-elect Trump takes office. (Reuters)

ALSO:

• More Republican Congress members say they’d prefer to take a ​“scalpel, not a hatchet,” to the Inflation Reduction Act, fearing a large-scale repeal of tax credits would jeopardize projects already in motion. (E&E News)
• The U.S. Energy Department office that has approved nearly $55 billion in loans to help clean energy companies scale up is racing to get ​“dollars out the door” before the Trump administration potentially halts the program. (Canary Media)
• The Biden administration awards $1.2 billion for states to build infrastructure with cleaner materials, but much of that funding will still be in limbo when Trump takes office. (Canary Media)

UTILITIES:

• Analysts and experts say utilities should scale up time-of-use rates and other programs to help manage load growth from electric vehicles before major investments in distribution infrastructure. (Utility Dive)
• A North Carolina city sues Duke Energy, alleging the utility stalled the transition to renewables and continued emitting greenhouse gases for decades by deceiving the public about climate change. (Floodlight)

GRID:

• Renewable energy developers urge PJM to drop a plan to fast-track approval for select generating projects, saying the process would unfairly advantage fossil fuel and nuclear plants. (Utility Dive)
• Consumer advocates in Illinois and Ohio are also pushing back against the plan that would prioritize natural gas projects, saying PJM has historically overestimated load growth. (E&E News)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Planners of an 100-turbine offshore wind project off Maryland and Delaware announce their intention to start onshore construction in 2026, but the project still needs approval from Delaware agencies to bring transmission lines ashore in the state. (The Daily Record, Delaware Business Times)

LITHIUM: California environmental justice advocates call on lithium extraction firms in the Imperial Valley to sign legally binding agreements to provide local jobs, protect health and the environment and respect tribal nations’ rights. (KPBS)

OIL & GAS: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recuses himself from a case related to a proposed Utah oil-hauling rail line following criticism of his ties to Colorado petroleum magnate Philip Anschutz. (CNN)

CLIMATE: Experts say climate change contributed heavily to rising inflation in the last two years, as extreme weather shut down oil refineries and compromised food production. (Grist)