LNG export emissions far exceed coal’s

CORRECTION: The owners of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant are seeking a $1.6 billion loan guarantee; an item in yesterday’s newsletter listed the wrong amount. 

EMISSIONS: Global natural gas exports are responsible for far more emissions than coal exports, researchers find, concluding there is ​“no need for LNG as an interim energy source” as countries phase out coal. (The Guardian)

COAL:

• The closure of Britain’s last coal plant shows how the U.S. can adopt pollution controls and renewable development incentives to achieve the same goal, analysts say. (Washington Post)
• Clean energy advocates push back on Duke Energy’s new plan to extend the life of the country’s second-largest coal plant, the Gibson plant in Indiana, by three years to 2038 to meet rising electricity demand. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR: Regulators and lawmakers should do more to make nuclear reactor licensing more accessible and craft regulations that allow existing reactors to support data centers and hydrogen producers, panelists say during a clean energy conference. (Utility Dive)

EQUITY: A solar technician training course in Boston aims to build a more diverse workforce to accelerate the rate of solar installations and help residents of underserved communities. (WBUR)

POLITICS:

• Critics say Republicans who’ve controlled North Carolina’s legislature for 15 years have systematically weakened building rules and environmental protections in ways that likely worsened the effects of Hurricane Helene last week. (New York Times, The Lever)
• Two Texas oil billionaires have built an extensive network of think tanks, political action committees and other organizations that have relentlessly pushed the state legislature to the hard right. (New York Times Magazine)
• Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s remarks about declining to commit federal funds to convert a Michigan GM plant to make electric vehicles were a ​“middle finger to Michigan auto workers,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says. (Michigan Advance)

OIL & GAS: ConocoPhillips signs a $300 million deal to acquire some of Chevron’s oil and gas facilities on Alaska’s North Slope, bucking the trend of large companies selling out to private firms. (Alaska Beacon)

CARBON CAPTURE: The U.S. Interior Department is two years behind in crafting rules for offshore carbon sequestration, but expects to finish this year. (E&E News)

HYDROGEN: The U.S. Treasury Department will finalize its clean hydrogen tax credit rules by the end of the year, a deputy secretary says. (Heatmap)