Manchin’s complicated energy legacy

POLITICS: Sen. Joe Manchin announces he won’t pursue re-election and may run for president, leaving behind a complicated energy and climate legacy that saw him champion the Inflation Reduction Act but pivot to fighting its implementation. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:

• A federal judge deals a defeat to environmental and Indigenous groups by upholding the Biden administration’s approval of the Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska and ruling ConocoPhillips has the right to develop its leases. (Associated Press)
• Dominion Energy’s plan to build a new gas-fired power plant in Virginia casts doubt on its state-mandated requirement to shift to producing only renewable energy by 2045. (Inside Climate News)

CARBON CAPTURE: The nation’s first direct air carbon capture facility begins operations in Tracy, California. (E&E News)

CLIMATE: The 12 months between November 2022 and October 2023 were the Earth’s hottest ever recorded, an analysis finds. (The Hill)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• An analysis that compared the odometers of combustion and electric vehicles found EVs are driven much less than gas cars, potentially diminishing their emissions reduction impact. (Axios)
• Car buyers say many dealerships aren’t prepared to sell electric vehicles, reporting sellers who try to steer them away from EVs or give them false information on electric models. (Washington Post)
• Rivian finalizes a 50-year agreement to rent 1,800 acres in Georgia as it gears up to build a $5 billion electric vehicle factory. (WAGA)

GRID:

• Nearly all of the country’s power grid is at risk of failure if it faces major storms or long spans of extreme cold this winter, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns. (The Hill)
• Although Massachusetts failed to secure any of the $250 million it sought from a federal grid resilience program, utilities National Grid and Generac have each locked down $50 million for grid projects in the state. (Boston Globe)

UTILITIES: A powerful group of North Carolina manufacturers and paper mills says it will drop its opposition to a Duke Energy program to assist thousands of households in Asheville and the eastern part of the state in paying electric bills. (Energy News Network)

EMISSIONS: Federal officials recognize Ohio-based steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs for slashing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third, though advocates say there’s room for further cuts. (Energy News Network)

OVERSIGHT: The Biden administration finalizes new regulatory guidance that will likely allow federal agencies to create stricter climate and emissions reduction measures. (The Hill)

CLEAN ENERGY: Compared to Minnesota and Illinois, Michigan’s planned clean energy shift may be the most ambitious given its starting point with more fossil fuels, according to a clean energy analyst. (Inside Climate News)

OFFSHORE WIND: Gulf of Maine lobster catchers eagerly await the federal government’s final map of where offshore wind development could be located in their traditional fishing waters. (Maine Public Radio)

GEOTHERMAL: New York City environmentalists see hope in creating geothermal energy networks to decarbonize the city’s buildings. (City Limits)