Most captured carbon goes to boost oil production

CARBON CAPTURE: At least 60% of carbon captured annually fossil fuel plants around the U.S. is used to extract more oil through so-called ​“enhanced oil recovery.” (Washington Post)

ALSO: An oil company is building a billion-dollar complex to capture and store carbon emissions in Texas despite its failure on a previous project that was quietly sold last year for a fraction of its build cost. (Bloomberg)

POLITICS:

• Fossil fuel companies have spent millions of dollars on lobbying and campaign donations to state lawmakers who’ve enacted laws that penalize protests near pipelines and fossil fuel infrastructure. (Guardian)
• California labor unions form a political coalition aimed at lobbying state lawmakers to help fossil fuel workers transition to clean energy jobs and protect workers from global warming’s effects. (Los Angeles Times)

JOBS: The U.S. Energy Department touts the growth of energy and clean energy jobs in every state last year as part of its annual jobs report, and credits the Inflation Reduction Act for the growth. (Utility Dive)

FINANCE: Federal banking regulators unveil new regulations aimed at pressing banks to incentivize climate mitigation projects in redlined communities and further disclose and address their climate-related risks. (E&E News)

EMISSIONS:

• Projects in Arkansas and elsewhere in the U.S. seek to decarbonize the process of steelmaking, but many advocates say the process ultimately depends on the widespread availability of green hydrogen. (Canary Media)
• Bans on gas-powered leaf blowers are leading to cleaner, quieter neighborhoods across the country. (Grist)

HYDROGEN: Although Pennsylvania officials are cheering on two new hydrogen hubs set to be developed in the state, environmentalists caution that few details have emerged to prove these will be ​“green” projects. (Spotlight PA)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• New York announces 6.4 GW worth of new renewable energy projects, including three offshore wind farms and almost two dozen solar and hydroelectric facilities, capable of providing up to 12% of the state’s power demand. (E&E News, Gothamist, news release)
• California advocates say a proposal to prohibit residents of multi-meter properties from consuming their own rooftop solar production would be a ​“blatant seizure of property.” (PV Magazine)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A rise in the number of efficient cars and electric models on the roads has eaten into U.S. gasoline demand, which still hasn’t recovered from to its pre-pandemic high. (Washington Post)
• A Wisconsin-based trucking and logistics company operates one of the largest electric vehicle fleets in the country as it seeks to cut carbon emissions per mile. (Press Gazette)