New EV tax credit rules leave automakers relieved

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. Treasury releases long-awaited domestic manufacturing rules to determine whether an electric vehicle will qualify for federal tax credits. (E&E News)

ALSO: Automakers and environmentalists welcome the rules, which will allow more cars and trucks to receive tax credits than expected, while Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin voice their displeasure. (E&E News, The Hill)

CLIMATE:

• It’s ​“becoming inevitable” that nations will blow past the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold they pledged to avoid under the Paris climate agreement, scientists say at the United Nations climate conference. (Politico)
• More than 100 countries call for a fossil fuel phaseout and an immediate end to all new oil and gas production, plus an end date for fossil fuel production, at the climate summit. (Inside Climate News)
• The U.S. pledges $3 billion to an international climate fund that will help developing countries develop clean energy and climate projects. (The Hill)

EMISSIONS:

• The U.S. EPA unveils new methane emissions standards that will require producers to upgrade and regularly inspect equipment for leaks, including for the first time infrastructure built before 2015. (E&E News)
• Many of the world’s biggest oil companies pledge they’ll slash methane emissions more than 80% by 2030, though environmental groups say it’s a ​“smokescreen” to cover up the need to phase out fossil fuels completely. (Associated Press)

SOLAR: California regulators slash compensation to solar-plus-battery system owners for discharging stored power back to the grid during peak demand. (Canary Media)

OIL: The U.S. is producing a record 13.2 million barrels of oil a day, and analysts expect the industry to add another 500,000 barrels per day next year. (New York Times)

PIPELINES:

• The owner of the Mountain Valley Pipeline begins to explore selling the long-delayed, over-budget project. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe continues to press for answers and accountability related to the Dakota Access Pipeline, including at a recent public forum where the only federal presence was a stenographer to write down concerns. (ICT)
• Michigan regulators approve Enbridge’s plan to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac for its Line 5 oil pipeline, earning criticism from the Bay Mills Indian Community. (MLive, Native News Online)

COAL:

• U.S. climate envoy John Kerry says ​“there shouldn’t be any more coal fired power plants permitted anywhere in the world” at the COP28 climate conference. (Axios)
• A peer-reviewed study attributes coal power plant pollution to about 460,000 U.S. fatalities between 1999 and 2020 and at least 1,000 deaths on and near the Navajo Nation. (Arizona Republic)

BUILDINGS:

• A year after the war in Ukraine drove record-high fossil fuel prices for winter heating in oil-dependent Maine, demand for efficient electric heat pumps remains steady despite new challenges. (Energy News Network)
• New Hampshire utility regulators extend an energy efficiency program with minor changes for three years despite regulators’ disagreement on some points. (WMUR, NHPR)

CARBON CAPTURE: Southern California oil and gas producers formulate plans aimed at ensuring proposed carbon capture projects benefit rather than harm local communities. (Bakersfield Californian)