Scientists call attention to hydrogen’s climate risks

HYDROGEN: As the federal government rolls out billions of dollars in subsidies to produce hydrogen fuel, scientists and advocates warn that officials aren’t adequately considering the fuel’s climate risks. (Energy News Network)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• The U.S. Department of Energy announces $366 million for rural renewable energy projects across 20 states and 30 tribal nations. (The Hill)
• U.S. renewable energy output dropped by nearly 1% in 2023 from 2022 because of weather patterns that cut wind output and droughts that affected hydropower production. (Inside Climate News)

OIL & GAS:

• State land trusts own more than 1.5 million surface and subsurface acres within tribal reservations, generating profits for state entities through various industries, including oil and gas production. (Grist/​High Country News)
• The top U.S. fossil fuel lobbying group seeks a rehearing on the Biden administration’s pause on new liquefied natural gas export terminal approvals. (The Hill)
• Texas’ Gulf Coast is the frontline in the debate over liquified natural gas exports, with two terminals and accompanying pipelines in development as environmentalists try to stop the buildout. (Canary Media)

GRID: Progress on building out the power grid lags even as Congress wades through permitting reform bills and regulators advance measures to speed interconnection. (Utility Dive)

WIND: A new U.S. Department of Energy program aims to boost recycling of wind turbine components, including turbine blades and critical minerals used inside their power generators. (Grist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• An analysis finds that Tesla has been the biggest recipient of electric vehicle charger funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law, winning $17 million in grants so far. (Politico)
• A proposed Energy Department rule would revise how the administration compares EVs’ power use to gasoline consumption and potentially let carmakers continue producing combustion vehicles longer. (E&E News)
• An energy efficiency group’s report rates the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid the ​“greenest” car available in the U.S. for the third year. (Washington Post)
• The United Auto Workers announce the majority of workers at a Mercedes plant in Alabama that makes two electric vehicle models have signed union cards. (Tuscaloosa News)
• Apple reportedly cancels its efforts to build a self-driving electric vehicle after a decade of development work. (NPR)

SOLAR: A new report finds Northeast states are leading the country in rooftop solar installations per capita, in large part due to favorable policy. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE: More than half of federal funding for climate-smart farming practices goes to projects unlikely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in some cases may even increase emissions, an environmental group finds. (Guardian)

POLITICS: Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder appeals his conviction and 20-year prison sentence, claiming the bribe he accepted from FirstEnergy was within his First Amendment rights. (Ohio Capital Journal)

COMMENTARY: A California columnist argues a slowdown in electric vehicle sales is less concerning than America’s apparent inability to transition away from its car-centric culture. (Los Angeles Times)