Study: More policy needed for net-zero

POLICY: While the Inflation Reduction Act has put the U.S. on track to halve emissions by 2030, more policy will be needed to reach net-zero by 2050, according to a new paper by the National Academies of Science. (Ars Technica)

TRANSPORTATION: A five-year, $6.4 billion federal program aims to reduce tailpipe emissions via small-scale transportation alternative projects designed to take vehicles off the road. (Stateline)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Vineyard Wind installs its first of over 60 wind turbines, an ​“important symbolic milestone” for an industry seeing numerous challenges. (CNBC)
• Analysts predict U.S. offshore wind will eventually find its footing, but growth will likely be slower than earlier projections. (E&E News)
• New York’s decision not to pass on more offshore wind development costs to ratepayers means some projects may be canceled. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:

• New research on hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas confirms earlier data that links the practice to an array of health harms, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and birth defects. (Inside Climate News)
• Federal regulators approve a natural gas pipeline expansion in the Pacific Northwest over the protests of environmentalists and West Coast leaders, who say it will increase emissions and wildfire risk. (Associated Press)
• An advocacy group uses horror movie trailer tropes in a new ad highlighting the climate and public health risks of natural gas. (Guardian)
• Alaska’s industrial development agency sues the Biden administration for allegedly violating federal laws when canceling Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas leases last month. (Alaska Beacon)

PIPELINES:

• The oil and gas industry pushes back on the Biden administration’s attempt to impose new regulations on 400,000 miles of gas ​“gathering lines” across the U.S. (Inside Climate News)
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developers push back its expected completion to 2024 and increase its cost estimate by $600 million to $7.2 billion. (Roanoke Times, E&E News)

COAL: Congress members call for an investigation into ​“zombie mines,” where coal production has idled but reclamation remains incomplete, after an Appalachian advocacy group identified 633,000 acres in seven states that need reclamation. (Inside Climate News)

CLIMATE:

• California regulators consider phasing out climate credits for dairies that capture methane and use it as fuel, saying it encourages natural gas production. (CalMatters)
• New research suggests that climate change is causing Atlantic hurricanes to intensify faster and more frequently. (Washington Post)
• Climate disasters are highlighting the lack of resilience among U.S. pharmacy supply chains, stranding patients without access to critical medicine. (Mother Jones)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• After General Motors’ concession to allow its electric vehicle and battery workers to unionize, it remains to be seen whether other major automakers will follow suit. (Grist)
• Electric vehicle maker Rivian will open a showroom in Atlanta today and says it will begin construction on its planned Georgia factory next year. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Associated Press)

EMISSIONS: As technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere advances, researchers are increasingly focusing on doing the same for methane. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY: A California columnist says hydrogen could one day be a climate solution, but for now it is a dangerous distraction sowing division and mistrust among politicians and environmentalists. (Los Angeles Times)