‘This is suicidal’: UN issues stark warning on climate change

CLIMATE: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says humanity’s ​“waging war on nature” is ​“suicidal,” as a new report projects 2020 will be the third hottest year on record. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• A new report warns that climate change is already posing a public health threat in the U.S. (New York Times)
• Two Democratic senators say there are still climate policies that could advance through a Republican-controlled Senate. (Grist)
• Lower-level agency appointments will be critical in ensuring Biden administration climate policies can survive legal challenges. (Bloomberg Law)

UTILITIES:
• A nonprofit funded by American Electric Power gave $900,000 over three years to two ​“dark money” groups at the center of the state’s power plant subsidy law scandal. (Dayton Daily News)
• Four former ComEd officials plead not guilty to federal bribery charges as top Illinois Republican lawmakers call on House Speaker Michael Madigan to resign. (Register-Mail)
• ​“The reality is that someone is going to pay”: Utilities try to figure out how to deal with unpaid bills from the pandemic, which by one estimate could reach $40 billion by March. (Utility Dive)

OVERSIGHT: Two Wisconsin regulators appeal a federal court decision that would subject them to questioning over potential conflicts of interest by opponents of a controversial transmission project. (Wisconsin State Journal)

EFFICIENCY: Two pilot projects in Massachusetts aim to develop micro-districts heated by geothermal systems to reduce dependence on fossil fuels while providing an economic transition for gas utilities and their workers. (Energy News Network) 

NUCLEAR:
• A U.S. Senate committee advances a bipartisan bill to provide protections for nuclear power plants. (Power Magazine)
• SCANA and its successor Dominion Energy in South Carolina agree to pay a $25 million civil fine in a fraud case related to the defunct utility’s failed $9 billion nuclear plant expansion. (The State)
• Federal regulators approve the sale of the crippled Three Mile Island reactor to a company that will decommission the site over the objections of state officials. (Pennlive)

PIPELINES:
• A pandemic-related drop in natural gas prices prompts a developer to withdraw plans for a 625-mile pipeline that would have spanned Texas into Louisiana. (Reuters)
• A court says a federal agency’s approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross waterways was likely illegal, citing West Virginia regulators’ flip-flopping on their own state rules. (Huntington Herald-Dispatch)

ELECTRIFICATION: San Jose’s newly passed natural gas ban includes a key loophole that allows buildings to use gas to generate power on-site. (Mercury News)

SOLAR: A solar and storage installation at a Washington, D.C., apartment building is an example of how the city is making progress in expanding solar power to low-income residents. (Bay Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Boise, Idaho officials will require newly constructed homes with garages to have high-voltage circuits to accommodate electric vehicle charging. (Idaho Press-Tribune)

MEDIA: The EPA joins conservative social media platform Parler to ​“promote the numerous environmental accomplishments made under the Trump administration.” (The Hill)

COMMENTARY:
• Sens. Tom Udall and Charles Grassley say oil companies are underpaying for leases on public land. (New York Times)
• A tribal chairman says Michigan’s attempt to shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac ​“will ensure the safety of our communities and the ability to fish, work and recreate on these waters for generations to come.” (Lansing State Journal)