Trump, Biden show stark contrast on climate in California visits

POLITICS: In visits to fire-ravaged California, President Trump casts doubt on climate science and insists without evidence that ​“it’ll start getting cooler,” while Joe Biden says the president’s climate denial ​“fails the most basic duty to a nation.” (Los Angeles Times, InsideClimate News)

CLIMATE:
• Connecticut sues ExxonMobil, arguing the oil giant misled the public for decades on climate change, joining more than a dozen other states and municipalities that have filed similar lawsuits. (Washington Post)
• Facebook announces it is launching a new science information center but will not revisit editorial policies that have allowed climate misinformation to flourish on its platform. (NBC News)

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OVERSIGHT:
• A coalition of 24 states and municipalities sues the EPA over its decision to roll back restrictions on methane emissions. (E&E News)
• Critics say a new EPA rule requiring public input on guidance documents will make it easier to dismantle regulations, but some legal scholars say the change could harm businesses. (The Hill, Bloomberg Law)
• Current and former EPA staff say a recent Trump administration memo outlining new restrictions on enforcement reflects a far-right ideology and presumes the agency acts in bad faith. (E&E News)
• A Democratic senator calls for an investigation into the EPA’s use of political appointees in legal proceedings. (The Hill)

EQUITY: Utilities’ corporate vows to fight for racial and social equity are being tested as states lift consumer protections barring service disconnections. (E&E News)

SOLAR:
• Critics say a Michigan utility has failed to provide data justifying its proposal to significantly reduce compensation for customers who send excess solar power back to the grid. (Energy News Network)
• Virginia leaps into the top 10 in an annual ranking of K-12 school solar capacity following several years of policy progress. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• The Southwest Power Pool and Midcontinent Independent System Operator announce a yearlong study to improve coordination along the ​“seam” where their grid boundaries interconnect. (Arkansas Business)
• California utility PG&E says it mistakenly directed a 400 MW power plant to scale back at the height of rolling blackouts in mid-August. (San Francisco Chronicle)

COAL: Peabody Energy announces the termination of its chief operating officer amid a particularly rough stretch for the coal industry. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

OIL & GAS:
• The U.S. EPA denies ethanol blending waivers to a group of petroleum refiners in 14 states after offering the industry exemptions for years. (Associated Press)
• Pennsylvania reports drillers extracted a record amount of natural gas last year, nearly 10% more than in 2018. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Massachusetts transit officials say five electric buses put into service last year do not run as far as predicted and take too long to recharge. (CommonWealth Magazine)

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NUCLEAR: Federal officials extend the license of the Seabrook nuclear plant in New Hampshire with additional conditions to monitor and maintain deteriorating concrete at the facility. (Seacoastonline)

COMMENTARY:
• The Los Angeles Times editorial board says ​“Trump’s myopic focus on forest management misses the big picture” of climate change’s role in wildfires.
• Hurricane Laura was a toxic harbinger of climate disasters to come, writes a director at the nonprofit Institute for Southern Studies. (Louisiana Weekly)
• Ohio regulators should intervene to root out the ​“deception and nonsense” at the heart of HB 6, an editorial board says. (Columbus Dispatch)