| Exxon Will Control State Dept: Despite ferocious pushback over Rex Tillerson’s ties to Russia, Trump tweeted this morning that he has chosen the ExxonMobil CEO as his nominee for Secretary of State. Several of Exxon’s multibillion-dollar drilling deals in Siberia are at a standstill due to US sanctions, and could face close scrutiny with its CEO as the top US diplomat in charge of controlling those sanctions. Opposition to Tillerson’s appointment is expected to be fierce, with bipartisan politicians gearing up for a heavy confirmation fight and some Democrats eager to question Tillerson over whether Exxon misled investors and the public on climate change. (Nomination: New York Times $, Washington Post $, WSJ $, NPR, NBC, Bloomberg, CBS, Huffington Post, Politico. Sanctions: New York Times $, Washington Post $, NPR, ABC, The Guardian, Dallas Morning News, Politico Pro $, Reuters. Confirmation: Washington Post $, CNN, Politico Pro $, E&E $, The Hill. Commentary: New York Times editorial $, Washington Post editorial $, Washington Post, Chris Cillizza analysis $, The Nation, David Dayden column)
#ExxonKnew But Went Ahead With Tar Sands: Speaking of Exxon…Despite an understanding of environmental risk and knowledge that international climate action would hurt their bottom line, Exxon aggressively pursued development of carbon-heavy Canadian tar sands for decades, a new investigation from InsideClimate News finds. The investigation is published on the heels of Friday’s Canadian carbon tax announcement that could drive down tar sands pricing even further. In another blow for Exxon, a judge ordered Monday that Massachusetts AG Maura Healey would not have to appear in Dallas for a deposition. Healey is being sued with New York AG Schneiderman by the oil giant for investigating Exxon’s internal climate change research, based on InsideClimate News’s original 2015 series. (Healey: WSJ $, Politico PRO $, The Hill, AP, Boston Globe$, Boston Herald. Commentary: Huffington Post, David Halperin op-ed)
Transition Carousel Includes Perry for DOE, Zinke for DOI: Former Texas governor and Dancing With the Stars contestant Rick Perry swung by Trump Tower Monday to discuss a job at the Department of Energy. Perry, a fossil fuel lobby darling who once forgot the name of DOE when talking about how he wants to get rid of it, is reportedly Trump’s top choice to lead the agency. Several other possible cabinet appointees also met with Trump Monday, including DOI candidates Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Rep Ryan Zinke, R-MT. While Zinke differs from Rodgers in his opposition to privatizing public lands, he is also a fossil fuel lobby favorite, pressed hard on pro-coal legislation while in Congress, and has waffled back and forth on clean energy and climate science. (Perry: Washington Post $, NBC, CBS, USAToday, The Hill. Zinke: Bloomberg, Flathead Beacon)
Divestment Is a Trillion Dollar Effort: Global divestment funds selling off fossil fuel assets have now reached over $5 trillion, according to a new report. The value of the funds has more than doubled in under a year and a half, with nearly 700 institutions and almost 60,000 individuals across 76 countries now committing to divest. The divestment campaign originated on college campuses in 2011 and quickly spread to mainstream corporations, insurers, and financial institutions. (New York Times $, The Guardian, Vice, Grist, Huffington Post, EcoWatch, Climate Central. Commentary: The Guardian, Blair Palese analysis)
US Finally Gets Windy: The US’s first offshore wind farm officially went online Monday. The five turbines, located three miles off the shore of Block Island, RI, will provide power for 17,000 homes at peak capacity and supply about 30 MW of energy annually. Deepwater Wind, the project’s owner, is currently negotiating to build another farm off the coast of Long Island, and the Bureau of Ocean Management has awarded 11 Atlantic offshore wind leases total with another lease sale planned for today. (Washington Post $, AP, Reuters, Gizmodo, ThinkProgress, The Hill, RIPR, Business Insider, Providence Journal. Commentary: Boston Globe, Derrick Z. Jackson column) |
