| Trump, Climate, and the Gray Lady: During an on-the-record meeting with editors and reporters at the New York Times, Donald Trump said he has an “an open mind” with regards to climate change science and policies. “It’s one issue that’s interesting because there are few things where there’s more division than climate change,” he told the assembled staff. While Trump said he believed “there is some connectivity” between human activity and climate change, he also claimed “a lot of smart people disagree” with the idea, mentioning that “the hottest day ever was in 1890-something.” (2016 is currently on track to be the hottest year ever recorded.) As for climate policies, Trump reiterated his belief in the importance of clean air and water and alluded that US climate action “depends on how much it will cost our companies.” Two transition team advisors on energy and environment told Reuters they were “caught off guard by his remarks.” Trump’s transition team appointees and rumored cabinet picks mostly consist of figures with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry, many of whom deny human-made climate change and advocate for pulling out of the Paris Agreement. (News: New York Times $, Climate Home, Huffington Post, CNN, Reuters, LA Times $, The Hill, Hollywood Life, NPR, Politico, Gizmodo, New York Post, Morning Consult, The Atlantic, Independent, New York Magazine, Guardian. Commentary: Washington Post, Philip Bump column $; New York Times editorial $, Guardian, George Monbiot column; Salon, Will Oremus column)
RGGI States Plan for Progress Under Trump: Nine northeastern states that are part ofthe Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative are actively discussing ways to strengthen the program going forward amid an uncertain environment for climate regulations under the Trump administration. With city-and-state level commitment expected to gain greater importance, there are calls for the participating states to increase the emissions capunder RGGI from the current 2.5 percent to 5 percent a year after 2020 when the caps expire. (Bloomberg BNA, ClimateWire $)
Violence at DAPL Protest Site Continues: A concussion grenade nearly blew off 21-year-old Sophia Wilansky’s left hand at the Standing Rock site early Monday as more than 400 Dakota Access pipeline protesters claim authorities are continuing to use water cannons, rubber bullets, and tear gas in freezing temperatures. The police have denied throwing the grenade. With the increasing likelihood that a decision on the pipeline’s construction will fall to the Trump administration, the possibility of Rick Perry being included in Trump’s cabinet has raised conflict of interest concerns over his position on the board of DAPL parent company Energy Transfer Partners. (News: TIME, Nexus Media, New York Times $, Washington Post $, Guardian, The Hill, InsideClimate News, CNN, AP, Reuters, Color Lines, New York Magazine. Commentary: NPR, Leah Donnella column; Observer, Michael Sainato & Chelsea Skojec op-ed; Guardian, Kate Aronoff op-ed;Quartz, Susie Nelson op-ed; The Hill, Bill Gerhard & Dawna Leitzke op-ed; Huffington Post, Jenna Amatulli column) |
