| With Pruitt Nom, Dems Dig In, Deniers Rejoice: Democrat leaders across the board decried the announcement of fossil fuel darling Scott Pruitt as Trump’s pick to head EPA, and may reach across the aisle to Republican members of Congress to help stop the nomination. On an LCV press call, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii previewed a potentially contentious confirmation hearing next year, calling Pruitt’s nomination “a litmus test for every member of the Senate who claims not to be a denier.” Meanwhile, Republican leaders mostly cheered the Pruitt news, joined by celebration from the oil and gas lobby. The mood was light Thursday at an energy summit hosted by the Trump-friendly Heritage Foundation and Koch-funded Texas Public Policy Foundation. Scroll down to see Lamar Smith’s comments in today’s Denier Roundup – the event is also covered in full at Nexus Media News. (Democrats: CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg, Politico Pro $, The Hill, E&E$, ThinkProgress. Republicans: Politico Pro $, The Hill. Summit: ThinkProgress, DeSmogBlog. Commentary: Phil Newell, Nexus Media News)
Canada’s Carbon Price: The Canadian government and leaders of 10 provinces will announce a plan for a national carbon price on Friday. The proposed plan would have the same effect as taking nearly 62 million cars off the road, and would be a significant move towards helping Canada meet its Paris Agreement targets of cutting carbon emissions to 30 percent below 2005 levels. The announcement is a signal that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau intends to press ahead with his emissions reductions agenda and capture more of the global renewables market, despite worries that the US, Canada’s largest trading partner, will steer a different course with Trump at the helm. (New York Times $, CBC, Calgary Herald, The Star, DeSmog-Canada, The Star Commentary: The Star)
Boston Sounds the Alarm: The City of Boston released a 400-page report Thursday that predicts the effects of climate change and provides a roadmap for the city to adapt. The report predicts a catastrophic storm affecting 90,000 Bostonians and causing $14 billion of damage within 50 years if immediate action is not taken, and details the impacts climate change would have on specific neighborhoods in the city. In the report’s forward, Mayor Marty Walsh wrote that implementing climate resilience plans will “create jobs, improve public spaces and public health, and make our energy supply more efficient and resilient.” (WBUR, Boston Globe $, Boston Herald, NBC, NECN)
WSJ: Corporate America Unfazed By Trump: On the heels of Tuesday’s announcement that Google will source 100 percent renewables by 2017, the Wall Street Journal took a look on Thursday at how corporate efforts to cutting emissions are keeping up despite the specter of a Trump presidency and a Pruitt EPA. “All of those [renewable] investments don’t change with a change in administration, it’s a long-term strategy,” a spokesperson for utility American Electric Power Co. told the Journal. The Journal also reported Thursday that companies in Asia intend to keep their emissions promises, regardless of Trump’s actions overseas. An Advanced Energy Economy report released earlier this week found 71 of Fortune 100 companies have set renewable energy or sustainability targets, an increase from 60 in 2014. (WSJ: US companies $, Asian firms. AEE report: CleanTechnica, San Jose Mercury News, UtilityDive, SNL Energy. Commentary: CNN, Tom Steyer op-ed, Mashable, Andrew Freedman analysis) |
