Trump Cozies Up to the Fossil Fuel Industry: Oil billionaire Forrest Lucas is a leading contender for Interior Secretary if Trump is elected, sources told Politico. It would be nearly unprecedented for an oil executive to hold this position. Trump’s attack on an obscure ethanol program in his economic blueprint was likely influenced by close friend and billionaire investor Carl Icahn, “suggesting that the GOP presidential candidate has a tendency to embrace policy positions and rhetoric from his business friends,” the Washington Post reports. Trump is expected to discuss his energy policy and fracking at an industry conference in Pittsburgh this week. (News: Politico, Climate Central, Fusion, E&E Report $, Washington Post $, Grist, Climate Home. Commentary: Washington Post, Eugene Robinson column $)
Apple, BofA, Amalgamated Bank Commit to 100 Pct Renewables: Apple, Bank of America and Amalgamated Bank pledged to go 100 percent renewable, joining the RE100 group. Bank of America also announced it will be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2020, while Apple announced new commitments to power its supply chain with renewable energy. The announcements at Climate Week come on the heels of GM’s pledge last week to power its worldwide operations with 100 percent clean energy by 2050. (GreenBiz, BusinessGreen, Ars Technica, Mashable, Global Times, PV-Tech, edie.net, Environmental Leader, CNBC)
CA to Curb Super Pollutants: California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the nation’s strictest law on short-lived climate pollutants, which drive a large portion of near-term global warming. The law mandates cutting black carbon, also known as soot, 50 percent from 2013 levels by 2030 and reducing methane emissions from sources such as dairy farms and HFCs emitted by refrigerants by 40 percent in the same period. While these pollutants don’t stay in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, they are far more potent than CO2 in the short-term. (News: Reuters, LA Times $, AP, ABC, The Hill, San Diego Union-Tribune, Pacific Standard, SF Gate. Commentary: Bloomberg, Noah Smith column) |