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☆ Banning Gas Stoves by Regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When progressives can’t pass their agenda through the front door in Congress, they sneak it through a regulatory back window. That’s what the Biden Administration is doing with gas stoves, as the Energy Department this week proposed new rules that amount to a gradual de facto ban. A Biden appointee on the Consumer Product Safety Commission ignited a firestorm last month by threatening to ban gas stoves. After criticism from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and others, the CPSC chairman rejected the idea, and White House officials said they didn’t support banning gas stoves.

☆ Energy Department Proposes New Efficiency Standards for Gas Stoves
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Talal Ansari | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Why desalination won't save states dependent on Colorado River water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona. "Ocean water desalination has tremendous allure," said Robert Glennon, a professor emeritus of law and water policy scholar at the University of Arizona. Pipes containing drinking water are shown at the Poseidon Water desalination plant in Carlsbad, California, U.S., June 22, 2021. The cost of water is highSince desalination is a drought-resistant process, some have argued that states with such facilities could make themselves less dependent on water from the Colorado River. That's significantly more than the amount the San Diego County Water Authority pays for water sourced from the Colorado River and the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta.

☆ A Smart House GOP Oil and Gas Play
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden Administration has repeatedly said it isn’t restricting oil and gas development. But then why is it threatening to veto a House Republican bill that would tie oil releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to oil and gas leasing on federal land? House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has teed up a vote this week on a bill that would forbid the Energy Department from tapping the SPR unless it develops a plan to increase oil and gas leasing commensurately. If the White House wants to draw down the reserve by 5%, it has to lay out a plan to increase the share of federal land leased for oil and gas production by 5%.

Companies U.S. Department of Energy FollowNEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday will announce over $100 million in funding to expand U.S. biofuels production, as the Biden administration works to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and meet climate goals, the department told Reuters. The department plans to award $118 million to 17 projects designed to accelerate the production of biofuels, which can be made from biomass including agricultural waste, soybean oil and animal fats. The DOE's funding includes awards to universities and private companies ranging from $500,000 to $80 million for various pre-pilot, pilot and demonstration projects, the department said. About 16.8 billion gallons of biofuels were consumed in the United States in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Biden administration has said biofuels will be needed to lower emissions, including in the aircraft industry with lower-carbon sustainable aviation fuel.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden will veto a bill by U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) if it passes Congress, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Monday. In a letter last week, Granholm warned Republicans that limiting the Democratic president's authority to tap the nation's oil reserves would undermine national security, cause crude oil shortages, and raise gasoline prices. "He will not allow the American people to suffer because of the backwards agenda that House Republicans are advancing" Granholm, speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, said of Biden. The House, which Republicans control by a narrow margin, is expected to vote on the bill as soon as this week. She said the administration would soon announce how it will buy back some initial replenishment oil for the reserve.

☆ The world is one step closer to making a business out of vacuuming carbon dioxide from the sky
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Climeworks got third-party sign-off on its technology for sucking carbon dioxide out of the sky. The sign-off marked a huge step forward in the nascent world of direct air capture, said Christoph Beuttler, Climeworks' head of climate policy. "We need a standard, because a ton of carbon dioxide removed by Climeworks is not the same as, for example, afforestation. Global carbon dioxide emissions rose to an estimated 40.5 billion metric tons in 2022, according to research by the Global Carbon Project. Climeworks uses fans that suck in air through filters to capture carbon dioxide, and works with CarbFix to permanently store the carbon underground in rock formations.

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ U.S. approves design for NuScale small modular nuclear reactor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Timothy Gardner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Nuscale Power Corp FollowWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. nuclear power regulator has certified the design for the NuScale Power Corp's (SMR.N) small modular reactor, the first such approval in the country for the next generation technology. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval, published in the Federal Register late on Thursday, clears a hurdle for NuScale. The company plans to build a demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) power plant at the Idaho National Laboratory. The U.S. Department of Energy has provided more than $600 million since 2014 to support the design, licensing and siting of NuScale's power plant and other small modular reactors. "SMRs are no longer an abstract concept," said Kathryn Huff, assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Energy Department.

☆ GM, LG Energy drop plan for fourth U.S JV battery plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Rebecca CookWASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - General Motors Co (GM.N) and LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) do not plan to move forward with a fourth U.S. battery cell manufacturing plant, two sources told Reuters on Friday. "We’ve been very clear that our plan includes investing in a fourth U.S. cell plant, but we’re not going to comment on speculation," GM said in a statement Friday. LG Energy did not immediately comment. GM could still proceed with plans to build a new plant in Indiana with a new partner, the sources said. GM and LG Energy are building a $2.6 billion plant in Michigan, set to open in 2024.

☆ Lithium company Ioneer scores $700 million conditional loan from Energy Department for Nevada plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Lithium company Ioneer said Friday that it's secured a conditional commitment for a loan of up to $700 million from the Department of Energy as the U.S. seeks to develop new supply chains for materials that are critical to the energy transition. Ioneer is developing the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. When fully operational, the site will produce enough lithium for 400,000 electric vehicles, the company said, while also producing boron. Ioneer's loan from the Department of Energy hinges on several conditions, including that the company receives all of the necessary permits. If approved, the loan, made under the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, will be for Ioneer's on-site lithium processing facility.

☆ U.S. offers $700 million loan to EV battery material project
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department said Friday it has offered a conditional commitment to lend up to $700 million to Ioneer (INR.AX) Rhyolite Ridge LLC to mine lithium carbonate for electric vehicle batteries in Nevada. The Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project could potentially support production of lithium for approximately 370,000 EVs each year and reduce annual gasoline consumption by nearly 145 million gallons, the department said. The Rhyolite Ridge project has agreements to supply Ford Motor (F.N), Prime Planet Energy & Solutions a Toyota Motor (7203.T) and Panasonic Corp (6752.T) joint venture, and others. Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Using Up America’s Oil Reserve Was Easy. Refilling It Won’t Be.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It took less than a year to draw 180 million barrels of oil out of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. After President Biden authorized a historic emergency release last year, there were roughly 372.4 million barrels left in the SPR as of Dec. 30, the lowest level in 39 years. It is taking baby steps, starting with a 3-million-barrel pilot program under which it would offer market participants a fixed price for future delivery. This is a new approach for the DOE, which has typically purchased for more immediate delivery. The idea is to use the fixed-price contracts as a carrot for U.S. oil producers to invest in production.

☆ GM wants U.S. Treasury to reconsider tax credits for Cadillac Lyriq EV
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) said Friday it wants the U.S. Treasury to reconsider classification of GM's electric Cadillac Lyriq to allow it to qualify for federal tax credits. The Treasury and Internal Revenue Service did not classify the Lyriq as an SUV, meaning its retail price cannot be above $55,000 to qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits. Legislation approved by Congress in August reformed the EV tax credit and lifted the 200,00-vehicle per manufacturer cap that had made Tesla (TSLA.O) and GM ineligible for EV tax credits effective Jan. 1. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk tweeted this week the EV tax rules were "messed up." Last month, Treasury said it would delay until March releasing proposed guidance on required sourcing of EV batteries.

☆ Chatty AI and Protein-Predicting Algorithm Defined the Year in Emerging Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

They also built supercomputers designed to handle the growing influx of data needed for evermore complex AI applications. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. Using an AI algorithm called AlphaFold, the London-based lab said it had expanded its database of predicted protein structures to 214 million, up from 1 million as of December 2021, representing all proteins known to science, including proteins found in animals, plants, bacteria and other organisms. Though researchers say the commercial application of nuclear fusion likely remains years and perhaps decades away, the technology might one day help fight climate change. In March, Sandbox AQ, a software startup developing quantum-computing and artificial-intelligence tools for commercial use, officially spun off from Alphabet’s Google to become a stand-alone company.

☆ If you buy an electric vehicle by March, you'll have a better chance of getting the maximum $7,500 tax credit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Biden's Inflation Reduction Act included an up-to $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicle purchases. Here's what Americans looking to buy an electric vehicle need to know about the credit. One notable part of that was an incentive for Americans to purchase electric vehicles and play a part in saving the environment. Who qualifies for the tax credit on a new electric vehicle? Can I qualify for a tax credit on a used electric vehicle purchase?

☆ The Subsidy Tango of Bill Gates and Joe Manchin
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bill Gates sold West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on this year’s Democratic climate spending blowout as a way to put unemployed coal workers to work building advanced nuclear reactors. Now we learn, belatedly, that these projects depend on Russia for fuel and will cost taxpayers more than advertised. The Energy Department last year awarded up to $2 billion for an advanced nuclear reactor “demonstration” project in Wyoming being developed by TerraPower, a company Mr. Gates founded. These advanced reactors have been promoted because they take up significantly less space than conventional reactors and could theoretically use reprocessed nuclear fuel.

☆ Here's how the US government is developing 5G for underwater Navy sensors and bomb disposal on land
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Clara Mcmichael | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US government is working to integrate 5G into technology that addresses environmental hazards. The Navy is working with an Energy Department subsidiary on 5G tech meant to detect marine life. This article is part of "How 5G Is Changing Everything," a series about transformational 5G tech across industries. The lab collaborates with other government agencies to weave the latest 5G technology into their operations and has worked on projects ranging from underwater sensors to land-based bomb-disposal robots. The Navy is particularly interested in working on 5G underwater, where it could enable faster data collection and analysis, more efficient environmental monitoring, and better communication with the Navy's underwater assets.

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but said it plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Brent crude gained 76 cents to settle at $79.80 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 90 cents to $75.19. Oil surged toward its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. It has since unwound most of this year's gains as supply concerns were edged out by recession fears. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ U.S. Scores $4 Billion Windfall on Oil-Reserve Sales
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( David Uberti | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Energy Department sold the crude to U.S. refiners, foreign trading houses and major oil producers. Volatile energy markets have made 2022 a big year for commodity traders. One of the biggest and perhaps most unlikely winners: The U.S. government. Emergency releases from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve are slated to end this month, concluding an unusual attempt to lower gas prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil prices soaring.

☆ Oil rises on hopes for China's economy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but said it plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. "There is no doubt that demand is being adversely influenced," said Naeem Aslam, analyst at brokerage Avatrade. Brent crude gained 65 cents, or 0.8%, to $79.69 a barrel by 1248 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 85 cents, or 1.1%, to $75.14. Oil surged towards its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Oil bounces as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Brent crude gained 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $79.41 a barrel by 1100 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose 30 cents, or 0.4%, to $74.59. Oil surged towards its record high of $147 a barrel earlier in the year after Russia invaded Ukraine. It has since unwound most of this year's gains as supply concerns were edged out by recession fears, which remain a drag on prices. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the new year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

☆ Oil prices bounce as China demand hopes offset recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Reopening of Chinese economy buoys demand hopesRising interest rates and recession fears weighU.S. to begin purchases for strategic reserveLONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday after tumbling by more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism over the Chinese economy outweighed concern over a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions but plans to step up support for the economy in 2023. Despite a surge in COVID cases, optimism over the reopening of the Chinese economy and its accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook, said CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng. The U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank raised interest rates last week and promised more. "The prospect of further rate rises will hit economic growth in the New Year and in doing so curb demand for oil," said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM.

China, the world's top crude oil importer and No. 2 oil consumer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions. "Despite a surge in COVID cases, the reopening optimism and accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said. An announcement by the U.S. Energy Department on Friday that it will begin repurchasing crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for delivery in February next year also supported the outlook for stronger prices. This will be the United States' first purchase since this year's record 180 million barrel release from the stockpile.

☆ Oil climbs on optimism over China's demand recovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Florence Tan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies TC Energy Corp FollowSINGAPORE, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Oil prices reclaimed ground on Monday after tumbling more than $2 a barrel in the previous session as optimism from China's reopening and oil demand recovery outweighed concerns of a global recession. China, the world's top crude oil importer and No. 2 oil consumer, is experiencing its first of three expected waves of COVID-19 cases after Beijing relaxed mobility restrictions. "Despite a surge in COVID cases, the reopening optimism and accommodative policy improve oil's demand outlook," CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng said. An announcement by the U.S. Energy Department on Friday that it will begin repurchasing crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve also supported outlook for stronger prices.

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