Good news! There's now a landing page for my periodic series on the shifting global trade landscape, where you can access all of my magazine-length reporting on international economics, industrial policy and the (new) Cold War:
On this day in 1967 the Supreme Court struck down state laws banning interracial marriages in the case Loving v. Virginia.
Only 53 years ago.
Happy
#LovingDay
y'all
NEW: Vance open to devaluing US dollar to boost exports, he told me this spring.
Lighthizer and allies mulling dollar devaluation if he’s elevated to Treasury or other leading econ post
Well I got scooped on my own announcement here, but what Ben says is true!
Tomorrow is my last day
@UtilityDive
. I'm joining
@politico
as an energy policy reporter in May.
I’m brimming with excitement, but also a bit sentimental. So if you'll indulge me, a brief thread:
Hey all, now that it's official: I'm covering international trade full time for Politico.
My focuses are China, Latin America and environmental issues. I'll also spearhead our team's Congress coverage.
Energy sources, time to introduce me to your colleagues overseas!
NEW: Trump economic advisers — led by Lighthizer — discussing ways to devalue the dollar if they win the presidency
The idea is to boost exports and reduce the trade deficit, but risks abound from inflation to foreign retaliation
I'm sorry this still boggles me.
The MFO typically patrols the demilitarized zone in the Sinai Peninsula to maintain peace between Egypt and Israel. But yesterday our guy was on the streets of DC.
Trump ribbed automakers for not moving faster on ventilators.
But Ford told me on Weds its partnership with GE Healthcare has only been in the works since last week — and the companies conceived it themselves, not in response to a White House directive
Piece updated:
Oh wow. The Ohio House Speaker's arrest appears related to the nuclear and coal bailout package he rammed thru last year with help from the Trump campaign, which pressured state lawmakers to vote for it:
NEW: Trump-appointed staff at USTR are delaying the transition by refusing to schedule usual meetings between career staff and Biden's team.
If meetings happen, USTR has made clear political staff will sit in, say sources familiar.
More:
I know irony is dead, but Elon simply would not have a car company today if it weren't for ample government support in the form of Zero Emission Vehicle credits from CA it sold to other automakers stay afloat.
“Honestly, I would just can this whole bill.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized federal efforts meant to spur electric-vehicle adoption, including a bill that would boost incentives for buying battery-powered cars
#WSJWhatsNow
I've written 930 pieces at Utility Dive and the last one couldn't be more fitting.
A fossil friendly state rejecting a utility megaproject because smaller, cleaner alternatives could be cheaper.
Indiana utility regulators on Wednesday unanimously rejected an 850 MW natural gas plant proposed by Vectren, directing the utility to evaluate alternatives to the large, centralized generation.
the sum total of my personal growth in 2020 is making my french press the night before and putting it in the fridge so I have iced coffee in the morning. And it's not nothing.
Coal is an important part of our electricity generation mix and
@TVAnews
should give serious consideration to all factors before voting to close viable power plants, like Paradise
#3
in Kentucky!
The menu for the Water Bar in Park View lists more than 40 waters, including a $25 bottle harvested in the mountains of Chile. It might be the beginning of fancy water in D.C.
I'm beyond pleased to announce that Utility Dive now has a podcast called The Electric Power Show!
In our first episode, I talk with
@storage_ESA
about how they navigate a polarized Washington. Also: Midterm analysis with
@IMGheorghiu
and
@cmorehouse10
100% clean power by 2035 is a political sweet spot for Biden. Energizes greens and renewables sector, pushes fracking debate to back burner, and is LOADS more popular than a carbon tax or cap-and-trade.
Not a holistic climate policy in itself, but you see why they chose it
Utility Dive is a national and regional finalist for our FERC coverage. I can't say how proud I am of this team: Senior Editor
@LarryPearlDC
, Editor
@IMGheorghiu
and Associate Editor
@cmorehouse10
! Plus Managing Editor
@DebBarrington
keeping us all together!
@Sen_JoeManchin
.
@Sen_JoeManchin
: "After viewing video footage, which I had not previously seen, where Bernard McNamee outright denies the impact that humans are having on our climate, I can no longer support his nomination to be a FERC Commissioner." (cc
@GavinBade
)
NEW TODAY: POLITICO, E&E are unionizing
This morning over 80 percent of the newsroom told management we are forming a union with the Washington-Baltimore News Guild
We love what we do and deserve a say in our pay, benefits and work environment. More:
Hello from downtown. It’s a family affair on 16th st, or the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plz. Maybe a thousand folks here already, folks playing music, handing out food and water.
Many events planned this afternoon and evening, including Moechella Go-Go shows!
Why are power plants freezing throughout the south? Part of the reason is owners are typically worried about cooling thermal plants during summer, so some are built "non-enclosed" — literally without walls!
Example from the FERC-NERC report on the 2018 cold snap:
📢 The Beaver Valley
#nuclear
plant will no longer be closing. That means Pennsylvania will keep 1,000 local jobs and 1,872 megawatts of carbon-free power generated by the plant. It’s a great day for nuclear carbon-free energy! via
@PittsburghPG
@PGE4Me
's storage projects, approved yesterday by
@californiapuc
, mark the first time a U.S. electric utility is directly replacing multiple major fossil fuel generators with batteries
New from me: Biden and key lawmakers want to use trade policy to fight global warming, conditioning new trade deals on climate commitments and imposing carbon tariffs on imports:
Every time I give a speech at one of these conferences boomers come up to me saying Oh I love your passion!
And I'm just like Yeah I give af if we cook the planet. What about you?
NEW: There’s a new industrial alliance in Washington.
Tesla, Rivian, and Uber are joining forces with lithium companies, charging companies, and some of the country’s biggest utilities to form
@zeta_2030
.
Its goal: Make 100% of new vehicles EVs by 2030.
A TVA contractor prevented workers from wearing protective gear while cleaning up the Kingston coal ash spill because "public perception was that the site was dirty," according to court testimony from one employee:
30 workers are dead, 200 sick or dying
Heinrich: "Do any of you believe we are facing a national security emergency in wholesale power markets? "
5 FERC regulators: [Silence]
"Let's move on"
That is a WOW.
Many analysts have told me the switch to electric delivery vans will be a watershed moment for the EV market. They just all talked about it in mid-2020s terms.
If you or a friend work in the energy/climate space and are participating in police brutality protests anywhere, I would love to talk to you! DM is open.
Please RT and like to spread this request! I can protect source identities if they have fear of reprisal.
Interesting: Former PJM CEO Andy Ott signed a letter to Hill leaders saying grid reliability can be "preserved and enhanced with the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP)" Congress is considering.
Host of other clean energy experts on there too
Today in
@Morning_Energy
, Sen. Joe Manchin, tells
@AnthonyAdragna
the White House is "afraid" to nominate Dem FERC pick Allison Clements because she's “smarter than all of them put together.”
Full interview for Pros:
"We can use the transition to 100% renewable energy as the vehicle to establish economic, racial and social justice in America," AOC says. "That is our proposal and that is what we are here to do."
NEW today: My investigation into how Trump admin political influence at FERC is affecting its focus, staffing and ability to oversee the power markets:
Paywall for now, but I thought the kicker really captured the change in tone many sources referenced:
.
@JayInslee
provided bold, detailed ideas on how to confront climate change, and his ideas should remain at the center of the climate agenda. Today, I'm adopting and building upon his ten-year action plan to achieve 100% clean energy for America.
HUGE day for China policy on the Hill, with six hearings this morning and more later.
I'm at Senate Banking for clues on outbound investment review, my colleagues are all over Capitol Hill. Stay tuned for updates!
Democrat Michigan Attorney General admitted on Facebook tonight to getting so drunk at the UM v MSU football game that she needed to be wheeled out of the stadium to vomit.
Pic is from her post. Link to admission:
Shameless promotion of colleagues: In less than 6 years, Industry Dive went from zero to 1 MILLION subscribers across 13 different publications In today's media environment, it's great to work for a growing, innovative company
Well that was a quick exchange on our planetary crisis. A couple takeaways from the climate round:
Inslee really didn't seize his moment. Maddow gave it right to him and he didn't communicate the true ambition and scope of his plans, which are much more than 100% clean power.
Huh: Jay Inslee is giving the keynote at the NARUC conference today. Seems to be a last minute addition.
Why would he want to butter up state utility regulators now? Unless he's on the shortlist for a position like FERC, EPA or DOE... very interesting.
NEW: Katherine Tai, the head trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee, is garnering broad support from lawmakers, labor and industry to be the next U.S. Trade Representative
“Everyone likes Katherine Tai,” one staffer said.
Pros:
So FERC Chairman Danly "will not be conducting briefings or any meetings with the news media," according to an email from FERC, because he "views his FERC role as that of an adjudicator."
I don't know how those things are mutually exclusive, but that's what we're dealing with.
My colleagues at
@industrydive
are SO FUNNY that they STOLE MY BURRITO off the lunch table and I've spent the past TWO HOURS stalking around the office interrogating people for it.
A disturbing aspect of the Omar Jimenez arrest is the arbitrariness. He was just doing his job, actively tried to comply. Didn't matter.
What I want folks to get is this is often the norm for black people. Nothing wrong has to happen to attract police attention and action.
This whole WSJ editorial is utterly disconnected with reality.
Saying the outages of the weekend (caused by grid, not generator problems) will get worse w/ a low carbon grid is either ignorant or disingenuous.
Maybe run it past a single energy expert next time.
Still thinking about how one of my "neighbors" called the police on us for having a glass of wine on my neighbor's porch last night. Four cars showed up.
Folks, do NOT be a Pandemic Patty. If you think something is up, maybe engage your neighbors before you engage the cops.