Energy Procurement, GHG Emissions, Regulation  -  September 3, 2016

Weekend reads: Energy's campaign gifts; the 90 biggest GHG emitters; Texas wind & more

Every Saturday, we'll bring you five most interesting — or quirky; it is the weekend after all — energy stories from the prior week that you may have missed from around the web. This weekend's reads:

Energy giving big in 2016 presidential campaign, just not to Trump (SNL Energy): In a campaign that is giving new meaning to the idea that politics makes for strange bedfellows, Democrat Hillary Clinton received nearly six times as much cash from the energy industry, $1.65 million, as Trump, who had only received $276,782 by the Aug. 21 reporting deadline. The Federal Election Commission data, furnished by the Center for Responsive Politics' opensecrets.org, includes donations from political action committees and individuals donating more than $200 who self-identify as working for energy companies.

Which State Is a Big Renewable Energy Pioneer? Texas (The Wall Street Journal): On a blustery February night, the Texas electricity market hit a milestone. Nearly half the power flowing onto the grid came from wind turbines, a level unimaginable a decade ago in a place better known for its long romance with fossil fuels.

Just 90 companies are to blame for most climate change, 'carbon accountant' says (Science): Last month, geographer Richard Heede received a subpoena from Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Smith, a climate change doubter, became concerned when the attorneys general of several states launched investigations into whether ExxonMobil had committed fraud by sowing doubts about climate change even as its own scientists knew it was taking place. The congressman suspected a conspiracy between the attorneys general and environmental advocates, and he wanted to see all the communications among them. Predictably, his targets included advocacy organizations such as Greenpeace, 350.org, and the Union of Concerned Scientists. They also included Heede, who works on his own aboard a rented houseboat on San Francisco Bay in California.

California’s Emissions Goal Is a ‘Milestone’ on Climate Efforts (The New York Times): California will extend its landmark climate change legislation to 2030, a move that climate specialists say solidifies the state’s role as a leader in the effort to curb heat-trapping emissions. Lawmakers have passed, and Gov. Jerry Brown has promised to sign, bills requiring the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels.

Uber is rolling out fully electric vehicles in London (Business Insider): A handful of Uber drivers in London are now driving fully electric cars as part of a new three-month study. The San Francisco taxi-hailing company, which already has thousands of hybrid Toyota Prius cars in London, has teamed up with Nissan and Chinese car firm BYD to offer Uber drivers the chance to rent Nissan Leaf vehicles or BYD 6 vehicles at "great rates." 

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