• Energy

International Energy Agency Predicts Oil Demand Has Officially Peaked

• clean energy
• electric vehicles
• fossil fuel
• gasoline
• green energy
• oil and gas

A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that gasoline demand will never return to pre-pandemic levels. The IEA tracks EV industry growth as an indicator of future oil demand, and their five-year forecast says that an accelerating shift toward EVs and increasing fuel efficiency among gas-powered vehicles will outweigh demand growth from developing nations. 

Why This Matters: While there won’t necessarily be a lack of supply, the report states, the lack of demand may lead to a winding down of oil operations entirely.

• People

Workforce Policies Are Crucial to Transitioning Fossil Fuel Communities

• fossil fuel
• job programs
• jobs
• labor
• renewable energy
• retraining
• Solar
• wind

The fourth report in a joint research series by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Resources for the Future found that very few fossil fuel power plant closures have had plans in mind for former employees, and many communities feel left behind by both old and new energy development. 

 Why This Matters: The Biden administration has announced plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, phasing out fossil fuels entirely.

• Energy

Congress Investigating Whether Coal Companies Bilked Government for Clean Coal Subsidies

• clean coal
• coal
• fossil fuel
• subsidy
• tax break fuel

The General Accounting Office (aka GAO), which investigates waste, fraud, and abuse claims on behalf of Congress, is examining whether coal companies took advantage of a tax subsidy that was supposed to underwrite their costs in exchange for them emitting less air pollution and greenhouse gasses, but never delivered on their cleaner air promises.

Why This Matters:  President Biden promised to rid the tax code of all the subsidies for fossil fuels.  Subsidies for these pollution sources are bad — but fraudulently claiming them is even worse.

• Sustainability

Is America Foisting Its Plastic Problem On Africa?

• chemical
• environment
• fossil fuel
• health
• Kenya
• plastic waste
• pollution
• racism
• science

By Julia Fine, ODP Contributing Writer The New York Times reported this week that an industry group “representing the world’s largest chemical makers and fossil fuel companies” is attempting, as part of a trade deal being negotiated now, to get Kenya to “reverse its strict limits on plastics,” as well as to get the country […]

• Energy

DOE Research Shows Massive Benefits of Decarbonization

• decarbonization
• energy efficiency
• fossil fuel
• Green New Deal
• solar energy
• wind power

In 2017, the advanced research arm of the Energy Department (Advanced Research Project Agency of the Department of Energy or ARPA-e) hired the engineering firm Otherlab to review all available energy data sources and create an ultra-high resolution picture of the US energy economy. What they found, as described in a recent article by the lead engineer in Medium, is highly promising — contrary to popular belief, decarbonization is not an unattainable ideal.

• Air

Virginia Regulators Ignore Environmental Justice Concerns, Grant Pipeline Permit

• air pollution
• Atlantic Coast Pipeline
• Dominion Energy
• Environmental Justice
• fossil fuel
• fundraiser
• natural gas
• Richmond
• Virginia

Ignoring the pleas of residents of the historic African American community of Union Hill in Richmond, the Virginia state air pollution control board voted unanimously to approve a natural gas compressor station there. 

Why This Matters:  The large and powerful fossil fuel industry always seems to have the upper hand — in DC and in state capitals around the country.  The ruling probably does not matter because the pipeline is mired in more serious federal court litigation.  But environmental groups were disappointed that Democratic Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, replaced two skeptical air pollution control board commissioners whose terms had run out, with two pro-pipeline commissioners.  Governor Northam, according to The Post, attended a political fundraiser with Dominion executives in recent days.  Yup.  It’s all about the money.