clean energy
Northwest hydrogen hub backers highlight project’s expected economic benefits
This story was originally published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Officials behind a new $1 billion hydrogen hub in the Northwest are now wading into discussions to shape the project. Leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations and representatives from the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association, a consortium of private and public […]
Biden administration to send $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs in 16 states
The Biden administration is directing $7 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law to build seven regional hydrogen power hubs in 16 states, the White House announced Friday. The projects, each of which is a cluster of assets that produce and process hydrogen fuel as an alternative to fossil fuels, will benefit the climate, the economy […]
Green renewable hydrogen needed urgently, leaders say, but industry faces challenges
This article was first published by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. To meet emissions reduction targets and tackle climate change, Oregon will need to build a clean and renewable hydrogen industry as fast as possible, according to state leaders. But they face challenges that could take years to overcome. That was one of the takeaways from […]
Washington’s reworked heat pump rules get a cool reception from critics
Washington regulators on Friday veered away from requiring builders to install electric heat pumps rather than natural gas furnaces in new homes, apartments and commercial buildings they construct. Instead, in an expected move, the Washington State Building Code Council settled on an overhaul of energy regulations aimed at beefing up incentives for choosing heat pumps […]
Millions more in revenue expected as Washington conducts third pollution allowance sale
Washington held its third quarterly cap-and-trade auction Wednesday, with 8,585,000 pollution allowances available for purchase. It’ll be another week before the state Department of Ecology reveals how many sold and at what cost. If history is any indicator, allowances will be snapped up. Washington collected a total of $857 million from its regular quarterly auctions […]
Federal, state regulators prod utilities to consider technology for grid upgrade
Of the many challenges confronting the nation’s aging, straining electric grid, the need for a lot of new transmission capacity is among the most pressing, experts and policymakers say. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy said the nation will need thousands of miles of new lines to better link regions to handle extreme weather, reduce […]
Extra cap-and-trade auction may net $62M for Washington
A special auction of pollution allowances on Aug. 9 likely generated $62.5 million for Washington, revenue that the state can funnel into programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. During the three-hour bidding window, all 1,054,000 allowances offered were sold at preset prices, the state Department of Ecology reported Wednesday. Two batches […]
Alaska plans geothermal lease sale for volcano near Anchorage
The Alaska Division of Oil and Gas is preparing to hold a lease sale offering rights to explore for geothermal energy resources of Mount Spurr, a snow-capped volcano about 80 miles northwest of Anchorage. The decision was announced on July 28 by Division Director Derek Nottingham It comes two years after the division issued noncompetitive […]
High prices trigger special auction of emission allowances
Washington will sell a limited number of emission allowances Aug. 9 in response to higher-than-expected prices in the most recent auction of the state’s cap-and-trade program. The special auction is from the Allowance Price Containment Reserve, a separate pool of allowances made available when the prices at a quarterly auction exceed a certain level, state […]
Labor’s plan for fighting climate change and creating jobs in Washington
A coalition of unions on Monday released a report laying out an ambitious “worker-centered climate roadmap” to create more than 800,000 jobs across Washington in the building, transportation, energy, and low-carbon manufacturing sectors. The 104-page blueprint details 20 actions including making Washington a center for offshore wind power and sustainable aviation fuel, building modular nuclear […]
New Yorkers look to Washington for advice on cap-and-trade
Architects of Washington’s cap-and-invest program on Thursday told designers of a similar carbon pricing initiative in New York that as money starts to roll in, they should be cognizant of higher costs borne by consumers. “I could go on and on about the exciting investments but part of the problem that we’re dealing with is […]
At Paris Air Show, Washington lands alternative jet fuel facility
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee used Monday’s launch of the Paris Air Show to reveal two firms at the forefront of developing sustainable aviation fuels and zero-emission propulsion systems are setting deeper roots in the state. Twelve, a California-based company, plans to construct its first commercial-scale production facility in Moses Lake where it will make jet […]