No Debate, Most Oil Shale Is Doomed. Meanwhile, FF bankruptcy filings show funding of climate change denialism

Oct. 27, 2020 Seeking Alpha.com by Kirk Spano https://seekingalpha.com/article/4381730-no-debate-oil-shale-is-doomed Shale has huge competition to fill remaining oil demand. Zero cash takeovers for Permian producers is a very bad signal for the rest of the industry. Debt-laden shale companies simply cannot pay down debt at likely demand and prices – a last wave of bankruptcies and takeunders is coming. There might …

Just recovery policies

Foundations for a Just Recovery Many of the policy solutions we advocate for a just recovery are cross-cutting by nature. They aim to shift mindsets, cultural norms, how people are treated, how our voices are heard, and how bedrock environmental laws are upheld, creating an overarching structure from which to fight for social, environmental, and economic justice. Honor those whose …

Utility uses undercover consultant and paid actors to influence stakeholder process

 Daniel Tait  •  November 22, 2020, Energy & Policy Institute UPDATE 12/16/20: The Mississippi Public Service Commission, after EPI’s publication, directed its staff and representatives to, “not engage in any dialogue, formal or informal, related to public policy or any other matter within the Commission’s jurisdiction, with any stakeholder or other participant who declines to publicly disclose who he or she represents.” …

More dark money traced to utilities

American Electric PowerFirstEnergyUncategorized More Generation Now dark money traced to AEP in Ohio corruption scandal Also, Virginia Lawmaker Coordinated Support for Mountain Valley Pipeline With Project’s Lobbyist by Itai Vardi More Generation Now dark money traced to AEP by Dave Anderson, December 2, 2020 A Columbus group funded solely by AEP paid just over a half-million dollars last year to Generation Now, …

Of the $4 trillion that the U.S. government has put toward the pandemic response, only a fifth went to help workers and families and just 16% health response

how the $4 trillion that the U.S. government has put toward the pandemic response has been spent. As the Washington Post reported last month: [More] than half of that sum, roughly $2.3 trillion, has gone to businesses that in many cases didn’t need the help or weren’t required to show they used the taxpayer funds to keep workers on the job. By contrast, …

PUC Regulator Wrong-doing

‘I don’t think we held PG&E accountable,’ says state whistleblower The CPUC allowed PG&E to avoid punishment for sparking deadly wildfires by breaking safety rules. The agency’s most recent manager says she’s sorry and it was wrong. California whistleblower says PG&E free of consequences | FIRE – POWER – MONEY, Season 2 Ep. 4 Brandon Rittiman, December 4, 2020 SACRAMENTO, …

Utilities planning only slow decarbonization

Many U.S. electric utilities plan slow decarbonization over next decade, out of sync with Biden plan by David Pomerantz, Dec 2020 (further down) Major utilities and their trade associations have spent decades lobbying against state and federal climate policy and promoting denial and disinformation campaigns. A recent report from Deloitte similarly found “significant gaps” between 22 utilites’ net-zero commitments and their …

Fossil Fuel Corruption

As bankrupt coal company Blackjewel liquidates its mines and other facilities, the company sues former CEO Jeff Hoops for allegedly using his position to extract millions of dollars for himself and his family. (Bristol Herald Courier, Wall Street Journal)

These Ladies Love Natural Gas! Too Bad They Aren’t Real

ASTROTURF, BUT MAKE IT PINK: These ladies love natural gas! Too bad they aren’t real. (Mother Jones) The website Women for Natural Gas is a pink-tinged, fancy-cursive-drenched love letter to the oil and gas industry. A prominently featured promo video shows women in hard hats and on rig sites. “Who’s powering the world? We are!” enthuses the narrator. Viewers can click through …