Justices have so far given little indication as to which way they will rule, though they’ve asked more about the case’s implications for oil companies than for communities dealing with the planet’s warming, Grist reports. Still, the court runs the risk of issuing a split decision, as Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from the case — an outcome that would allow cases like Boulder’s to proceed in lower courts.
Making clean energy happen in rural America
Clean energy success stories can be hard to come by in rural areas, but Julian Spector has one for us this week. In Iowa’s Cherokee County, a depressed corn market had the Smith family thinking of other ways to make money off their land. They settled on installing a solar-plus-battery array, but when the county got word, it placed an indefinite moratorium on battery construction. Fast forward five months, and the Smiths, with help from a county supervisor, were able to get the ban reversed.
Mondale Robinson, the mayor of Enfield, North Carolina, has a plan to keep the good news coming. Despite his community’s tiny size, he’s pursued huge clean energy ambitions there, and is now launching a national coalition of small-town and rural mayors, hoping that their collective influence can drive federal policy and attract donors to further progress on climate, clean energy, and other issues.
Clean energy news to know this week
History lesson: Experts note that although the Trump administration’s energy policies are exacerbating high power bills — a key issue in upcoming elections — the costs have been building for years as the nation’s grid undergoes much-needed upgrades and repairs. (Canary Media)
Big Tech goes nuclear: Constellation Energy partners with Google to upgrade 11 of its existing nuclear plants in PJM Interconnection, marking the latest deal between a power provider and tech company to add capacity to existing nuclear facilities. (Canary Media)
Diesel doubts: President Donald Trump signs an executive order allowing anyone to purchase tax-exempt “red-dye” diesel in an attempt to lower sky-high fuel prices, but trucking industry groups say it’s unlikely to help. (NBC News, Politico)
Cooking up danger: A new study quantifies just how hazardous the conditions of fossil fuel-powered commercial kitchens are compared to all-electric facilities, with chefs who cook with gas and propane facing too-high temperatures and debilitating levels of toxic emissions. (Canary Media)
Data center downgrade: Developers have canceled at least $260 billion worth of data center projects in the U.S. so far this year after facing strong local opposition. (Heatmap)
Efficient pushback: Nearly two dozen states, led by California, sue the Trump administration over its rollback of fuel efficiency standards for cars, saying it violates federal law and relies on a faulty analysis. (New York Times)
Now let’s do a fun one: Wind and solar companies launch a series of ads starring John Cena, in which the wrestling and movie star pitches the power of clean energy with the help of a kitten, a raccoon, and zero politics. (Wall Street Journal)
