Volume 3, Issue 12
May 7, 2017 – May 13, 2017
Jason Mulderrig | Will Atkinson | Rohit Dilip | Anushka Dasgupta

Fossil Fuels:
Meet the Republicans Taking on Climate Change
May 2, 2017 | Time | Justin Worland
While Democrats may seem to spearhead the fight on climate change, a growing number of Republicans are joining ranks despite the president’s hostility toward environmental progress. The article highlights the recent carbon tax proposal by former Secretaries of State George Schultz and James Baker, which returns revenue to taxpayers but repeals some environmental regulations (see Baker at Wednesday’sTaplin Lecture!). Many Democrats disagree with these proposals, but they could help start the conversation towards future bipartisan solutions. -WA

Research:
Combining Three Vehicle Technologies Could Nearly Eliminate Auto Emissions
May 3, 2017 | Scientific American | Camille von Kaenel
When researchers at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy modeled how the evolution of the transportation sector would affect its carbon footprint worldwide, they found that only one general scenario will keep the rise in global temperatures under the two degree Celsius target. Drivers will have to take advantage of autonomous and electric vehicles, a development which seems to happening naturally. Getting drivers to overcome their attachment to private vehicles, opting instead for ride-sharing and public transportation, will take a more concerted effort and may necessitate government action. -AD

Grid:
EPA chief Pruitt: Coal plants necessary to ensure grid reliability
May 5, 2017 | UtilityDive | Robert Walton
Speaking on the Fox Business network this past week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt extolled the virtues of coal power by arguing that coal power provides both complete electricity reliability in peak hours and ensures the best level of national power grid security over natural gas. His comments come while a parallel review of the national electricity grid is being conducted by both the Trump administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The results of these reviews will guide how the Trump administration handles the rise of renewable energy in America, and its impact on the national grid. -JPM