Wait, it’s Memorial Day Weekend? (Or so every online retailer I’ve ever made a purchase from has reminded me.) May really snuck up on me. More seriously, we remember those who have bravely defended our freedoms and democracy.
This week’s must read: China leads in clean energy but we can catch up (The Invading Sea)
Kudos to Bob Inglis for this op-ed, placed in The Invading Sea and syndicated in the Tampa Bay Tribune and Yahoo Finance.
“China’s dominance in EVs (replicated in other clean energy sectors too) should send red flags up across the U.S., which politically has retreated from its clean energy commitments at the precise time when the rest of the world is moving rapidly toward a lower carbon economy — with all the financial windfalls that transition presents,” Bob writes. “While here in America we are watching gas prices tick up by the day, projected to soon reach the highest we’ve seen in a generation, we also eliminated incentives for consumers to purchase EVs. Not to mention, persistent challenges in the EV charging network fuel range anxiety.”
This week on The EcoRight Speaks…
As long-time listeners and members of our community know, here at republicEn.org we are advocates for carbon pricing.
We are not alone.
We are joined in pursuit of carbon pricing by a scrappy group of really smart people (many who have been featured on this show) who work for think tanks, non-profits, and even environmental organizations. And our informal group is lucky enough to have a leader who convenes us on a regular basis to compare notes, talk about the latest and greatest news, and uplift each other’s hard work.
That leader is Danny Richter.
While not a stranger to the podcast, he has shifted gears since we last had him on the show. Danny is the founder of Richter Capitol Hill Strategies, where he uses his background as a geologist and oceanographer to strategize and advocate for policies related to all things carbon: carbon cycling, carbon pricing, and carbon removal are all core strengths where his expertise in science and policy overlap. Danny has a bedrock understanding of sources and sinks for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and how carbon moves and is transformed between reservoirs. But he’s also able to talk about these issues in a way that is understandable, relatable, and effective, and his results speak for themselves. He’s helped pass several bills through Congress, taking policy from inception to passage.
In this episode, we check in with Danny on what issues he’s following and why!
Quote of the week
“I’d like to try to get it done this Congress. But if not, I’m comfortable that there will be somebody who would be interested in pushing it. Now that folks understand the concept, they have very much gotten into it,” Senator Bill Cassidy said of his bill, the Foreign Pollution Fee Act. ““I can’t tell you that they’re all ready to go to the floor. But they’re all very much interested in the concept and understand the objectives. They have gotten to the point where they realize that we are paying for China not adhering to environmental standards.”
Cassidy lost his primary on Saturday.
Go Texas!
Texas’s energy prowess seems to be a hot topic of late. If you don’t believe me, read “Solar to overtake coal on Texas grid for the first time ever this year.” (Canary Media)
“For the first time ever, solar is set to generate more electricity than coal in the power market managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Nobody is building new coal power plants in the state, but developers are adding more solar there than anywhere else in the country. As a result of those diverging trajectories, the federal government expects ERCOT will receive 78 billion kilowatt-hours from solar in 2026, and just 60 from coal.”
☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Sneak peek
I’m getting kittens! Here they are with their momma less than 24 hours after being born. They will come live with me after the 4th of July! I’ve been missing my fur babies so much and feel ready to embrace pet ownership again.
Have a splendid weekend!