EPA Won't Require Carbon Capture At All Power Plants — Sources. According to Politico, “EPA's upcoming climate rules are expected to rely on carbon capture technology. But that doesn't mean fossil fuel power plants will use it. The agency's draft regulations on the nation's sprawling power sector will require utilities to slash their carbon emissions to levels that could be achieved by using carbon capture systems. But to get there, they wouldn't have to actually use that technology, experts say. The rules, which are expected to be proposed within two weeks, treat power plants that run less often differently than behemoth plants that generate baseload electricity, according to two people who are familiar with the rules and were granted anonymity to speak freely. Facilities that burn natural gas and coal but run less frequently or at lower capacity are expected to face lighter requirements for lowering emissions — and they could use hydrogen or other upgrades, like heat-rate improvements, to comply with the rules. Operators who agree to close their plants early may not face any obligations at all.” [Politico, 4/26/23 (=)]
IRA Repeal Threats, Biden Snub: What's Up With Joe Manchin? According to Politico, “West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin has been ramping up his criticism of President Joe Biden and Democrats in recent weeks, just as his potential reelection campaign approaches. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair, who hasn’t ruled out running for president himself, has been a political maverick since joining the Senate in 2010. But his broadsides against the president and other members of his party are starting to get more personal and frequent. In a closely divided Senate, Manchin’s state of mind has been a preoccupation on Capitol Hill for more than two years. His current stances suggest he’ll be a thorn in the president's side as the administration implements its signature laws and Biden tries to keep former President Donald Trump out of the White House.” [Politico, 4/26/23 (=)]
Hunting For Methane Hot Spots At The Top Of The World. According to EOS, “It was winter in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the moose were grumpy. A University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student offered me a tip: “If you see their hair coming up, and they’re going to charge you?” he said. “Find a tree.” I was joining a day of fieldwork with a group of Arctic scientists hunting an invisible gas that has been increasing in our atmosphere at an accelerating rate since 2007. Our destination, a lake a mere 15-minute drive from campus, has the highest rates of ecological methane emissions ever recorded from Arctic lake marshes. Making total estimates of the gas in the Arctic—or even on the planet—is unbelievably complex, involving data collection from an area that spans 22 million square kilometers.” [EOS, 4/26/23 (=)]