QUICK NEWS, August 28: Feds Dig Deeper Into Climate Denial; The Bipartisan Energy Bill’s Good And Bad; Businesses Can Save By Buying Batteries

Feds Dig Deeper Into Climate Denial US government burying head deeper in sand on climate change; An apparently widespread effort to ignore reality by the federal government.

John Timmer, August 28, 2017 (Ars Technica)

“…[I]t has become increasingly clear that there's been extensive push back against climate change throughout the government…[The conclusions in] the long-delayed Department of Energy's evaluation of grid stability…were watered down in the final report…[It avoided] the use of the term ‘climate change’…[An email from researcher Jennifer Bowen revealed she had been asked to remove from submitted work] words such as “global warming” or "climate change"…[Bowen and the DOE were not available to comment but another news outlet] identified a second researcher who had received funding from the same DOE program and has also been asked to remove references to climate change… from his grant's abstract…[Funding was not renewed for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-led committee] to help the nation decide how best to act on the information contained in a scientific report…[and its peer-reviewed assessment is being blocked. It has become clear that DOE Secretary Perry and EPA Head Pruitt] are perfectly willing to overrule expert conclusions and scientific findings when it suits them…” click here for more

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The Bipartisan Energy Bill’s Good And Bad Bipartisanship? It's happening to secure America's energy future

Former Sens. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), July 31, 2017 (The Hill)

“It seems that everywhere you look, America’s politics are dominated by divisiveness and polarization…[But] Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced a major bipartisan bill aimed at securing a prosperous and sustainable energy future for America. [The Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 — shaped by a rigorous, bipartisan process that actually began in the last Congress — has been placed directly on the Senate calendar for expedited floor consideration…[Though opponents say it avoids the hard issues, the bill would modernize energy laws and accelerate] innovation…The legislation builds on the collaborative and detailed work of the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015…[and includes] provisions from more than 80 senators…[T]his bipartisan bill reminds us what is possible if Congress can move beyond destructive rhetoric and work together…” click here for more

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Businesses Can Save By Buying Batteries Five Million Commercial Customers Could Cut Costs with Battery Storage; First public survey of utility rates details economic potential for commercial behind-the-meter battery storage market

August 24, 2017 (Clean Energy Group)

“…[An analysis of over 10,000 utility tariffs in 48 states found] that more than five million of the 18 million commercial customers across the country may be able to cost-effectively reduce their utility bills with battery storage technologies…[Researchers from the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Clean Energy Group (CEG)] looked at the number of commercial customers eligible for utility rate tariffs that included demand charges of $15 or more per kilowatt, an industry benchmark for identifying economic opportunities for behind-the-meter storage. They concluded that [over 25% of the approximately five million customers] were at or above this demand charge threshold…This represents a substantial market opportunity for behind-the-meter battery storage, which can be installed to control peak demand and lower electricity bills by reducing demand charges…” click here for more

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