Published: Wednesday, June 9, 2021
Pipeline illustration. Credits: Claudine Hellmuth/E&E News (illustration); Francis Chung/E&E News (White House); ProjectManager/Wikipedia (pipeline) Claudine Hellmuth/E&E News (illustration); Francis Chung/E&E News (White House); ProjectManager/Wikipedia (pipeline)
Protests against two Midwestern pipelines this week signal a challenge for the Biden administration as it navigates a path between federal rules, its climate agenda and the Democratic Party s left flank.
Days of protests in northern Minnesota against Enbridge Inc. s Line 3 oil pipeline wound down yesterday, after opponents and celebrities like Jane Fonda strapped themselves to heavy machinery at a company site, saying the project threatens waterways and global climate goals. An estimated 200 people were arrested during the protests, at which a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter hovered low over a crowd near Park Rapids, Minn.
Dive Brief:
Policymakers should use tax incentives and more flexible interconnection rules to encourage development of hybrid projects combining renewable energy production and storage, according to a panel at the Clean Power 2021 conference hosted by the American Clean Power Association.
According to projections from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S power grid will have an estimated 59 GW of battery storage by 2050. In the near term, a significant amount of that will be part of hybrid projects with renewables, as EIA data shows that paired sites will increase from 19 installed in 2016 to more than 100 by the end of 2023.
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Expanding Wind Power While Killing Fewer Migratory Birds Is Biden’s Quandary Source: By Katy Stech Ferek, Wall Street Journal • Posted: Sunday, June 6, 2021
White House wants to boost renewable energy and restore criminal penalties for accidental killing of migratory birds
Wind-turbine operators are encouraged to take migratory birds, including these American white pelicans, into consideration when building and operating facilities. Photo: Andy Newman/Associated Press
President Biden has taken steps to restore criminal penalties for accidental killing of migratory birds, a move that if adopted as expected later this year would add pressure to wind power developers who are working to fulfill his mandate to boost wind-farm developments as sources of clean energy.