By EDF Blogs By Lindsay Shigetomi and Kae Tuitt This week, EDF witnessed the hardworking spirit of the fleet industry at the NAFA Fleet Management Association’s Institute and Expo, where thousands of fleet professionals from all over the country gathered in San Antonio, Texas to learn, share and gain new insights into fleet operations. We saw a level of engagement from fleets and other attendees that showed how the fleet industry is evolving. Fleets are now taking on the additional responsibility as stewards of sustainability projects, which was reflected in the event programming — more than ..read more

By Mark Brownstein Two high profile studies released this week by the National Petroleum Council paint a portrait of an industry asserting a positive role in the energy transition but struggling to act on what good science demands of it. The studies — one on natural gas, the other on hydrogen — were produced at the request of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, who is looking to better understand how and under what circumstances those resources can play a constructive role in the energy transition, a strategic and economic imperative for the United States. Created by President Harry Truman to ..read more

By Dakoury Godo-Solo By Dakoury Godo-Solo The adoption of electric trucks is on the rise, but as fleets make the transition, the idea of switching from diesel to electricity as a fuel source can raise concerns about reliability in the event of a power outage. Thankfully, this is a manageable challenge on the road to electrification — and one that many industries have experience with navigating. Hospitals, grocery stores and data centers are just a few examples of industries that have extensively explored the question of how to best address power resiliency. A recent report published by the Env ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Kae Tuitt As more and more companies transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, it is increasingly clear that the future is electric. Still, some fleet owners coordinating receipt of new electric trucks and buses may face challenges with delays arising from the potentially lengthy and opaque interconnection process of getting EV chargers connected to the grid. Interconnection delays can make it difficult to adhere to project schedules and put projects at risk. Fleets can help address these challenges by encouraging states and utilities to adopt polic ..read more

By EDF Blogs Photo courtesy of Angel Luis Garcia By Abimarie Otaño Cruz The results of the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100) contain an important conclusion: “Puerto Rico can make a feasible transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, but significant improvements and investments in the system, guided by meaningful community participation, are necessary to achieve this.” After the deaths and environmental impacts of hurricanes Irma and María in 2017, Puerto Rico needed a science-based plan that would demonstrate alternatives — where and how we ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Andrew Baxter “Very soon nobody is going to be able to hide from methane leakage,” Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said back in 2019 . Now, the convergence of new satellites, new climate commitments and new market demands means that day is here. Some companies have been girding for it; others are lagging. Either way, they all have work to do. Smart operators will embrace the challenge. But walking the halls of CERAWeek, one of the industry’s premier leadership gatherings, one gets the impression that some haven’t yet recognized the extent to which name-brand international oil companies ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Casey Horan The way charging customers connect to the grid is changing rapidly, especially in states working to meet transportation electrification and decarbonization targets. But regardless of policy goals, most states are experiencing increased demand for renewables accompanied by more customers seeking connection to the grid for projects like electric vehicle chargers, solar and storage. Balancing sustainable grid buildout with customer demand for load can pose challenges for utilities, and often results in interconnection delays.   States can enable faster ..read more

By Phillip Martin A new report released today by EDF details how Texas’ $342 million clean air program can be improved to help companies that want to secure state funding for zero-emission trucks. Recommendations include how to improve program design of the grants offered, including how to modernize the calculation of nitrogen oxides reductions to ensure the full benefit of switching from diesel to zero-emission vehicles is captured, and how to improve the administrative management of the program so it is easier for companies to secure funds to deploy zero-emission vehicles in Texas. The repo ..read more

By Mark Brownstein The Biden administration paused approval of new facilities that would export liquified natural gas in order to study the impact of these projects on the climate. The Natural Gas Act charges the U.S Department of Energy with determining whether gas exports to certain countries are in the public interest. With the damage caused by climate change getting worse, the President is right to ask for the facts before moving forward. After all, natural gas produces carbon dioxide when burned and methane pollution when leaked — both powerful climate pollutants. Lots of people have opi ..read more

By EDF Blogs By Andrew Baxter Methane is now a central part of the oil & gas industry’s climate challenge. New regulations in the U.S and Europe, growing concern in Asia and mounting interest from investors and global gas markets mean increasing pressure to improve emissions performance. It was also a focal point in the COP28 climate talks, where 52 producers representing more than a third of global production joined the Oil & Gas Decarbonization Charter, pledging to reduce emissions to near zero and to eliminate routine flaring by 2030. Now comes MethaneSAT, which will launch into or ..read more