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Report: Trump Is Short-Circuiting Military’s Solar Push

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Donald Trump says he’s a big military supporter. He’s consistently and constantly talking about the importance of military budget and has said in the past that no one, including the generals, knows more about the military than him.

Which is why an article from the ever-excellent McClatchy New Service’s D.C. Bureau – and reporter Greg Gordon specifically – caught my eye. It seems that the military, which under President Obama had worked hard to add solar power backup to its arsenal in case of enemy attacks, cyber warfare or destructive weather, wants to continue to leverage solar energy as an alternative source of power.

But Trump, who has long declared that he was going to end the fictional “War on Coal”, is digging in his heels and not allowing them to continue their investments, turning off the financial spigot just as the programs were starting to take root.

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Gordon writes:

But President Donald Trump has all but eradicated the words “renewable energy” from the agenda and, according to two former Pentagon officials, slowed progress toward upgrading emergency electricity supplies at bases like Camp Lejeune.

Now it’s no longer clear that the Pentagon will make use of all of the solar farms installed both to combat global warming and to enhance national security at U.S. installations here and abroad.

And former military commanders are not happy, as Gordon documents:

“I am concerned, and I am frustrated,” Dennis McGinn, a retired admiral who as an assistant Navy secretary managed both that service’s and many of the Marine Corps’ energy needs during Obama’s second term told Gorodn. Progress, he said, “has slowed down,” even while private-sector technology is leaping ahead.

But the military has decided the way around the obstacle of the Commander in Chief is to remove the word “renewable” from plans put forward about increasing solar power on military bases and replacing it with the word “resilience.” For some reason, they think that this particular president won’t inquire too deeply about the “change” and that they might be able to sneak in an expansion of the program by just changing the verbiage. And they just might be right.

What is more concerning to me is that the military believes solar will strengthen their ability to fight and defend this country, and the Commander in Chief is standing in the way because … reasons. To me, that’s a dereliction of duty worthy of a court martial.

More:

Military’s push for solar backup power loses speed under Trump

Trump Takes Credit For Utility Steadfastness On Closing Coal Plants

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Here we are again, discussing the future of coal – this time as it relates to CO2 emissions and the fact that emissions have fallen in the United States. And as usual, President Trump finds himself in the middle trying to take credit.

So here is what’s really happening.

Despite having pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord, a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (as reported by Reuters) suggests that CO2 levels have fallen in the United States by 2.7% in 2017, even more than the 2% it fell in 2016.

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Interim EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler took the opportunity to crow about how the extra 0.7% was the result of the excellent Trump policies on the environment. As he said in a press release:

“Thanks to President Trump’s regulatory reform agenda, the economy is booming, energy production is surging, and we are reducing greenhouse gas emissions from major industrial sources.”

Which is a nice narrative, particularly if you’re hellbent on removing all environmental protections as EPA administrator. But here’s where the story falls apart just a little bit.

As we (and every other solar publication) had reported, U.S. utilities have not slowed down their plans to close coal plants, and they are only accelerating those plans as the years move forward. In part, that’s because they can replace these fossil fuel plants with clean, renewable energy like solar and wind.

As Reuters susses out, that’s the real reason for the additional reductions in greenhouse gases:

While Wheeler gave the administration credit for the reductions, which mainly came from the power sector, the numbers also underscore that the administration has not been able to stop the rapid pace of coal plant shutdowns … Natural gas releases far less carbon dioxide when burned than coal and a domestic abundance of gas has driven a wave of closures of coal plants. In 2017 utilities shut or converted from coal-to-gas nearly 9,000 megawatts (MW) of coal plants.

Now, it’s important to note that an unexpected drop in carbon emissions from the United States is still a good thing, and kudos to the utilities who have already recognized that the age of fossil fuels is rapidly fading.

But it does stick in the craw a little bit when the administration that’s taking credit for it is still running around talking about “beautiful, clean coal” and other pro-coal nonsensical blather. Let’s give credit where credit is due and not where it is not.

(It should also be noted that the Trump administration, for all its crowing, may finally be recognizing the futility of keeping uneconomic coal plants open.)

More:

U.S. greenhouse emissions fell in 2017 as coal plants shut

FERC Commissioners Tell Senate: Coal, Nuke Bailout Unnecessary

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) commissioners appeared before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and told the Senators what the rest of the world already knows: Water is wet. The Pope is still Catholic. And the nuclear and coal plant bailout Trump demanded is entirely unnecessary.

While the solar industry has been saying this since Trump first floated this Bob Murray special two years ago, Energy Law 360 reports that when asked if the bailout of failing nuclear and coal plants was important to national security, the crickets could be heard loud and clear from out on the National Mall. We’ll let Energy Law 360 set the stage:

“Do any of you believe that in the wholesale power markets, we’re facing an actual national security emergency at the moment?” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked the FERC commissioners.

Democratic Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur answered first.

“I do not, Senator,” LaFleur said. “I think the markets are reliable.”

“Anyone willing to answer that with a yes?” Heinrich then asked.

No other FERC commissioner responded.

Like we said, crickets.

It has long been policy of this president to try to prop up failing nuclear and coal plants by any means necessary. It was what was behind the study Secretary of Energy Rick Perry ordered shortly after his appointment into the importance of “baseload power” and the completely arbitrary idea that electrical generation facilities must have 90 days of reserve power on site.

The study was expected to find that an increase in coal and nuclear plants were necessary. When it didn’t, Perry ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue a rule that would have provided for bailouts of failing nuclear and coal plants. FERC respectfully declined.

Which is why the ball has landed back in the Department of Energy’s court, and they appear to be on the verge of simply ordering grid operators to buy power from these plants to provide the plant operators with a financial bailout orchestrated by the federal government.

It’s no shock that this action is coming. After all, it was President Trump who stood in front of West Virginia coal miners and offered them the impossible dream of bringing coal jobs back to the United States, despite the electricity market – including a majority of utilities – voting against such a move with their market-based plans to close the plants instead. To fulfill his campaign promise, the only way to save those jobs is to rig the system in favor of coal plants.

More:

FERC Commissioners Deny Necessity Of Coal, Nuke Bailout

Trump Throws Free Market Principles Out Window On Behalf Of Coal, Nuke Plants

Iron Mountain Joins RE100 and Commits to Setting Science Based Targets for Carbon Reductions

Iron Mountain® Incorporated (NYSE: IRM), the global leader in storage and information management services, today announced two important environmental commitments that significantly advance the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and increase its usage of renewable energy around the world.

Firstly, Iron Mountain is joining the RE100 initiative, a collaborative, global platform developed by The Climate Group, an independent, not-for-profit organization working internationally with government and business leaders to advance smart policies and technologies to cut global emissions and accelerate a low carbon economy. Iron Mountain joins more than 130 multinational corporations in committing to a shift to using renewable energy sources for 100 percent of its worldwide electricity. In doing so, Iron Mountain pledges to follow a rigorous standard for green power purchasing and achieving aggressive interim milestones on the way to a complete conversion by 2050.

Secondly, Iron Mountain announced its commitment to set an aggressive science-based target for carbon reduction by the end of 2019. In doing so, the company will work with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which helps companies determine how much they must cut emissions to do their part to address climate change, to calculate and approve a reduction in carbon from current levels. This promise puts the company on a trajectory for decarbonizing its operations in line with the global goals of the Paris Climate Accord.

“We applaud Iron Mountain for taking these important steps to address climate change,” said Mindy Lubber, CEO and president of Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. “By committing to 100 percent renewable electricity and setting an ambitious science-based carbon-reduction target, Iron Mountain is joining a growing number of major companies that understand the huge economic benefits and clear competitive advantage of climate action.”

In Iron Mountain’s recently released 2017 Corporate Responsibility Report, the company reports achieving an absolute reduction of 6.6 percent in year-over-year carbon emissions – even during a period of continued business growth and service expansion. Iron Mountain is also a member of several collaborative efforts to advance the use of renewable energy including the renewable energy buyer’s alliance (REBA) a collaboration of World Wildlife Fund, World Resource Initiative, Rocky Mountain Institute and Business for Social Responsibility. The company is a signatory to the Renewable Energy Buyers Principals, a member of the EPA Green Power Partnership and recipient of the 2017 Green Power Leadership Award.

“We’re proud to be among the earliest adopters of renewable energy,” said William Meaney, president and chief executive officer of Iron Mountain. “Understanding the impact of our energy usage has led to the adoption of energy and greenhouse gas reduction strategies that are helping the company save money, reduce environmental impacts and better serve our customers. In making these commitments today, we are setting aggressive public goals with the endorsement of well-respected non-profit organizations, accelerating our efforts to foster strong economic growth while operating as a responsible, ethical and sustainable company.”