By Clarence Dennis, Flatland KC
Part passion, part protest, Graham Jordison is paddling his kayak all 2,341 miles of the Missouri River, completely on his own. On Monday morning, Jordison pulled his orange boat onto the rocks at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas, just a few hundred yards from the state of Missouri’s final stretch of the “Big Muddy.”
Jordison’s journey, which set off July 18 from Three Forks, Montana, is about a week away from the finish line in St. Louis, where the Missouri River pours into the Mississippi River. The long-distance paddler is moving at an average of 35 miles per day, give or take. Continue reading here.
Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal and Gas Campaign
Photo: Graham Jordison on the Missouri River near Sioux City. Credit: Emma Colman
BEYOND TAR SANDS
EDP Renewables, TC Energy Sign Power Agreement for Alberta Wind Farm, North American Wind Power
“This agreement, which is Alberta’s largest power purchase agreement for wind, is an important step as TC Energy continues to build its renewable energy portfolio,” states Corey Hessen, TC Energy’s senior vice president and president of power and storage.
Previously Posted: Developer Abandons Keystone XL Pipeline Project, Ending Decade-Long Battle, by Jeff Brady and Neela Banerjee, NPR
FULLY ELECTRIFIED CAMPUS INITIATIVES
Columbia Pledges That All Future Campus Construction Will Be Fossil Free, Columbia News
As Climate Week NYC begins, the university explores creating a fully electrified campus. The Columbia Climate School is university partner of the weeklong climate showcase.
RESIDENTIAL RENEWABLES FOR ALL
Advocates push for clean energy tax credits to help low-income households in budget bill, contributed by Jason Plautz, Utility Dive
A new coalition of more than 350 environmental groups, renewable energy companies and minority advocates is pushing for House Democrats to maintain tax language increasing clean energy access for low-income communities in the budget reconciliation package.
EVGO MILESTONE
EVgo Celebrates 300,000 Customer Account Milestone, Valdosta Daily Times
EVgo Inc. (NASDAQ: EVGO), the nation’s largest public fast charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) and first powered by 100% renewable electricity, today announced its nationwide customer accounts have crossed the 300,000 mark. The milestone arrives as EVgo continues to expand its fast-charging network footprint with convenient and reliable fast charging stations where drivers shop, work, and play.
FEATURED OPINION
Congress must commit to electric vehicles, Utility Dive
Contributed article by Ben Prochazka, Executive Director, Electrification Coalition; Dr. Shelley Francis, Co-Founder and Director, EVHybridNoire; Jeff Allen, Executive Director, Forth; and Joel Levin, Executive Director, Plug In America.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
- Future utilities will use 100 percent renewable energy. But how soon?, The Gazette
Alliant Energy, which serves Iowa and Wisconsin, has set a goal of net zero carbon emissions from the electricity the company generates by 2050. MidAmerican Energy, with customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota, already generates more than 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. But environmental advocates say we need 100 percent renewable, like, yesterday. Or at least by 2030 or 2035. - Iowa Environmental Council embarks on journey to reach 100% clean energy by 2035, KGAN
- Previously Posted: Iowa experiment tests potential to pair solar with carbon sequestration, Energy News Network. An environmental consultant tasked with creating a business model to monetize carbon capture on solar sites will study the ability of different plant mixes to absorb and retain carbon at a 1-megawatt Alliant Energy array.
A vast ecosystem is in play. Investors have awakened to the notion that how companies manage environmental and social issues is nearly as key to their risk profile and profitability as are financial fundamentals. Banks and insurers are factoring climate risk and social issues into their products and portfolios, accelerating a shift that’s been gearing up for years. 
A former utility commissioner in her home state of Maryland, Kelly Speakes-Backman has been leader of the ESA during a period of fast growth and rapid scale-up for energy storage in the US, with more than 2GW installed during that time. 
