Tag Archives: tariffs

Is Your Company Ready for a Zero-Carbon Future?

By Nigel Topping, Contributor, Harvard Business Review

More than 900 global companies representing over $17.6 trillion in market cap are already ensuring that their business strategies are built for growth and emissions reductions through the We Mean Business Take Action campaign. (We Mean Business is a nonprofit coalition of which I am CEO.) This includes over 560 companies that have committed to set ambitious science-based emission reduction targets, and over 175 that have committed to switching to 100% renewable electricity. Beyond that, companies are beginning to use their influence to speed an economy-wide transition by supporting climate policies targeting net-zero emissions by 2050. Others are demanding climate action throughout their supply chains. Read more about the We Mean Business campaign and other initiatives here.

Nigel Topping serves as CEO of We Mean Business coalition, which harnesses business leadership to drive the innovations and policies that accelerate action on climate change. Previously, Nigel was executive director of CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) and he has 18 years of experience in the manufacturing sector.

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GLOBAL NEWS

Corporate World Weighs Up Trillions Of Dollars Of Climate Risks – And Opportunities

Mike Scott, Contributor, Forbes

Some of the world’s biggest companies, representing $17 trillion in market capitalization, have said that climate change could cost them almost $1 trillion, much of it within the next five years, with a potential $250 billion write-off of stranded assets.

However, they also said that there are climate opportunities of $2.1 trillion, “nearly all of which are highly likely or certain”. Financial companies alone saw potential revenue of $1.2 trillion from low emissions products and services but they also face almost 80% of the total financial impacts, increasing the urgency for them to shift their investments into lower-carbon projects. Read more here.

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Smart community projects “a natural” for public power, says Kelly

By Paul Ciampoli, American Public Power Association

Smart community projects are “a natural for public power,” said Sue Kelly, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association on Feb. 11 in remarks made at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ 2019 Winter Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. Among the things that public power is doing when it comes to smart city activities is converting streetlights to LEDs and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In addition, public power is working on microgrids and distributed energy installations. Read more here.

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Winning in a more distributed energy world: 3 steps to utility success, Utility Dive. A billion-dollar retail opportunity awaits utilities that turn reluctant customers into partners.

 

FEATURED NATIONAL INITIATIVE

Tariffs Hurt The Heartland, a bipartisan coalition launched in
September 2018, represents 150 organizations, including farms, small businesses, and consumer groups.

The coalition has hosted 15 events across the country to showcase stories of individuals, businesses, nonprofits and communities that have been hurt by tariffs.

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Local View: Tariffs jeopardize wind farm growth

Written by Dan McGuire, Lincoln Journal Star

Over the past few years, wind farms have started springing up across the state, and these projects are providing a financial lifeline for our farming communities . . . Unfortunately, just like an unexpected drought or spike in gas prices, Nebraska farmers hoping to harvest the wind have been thrown yet another curveball — the Trump administration’s trade war with China is threatening wind’s growth in our state.

Tariffs that tax certain wind turbine parts could unnecessarily raise the cost of wind power, preventing some of the wind farms in our development pipeline from getting built. That means fewer jobs and less income for host communities. The trade dispute is already affecting farmers in our state. Read more here.

Dan McGuire is director of the American Corn Growers Foundation. He lives in Lincoln.

Midlands Voices: Tariffs could slow surging Nebraska wind industry

By David Levy, Omaha World-Herald

The writer is a partner and chair of the energy practice group at Baird Holm law firm in Omaha, representing wind and solar energy developers, Nebraska municipal utilities and rural public power districts. This commentary reflects his personal views and not the views of Baird Holm.

Wind is creating new opportunities in communities across Nebraska. In the 20 years since Nebraska’s first wind farm began operations, wind energy businesses have invested more than $2.6 billion in the state. Nearly 2,000 Nebraskans now work in the wind industry, where wind technicians on average make close to $55,000 annually and work and live in rural areas. Thousands more construct wind farms across the state, infusing hundreds of millions of dollars in new wages and spending into local economies . . . Nebraska has a lot to gain if the wind industry continues its growth. And it has just as much to lose if these tariffs move forward. Concerned voters should ask their congressional representatives to urge the administration to exempt wind energy components from these harmful tariffs. Read more here.

NPPD Photo: Steele Flats Wind Farm

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EV NEWS

New tool helps states identify EV policies that work, and those that don’t, Utility Dive

The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), which has developed, along with Cadmus, a tool for states and localities to assess their policies and develop regulations that will encourage smart growth of charging infrastructure and vehicle adoption.

GREEN POWER LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Anheuser-Busch Recognized for Excellence in Green Power Use in 2018 EPA Leadership Awards,
Renewable Energy Magazine

NEW PRODUCT FOR RESIDENTIAL HOMEBUILDERS

News Release: Solar Alliance launches “SunBox” product for residential homebuilders

“With California legislation requiring all new homes to have solar starting in 2020, and other states soon to follow, the new home segment is one of the fastest growing markets and this program provides a fantastic tool to address that demand,” said Chairman and CEO Jason Bak. “SunBox provides residential developers with all of the tools they need to provide their customers with a permit-ready solar package. Including solar in the initial home design makes long term economic sense and provides another option for developers to offer their customers. The new home market is massive, and this program allows us to target it strategically.”

AT&T signs huge renewable energy purchase agreement

Posted by Climate Action

AT&T has agreed to purchase 520 megawatts of renewable energy, in what is being signaled as one of the largest corporate agreements to date The company has also signed on to a set of principles which help guide and support corporate companies make cost-effective renewable energy purchases from the grid. The initiative is being led by WWF and the World Resources Institute. Read more here.

 Image Credit: Leaflet / CC 

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