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Biden slaps new tariffs on Chinese imports — This Week in Cleantech

Biden slaps new tariffs on Chinese imports — This Week in Cleantech
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This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week’s episode features Oliver Milman, an environment reporter for The Guardian, who covered a new report that casts doubt on sustainable aviation fuel prospects.

This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Paul Carp, Independent Climate Consultant for his recently launched Carpe Diem Climate Consulting. After spending two years at EVgo, Paul is now helping clients in the climate space with business development, GTM strategy, strategic partnerships, technology deployment, and more. Congratulations, Paul!

1. Biden sharply hikes US tariffs on an array of Chinese imports — Reuters

In an effort to create more domestic jobs and prevent China from flooding U.S. markets, the  Biden Administration raised tariffs on Chinese exports on Wednesday, impacting $18 billion worth of imported goods. There is a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs and a 50% tariff on Chinese solar cells. It also targets steel, aluminum and critical minerals – which are important components for wind, solar, batteries, and EVs.

2. FERC shakes up power industry with landmark grid rule — E&E News

On Monday, federal energy regulators directed U.S. grid operators to start planning more transmission lines. Grid planners and transmission owners now must look 20 years ahead to determine the best decisions for transmission buildout and upgrades. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) also passed a separate guideline, which allows them to grant permits for power lines when states don’t act first in certain cases.

There are disagreements between states prioritizing clean energy deployment, which benefits from a larger grid, and other states that are more cautious about paying for a share of these projects. FERC hasn’t settled on a policy yet, but they’re seeking input on a possible rule mandating a minimum capacity for transferring electricity between regions.

3. What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign — The Washington Post

In leaked communications from a private campaign dinner last week, oil executives complained to Trump about the environmental standards they have been facing under Biden. Trump asked them to raise $1 billion for his election campaign, with the promise of reversing dozens of Biden’s sustainability policies. He said on the first day of his second term in office, he would end Biden’s freeze on liquefied natural gas exports. 

The U.S. is producing more oil than any country ever has, and a second Trump term would likely increase that production with “new offshore drilling, quicker permits, and other relaxed regulations,” according to the former president.

Watch the full episode on YouTube

4. As Ohio clamps down on clean energy, recent changes make it easier to force landowners to allow oil and gas drilling — Energy News Network

Ohio landowners are being forced to allow oil and gas development on their land, whether they like it or not, due to “unitization” orders that allow streamlined permitting for fossil fuel projects. Over 500 of these orders have been approved, with more than half issued after 2020. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has only denied one unitization application since 2012. 

Unitization hearings don’t consider environmental impacts but are instead focused on how to get the most profitable oil and gas out of the ground.

5. ‘Magical thinking’: hopes for sustainable jet fuel not realistic, report finds — The Guardian

According to a report by the Institute for Policy Studies, there is “no realistic or scalable solution” for sustainable aviation fuels to avoid the climate crisis. 

President Biden set a goal for 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to be made by 2030, but this would require an 18,887% increase in production, based on 2022 production levels. If we use ethanol biofuel as an SAF, that would require 114m more acres of corn in the U.S., a ~20% increase in current land area, which could threaten global food security and carbon sequestration solutions.

Help make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to [email protected]. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.

Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.

This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin.