In the news today…
Grid:
- CNBC reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency in California as a powerful winter storm is expected to bring heavy rain, snow and flooding throughout the state, with urban areas expected to receive 2 to 4 inches. Power outages hit more than 197,000 customers overnight, as the storm brought wind gusts of up to 85 miles per hour in the San Francisco area.
- Bloomberg reports that a California wine town plans to fight blackouts with batteries and hydrogen. The backup system in Calistoga will keep lights on for 2 days during emergency power shutoffs.
WOTUS:
- E&E Greenwire reports in the last days of 2022, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a brand-new water protection rule, one of the first of a new raft of Biden-era regulations that are expected to face a tough slog in the conservative-dominated courts in 2023 and beyond.
Mining:
- Washington Post reports a high-stakes, years-long legal battle over a huge lithium mine planned in Nevada resumes Thursday with arguments from lawyers for the mining company, the U.S. agency that approved it and the rancher, tribes and conservationists fighting the project.
World News:
- Wall Street Journal reports as 2023 dawns, the supply-chain snarls that characterized much of 2021 and 2022 are clearly untangling. But the new year brings new challenges: the rise of “green protectionism” and an accelerated effort by multinationals to diversify away from China.