EnviroPolitics Blog

Offshore wind left NJ high and dry. Now it’s NY’s turn to cry

Efforts to build new wind farms in upstate New York near Albany, including at the Port of Coeymans, took a major hit when General Electric wasn’t able to produce the turbines needed for three key projects. Photo: Chris Rahm/Oceans 8 Films

By POLITICO’s Marie J. French

New York’s signature offshore wind projects meant to boost confidence in the industry are being scrapped, a major hit to the industry in the state and the nation.

The decision is another setback to New York’s aspirations to achieve 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and be a hub for the nascent industry in the United States. It will also be another challenge for President Joe Biden’s already likely out-of-reach 30 gigawatt goal for offshore wind by 2030.

In October 2023, Danish wind power developer Ørsted announced that it was canceling its Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects in southern New Jersey due to financial unfeasibility. The company cited a number of reasons for the decision, including: Supply chain issues, Inflation, Inability to secure enough government tax credits, Rising interest rates, and Delays in the project schedule.

REGIONAL SETBACK, WITH GE GETTING BLAME — POLITICO’s Marie J. French and Ry Rivard: In the rush to save New York’s offshore industry from collapse last fall, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration bet big on three new wind farms — and even bigger on General Electric, a blue chip American company founded in Schenectady in 1892.

A win would be just the kind the Biden administration is looking for: Pairing clean energy with union jobs and domestic manufacturing.

But the bet was a losing one.

New York’s projects were key to President Joe Biden meeting his energy goals for the nation. The struggles of projects in the Northeast during his administration are a major setback for the industry and the woes could be much worse if former President Donald Trump, who is openly hostile to offshore wind, wins this fall.

For months, it’s been clear GE Vernova, a spinoff of GE, couldn’t deliver the crucial parts all three wind farms were forced to use. The company wanted the three wind developers to buy more smaller turbines. That blew up the balance sheet for the wind projects because each extra turbine would require massive underwater foundations, more labor, and availability of specialized ships, which are already scarce.

The irony of GE’s troubles was that it was supposed to be a panacea for the offshore wind industry’s supply chain issues. The company proposed building two factories along the Hudson River in the Albany area to make blades and nacelles — the inner guts of the turbine that transform the energy from the spinning blades into electricity.

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Tesla selling its Bucks County, PA dealership 3 months after opening

Tesla's property on York Road in Warminster Township is up for sale, less than three months after the store has opened. — *Tesla’s property on York Road in Warminster Township is up for sale, less than three months after the store opened. (Dino Ciliberti/Patch)*

By Dino Ciliberti, Patch Staff

WARMINSTER, PA —Less than three months after opening its first store in Bucks County, Tesla’s York Road property is up for sale.

The old Pathmark property at 700 York Road has been put on the market, according to the real estate broker LoopNet. Tesla opened its showroom and service center in early February.

The 56,651-square-foot property, built over the past year, is being listed for $18.9 million.

Investment highlights include a brand-new, 12-year lease, options to extend, new construction, annual 2 percent rental increases, and an established and well-known tenant.

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NJ Speaker’s law firm has made millions since he took power

By Riley Yates and Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Business is booming for New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.

An attorney by profession, Coughlin was a low-key state lawmaker with a solo law practice and a handful of municipal clients in the years before he ascended to the third most powerful position in the Statehouse in 2018.

No less meteoric is the rise of the law firm he co-founded as he lined up for that leadership post.

Established with a couple of well-known partners, Rainone Coughlin Minchello has seen explosive growth in the seven years since it opened its doors. Representing local governments across the state, the Woodbridge firm has earned more than $38 million from public contracts since its inception, with annual revenues that now place it among New Jersey’s top law firms with public business, financial disclosures show.

This year, Coughlin, a Middlesex County Democrat, marked a historic milestone when he became the state’s longest-serving Assembly speaker ever, holding huge influence over any legislation the chamber takes up. With the rise of his law firm coinciding with that power, good government groups call Coughlin’s financial ties troubling, saying they raise questions about whether he is profiting from his public role from municipalities seeking a friend in the speaker.

“Elected officials are there to serve the people, and not also to reap the benefits of doing so on the other side of things,” said Heather Ferguson, the director of state operations for Common Cause, a Washington-based public advocacy group. “You don’t need to make money both ways.”

In a prepared statement, the firm touted the experience of its lawyers in representing government entities and noted Coughlin’s work as an attorney predated his political career.

“We are proud of the firm’s 22 attorneys who have established significant expertise in the practice of municipal law,” the firm said. “We are equally proud of the trust placed in the firm by the bipartisan roster of mayors, councilpersons, commissioners, and executive directors that seek our advice.”

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What happens when a motorsport goes all-electric

Imagine an auto race with speed but no engine noise. That battery-powered vision is already here, with Formula E.

By Chico Harlan, Washington Post, April 23, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

MISANO, Italy — The 22 racecars took their positions, shot off the starting line, and accelerated down a straightaway through the shimmering heat. The race was on — quietly.

The racecars rocketed past the grandstands, emitting nothing more than a mechanical whir. The tires hummed. Almost nobody in the crowd wore earplugs, as they might in Formula 1. As the cars zipped through the first few turns — 27½ laps to go — they sounded no louder than electric toothbrushes.

“It’s like whistling,” said Jeroen Bos, a motorsports fan from the Netherlands.

Creating an all-electric motorsport is a bold venture. Formula 1 and NASCAR have built big, entrenched cultures based on the appeal of classic full-throttle power. Even the famed motorsports catchphrase is an ode to combustion: Gentlemen, start your engines.

But Formula E, as the championship is known, is a study in the challenges — and potential — of the electric vehicle transition. In trying to make inroads with the sporting mainstream, Formula E is still figuring out how to market the idea of battery-powered racecars — and whether to play up its similarities to the gasoline age or the parts that are different.

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Advocates warn that pipeline leak exposes carbon capture gaps

An estimated 2,548 barrels of carbon dioxide leaked from an Exxon pipeline in Louisiana on 3 April, triggering alarm among residents

By Nina Lakhani in Sulphur, Louisiana, The Guardian, Apr 2024 06.00 EDT

A major leak of CO₂ from an ExxonMobil pipeline in Louisiana exposes dangerous safety gaps that should halt the planned multibillion-dollar carbon capture industry, environmental advocates say.

An estimated 2,548 barrels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) leaked from the Exxon pipeline in Sulphur in Calcasieu parish on 3 April, triggering an emergency response and alarm among residents who live close to scores of polluting pipelines, petrochemical and fossil fuel facilities.

It took more than two hours to fix the leak, which is “unacceptable”, according to Kenneth Clarkson from the Pipeline Safety Trust non-profit.

“Any release of this size of carbon dioxide should be taken seriously, especially given the proximity to homes in Sulphur … The operator should have promptly known about the leak from the pressure loss and quickly closed the valves and, as reported, they failed to do that,” said Clarkson.

“There are dangerous gaps in the federal regulations that we hope will be addressed.”

CO₂ – a greenhouse gas released by burning fossil fuels – is an asphyxiant and intoxicant, which in large quantities can cause injury or death by replacing oxygen in the air. Potent clouds of CO₂ can hang in the air for hours, depending on the weather conditions.

About 5,000 miles of CO₂ pipelines are currently operating in the US, which are predominantly for transporting the gas to oilfields where it is used to extract hard-to-reach oil – a process known as enhanced oil recovery. The pipeline running through Sulphur is part of a network stretching more than 900 miles through Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, which ExxonMobile acquired from Denbury last year.

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Goodbye Covanta, hello Reworld

The new branding marks a shift in the company as it attempts to bolster its environmental services and sustainable materials management services.

Aerial view of an industrial building with smoke stack — *The Pasco County Resource Recovery Facility in Spring Hill, Florida, is operated by Covanta. Courtesy of Florida Waste-to-Energy Coalition*

By Jacob Wallace, Waste Dive

Waste-to-energy company Covanta is rebranding as Reworld as it looks to tout growth in both its core business and emerging segments, the company announced Tuesday. Covanta has been under the management of European investment firm EQT Infrastructure since 2021.

“With this strategic evolution, we aim to redefine partnerships in waste management, focusing on converting waste into valuable resources through advanced technological applications,” Reworld President and CEO Azeez Mohammed said in a release. “The reimagining of our company underscores Reworld’s dedication to innovation, excellence in customer service, and a collective vision for enabling the reduction, efficient reuse, recycling, and recovery of diverse waste streams.”

In 2021, Mohammed became CEO of what was then Covanta, following the EQT deal. The $5.3 billion sale was contingent on several sustainability growth metrics, including a 25% increase by 2025 in waste recycled or reused. The company was the largest operator of mass-burn combustion facilities in the U.S. at the time of the sale, and it has grown since then.

Covanta’s portfolio expanded from 50 to 90 facilities since the EQT deal, bolstered by eight acquisitions. That includes a major deal last year to acquire Circon. The move doubled the company’s water services offerings and grew its geographic footprint in the Midwest and major markets like Houston.

In part due to those acquisitions, the company has also increased the waste it diverts from landfills from about 1.5 million tons in 2021 to 3 million tons today. According to a spokesperson, Its headcount has increased from 3,800 employees to 4,500. That growth pattern is putting the company on track to meet its 2025 sustainability goals,

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Goodbye Covanta, hello Reworld Read More »

Offshore wind left NJ high and dry. Now it’s NY’s turn to cry

Tesla selling its Bucks County, PA dealership 3 months after opening

NJ Speaker’s law firm has made millions since he took power

What happens when a motorsport goes all-electric

Imagine an auto race with speed but no engine noise. That battery-powered vision is already here, with Formula E.

Advocates warn that pipeline leak exposes carbon capture gaps

An estimated 2,548 barrels of carbon dioxide leaked from an Exxon pipeline in Louisiana on 3 April, triggering alarm among residents

Goodbye Covanta, hello Reworld

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