Headline News:

• “Maine Bans Offshore Wind From State Waters” • Governor Janet Mills, who supports offshore windpower, signed a law to permanently bar offshore windpower from Maine waters in a compromise with lobstermen. The ban is the first of its kind in the US, where fishermen have been among the most strenuous objectors to the developing industry. [E&E News]

Block Island Wind Farm (Gary Norton, NREL)

• “Volkswagen And BMW Fined $1 Billion For Emissions Cartel” • The European Commission fined Volkswagen Group and BMW $1 billion for colluding with Daimler to avoid competition on nitrogen oxide cleaning technology. This delayed development of technology that could have reduced harmful emissions from their vehicles. [CNN]
• “Wind, Solar Growth 50% Larger Than Anytime In History” • Wind and solar energy capacity increased by 238 GW in 2020, 50% more than at any time in history, according to a report from BP. The 2021 ‘BP Statistical Review of World Energy’ said that wind, solar, and hydroelectric generation all grew last year, even though overall energy demand fell. [reNEWS]
• “Climate Change Is About Greed. It’s Time For Big Oil To Pay Us Back” • Four interconnected pieces of climate change-related news from the past two weeks reveal America’s predicament. And they also show the way forward, which ultimately must include oil companies’ paying restitution for damage that they have done to the climate and humanity for decades. [CNN]
• “It’s ‘Inescapable’: Pacific Islanders Have Tried To Flee The Climate Crisis, Only To Face New Threats” • At least 57% of the infrastructure in the Pacific Islands will be threatened by rising sea levels during this century, a UN report says. Many Pacific Islanders leave their home islands to escape climate-related issues, but climate change is inescapable. [CNN]

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