New York Times: ‘Learning Curve’ as Rick Perry Pursues a Job He Initially Misunderstood
When President-elect Donald J. Trump offered Rick Perry the job of energy secretary five weeks ago, Mr. Perry gladly accepted, believing he was taking on a role as a global ambassador for the American oil and gas industry that he had long championed in his home state.
In the days after, Mr. Perry, the former Texas governor, discovered that he would be no such thing -- that in fact, if confirmed by the Senate, he would become the steward of a vast national security complex he knew almost nothing about, caring for the most fearsome weapons on the planet, the United States’ nuclear arsenal.
Two-thirds of the agency’s annual $30 billion budget is devoted to maintaining, refurbishing and keeping safe the nation’s nuclear stockpile; thwarting nuclear proliferation; cleaning up and rebuilding an aging constellation of nuclear production facilities; and overseeing national laboratories that are considered the crown jewels of government science.
Christian Science Monitor: On Climate Change, Trump Nominees Try Having It Both Ways
The people poised to handle the federal government’s environmental portfolio appear to be trying to have it both ways on climate change: They are denying that it’s a “hoax,” but they are questioning the ability to measure humanity’s contribution with “precision.”
At first blush, the comments appear to be a departure from President-elect Donald Trump’s comment that climate change is a China-made fiction. In that way, Mr. Trump’s picks to head the Environmental Protection Agency, the Interior Department, and the State Department have sounded more aligned with the scientific consensus that humans are driving climate change.
But they’re not actually embracing that conclusion.
Reuters: U.S. Industrial Output Rises 0.8 Percent as Utilities Surge
U.S. industrial production rebounded in December due to the biggest jump in utilities since 1989 as temperatures cooled across the country.
The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday industrial output rose 0.8 percent last month after a downwardly-revised 0.7 percent decline in November.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast industrial production rising 0.6 percent. The U.S. central bank's measure of the industrial sector comprises manufacturing, mining, and electric and gas utilities.
Green Car Reports: Faraday Future FF 91 Electric Car to Cost Almost $300,000?
At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show, Faraday Future released a number of details about the FF 91, its first production electric car.
It quoted a range of 378 miles, courtesy of a 130-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack.
It also cited a power output of 1,050 horsepower, enabling the FF 91 to reach 60 mph from a standstill in less than 2.4 seconds.
But at the Las Vegas debut two weeks ago, Faraday did not say how much all of that would cost.
Utility Dive: Inside Hawaiian Electric's New, New Plan to Get 100% Renewables
The new long-term energy plan for Hawaii is getting better reviews than its two predecessors, but it won’t be the last word on how the state will get to 100% renewables by 2045.
Stakeholders have raised two main concerns about the 1,800-page Power Supply Improvement Plan, filed with regulators last month.
First, reaching the 100% renewables mandate may come at an unaffordable price for customers of the Hawaiian Electric Companies, the state’s dominant electricity providers.
Second, three key stakeholder groups raised longstanding concerns about HECO’s vision for distributed resources and the evolution of its business model.