The Build Back Better Act is a Bridge to the Future We Need. Senator Manchin, Don’t Blow It Up!

Published

4 years ago

October 23, 2021

admin

Originally published by Union of Concerned Scientists, The Equation.
By Rachel Cleetus

In the last week, Senator Manchin (D-WV) has become increasingly public with his opposition to the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP), a policy designed to drive down power sector carbon emissions which is part of the reconciliation bill under consideration in Congress. With the vote margins so slim in Congress, his stance significantly jeopardizes the chances that this vital policy will survive the legislative process. At a time when the devastating, costly, and inequitable impacts of climate change around the nation — including worsening flooding in West Virginia — could not be clearer, it is deeply disturbing to see the Senator actively undermining policies that would help drive down heat-trapping emissions and protect people.

The budget reconciliation package for the Build Back Better Act, which was approved by House committees in September, marked a massive turning point in how the United States aims to address climate change, prioritize environmental justice, and create good paying jobs for working people. The package also addresses long-standing social and economic needs — including healthcare, education, elder care, and childcare. And if the climate and clean energy provisions in the package stay robust and fully funded, they would also put the nation firmly on the path to cutting emissions in half by 2030, a goal the Biden administration has committed to as part of the U.S. contribution to global efforts to limit climate change.

Simply put, the reconciliation bill is a much needed and long overdue investment in the well-being of our people and the future of our country.

But now, thanks to the intransigence of Senator Manchin, a key provision to help reduce emissions — the Clean Electricity Performance Program — is at risk of being removed from the package, and no clear alternative to cut power sector emissions has been put forth in its place. Given that the Senator does acknowledge climate change is real, this is hard to understand.

Even more egregiously, the Senator is now claiming that the nation’s clean energy transformation has already been achieved! That is simply untrue. Our nation still gets about 60 percent of its power from fossil fuels and the EIA forecasts that after declining by 19 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic-related economic crisis, coal-related carbon dioxide emissions will rise by 20 percent in 2021. Meanwhile, we need to sharply bend that emissions curve, cutting U.S. heat-trapping emissions at least in half and getting to an 80 percent clean power sector by 2030. Analysis by UCS and others shows that this goal is within reach — but we need to implement strong policies to get going right away.

Further, the overall scale of the reconciliation bill is also under attack, meaning that all of its valuable provisions — including climate and environmental justice priorities — are under threat of being cut out or severely down-scaled. Given the magnitude and severity of the crises of climate change, economic inequality, and environmental injustice our nation faces, all colliding with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this is no time for Congress to shortchange the legitimate and pressing needs of people while indulging in corporate welfare to benefit the rich and powerful.

What’s all too clear from the latest developments is that the power of the fossil fuel lobby to block progress on climate action still reigns strong in Congress. Senator Manchin’s financial stake in the coal industry is well documented. His seeking to cut the CEPP calls into question whether he is prioritizing and protecting fossil fuel industry interests — which include his own — over his constituents’.

He is not alone. Senator Sinema (D-AZ) is also seeking to sharply reduce the investments in the reconciliation bill, and she has very recently held fundraisers with major industry groups opposed to provisions in the Build Back Better agenda.

And let’s not forget that every single Republican in Congress has failed to support the reconciliation bill (or any other serious policy to address climate change for that matter). What a shameful situation for these policymakers to abdicate their responsibilities as elected officials even as climate change, economic inequity, and environmental injustices strike at the hearts of communities all over the country in both red and blue states!

At this pivotal moment, when our ambitions to protect future generations from the ravages of climate change hang in the balance, let us speak plainly about what these members of Congress are doing: they are putting their narrow self-interests and the interests of the fossil fuel industry above that of their constituents. They are squandering the precious little time we have, the narrow window we have left to avert a climate catastrophe, on business-as-usual politics.

Knowing full well the devastating wildfires, heatwaves, drought, intensifying storms and flooding that the country has experienced this year — the 18 billion dollar-plus extreme weather and climate-related disasters so far this year that took 538 lives–these members of Congress choose to protect the fossil fuel industry.

Knowing full well the extreme rainfall and devastating floods that are becoming increasingly commonplace in West Virginia, and the extreme heat, drought and wildfires affecting the people of Arizona, Senators Manchin and Sinema aren’t willing to invest what’s necessary to secure a clean energy future and are thus enabling the status quo.

Knowing full well that hard-working coal miners and their communities — who have helped keep the lights on for generations — deserve investments that can help them create a prosperous and healthy future in West Virginia, Senator Manchin is seeking sharp cuts in the bill that would affect investments vital to West Virginians, including investments in social safety net programs, infrastructure, and clean energy, while protecting his financial stake in coal.

Knowing full well that fossil fuels are dirty and polluting and impose an outsize health burden on Black, Brown, Indigenous and low-income communities, these members of Congress choose to prolong that burden to prolong fossil fuel profits.

Knowing full well that in this consequential decade we must make a sharp turn away from fossil fuels to have a fighting chance of leaving our children and grandchildren a livable planet, these members of Congress choose to rely on funding from the fossil fuel industry to secure their next term in office.

Knowing full well that the U.S. stands to lose coastal properties by the millions; be exposed to dangerous summer heat unsafe for outdoor work and play; that our cities, vital infrastructure, and lives will be upended by worsening storms, floods, and fires; and that we will lose invaluable species and ecosystems, they choose to let emissions from the fossil fuel industry continue to rise.

Knowing full well that a just and equitable transition to clean energy would also be a boon for public health, job creation, and the economy, they choose to let the fossil fuel industry dictate our future.

That choice they are making is unconscionable. That choice is gravely consequential for young people around the world, today and in the future. We can have a thriving, equitable, clean, and climate-resilient economy if we are courageous enough to seize this momentous opportunity today.

Senators Manchin and Sinema, Republican members of Congress, what do you want your legacy to be? Will you be among those willing to stand up for a bold vision of a future that is clean and just, with benefits for all communities? Will you stand behind the scale of investments necessary to secure that future?

We will continue to fight alongside a diverse and powerful movement for all the incredibly important components of the reconciliation bill that are vital for our nation’s prosperity, especially those that ensure just and equitable climate action. And we urge members of Congress and the Biden administration to stop allowing fossil fuel politics to win the day when so much is at stake for our children and grandchildren.

Appreciate CleanTechnica’s originality? Consider becoming a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.

Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Environment

Tesla board is reportedly floating replacing Elon Musk as CEO

Published

39 mins ago

May 1, 2025

admin

Tesla board is reportedly floating replacing Elon Musk as CEO

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Tesla’s board has taken steps toward potentially seeking a new CEO to replace Elon Musk.

To say the least, Tesla’s board of directors has been extremely favorable to Elon Musk, Tesla’s largest single shareholder and long-time CEO.

They have backed his every move, granted him a $55 billion CEO compensation package, and remained silent when he threatened Tesla shareholders that he would not develop AI products at Tesla unless given a larger, more controlling share of the company, or decided to fire Tesla’s entire charging team to make an example out of the head of the team.

Tesla’s then-third-largest individual shareholder, after Musk, Leo KoGuan, told Electrek last year that he couldn’t get his concerns about Musk heard by the board.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Most recently, they have not addressed the protests at Tesla stores and product boycotts, which are attributed to Musk’s involvement in politics, angering a significant portion of the population and Tesla’s consumer base.

Many people, including myself, deduced from the board’s silence that it did not plan to take action against Musk’s negative impact on the brand.

Now, a new report from The Wall Street Journal suggests that the board started to move against Musk for the first time last month.

The report brings several new information to light. Here are the main points with quotes from WSJ:

According to unnamed sources, Tesla’s board reached out to executive search firms to look for a new CEO:
- “Board members reached out to several executive search firms to work on a formal process for finding Tesla’s next chief executive, according to people familiar with the discussions.”
The board reportedly met with Musk and asked him to spend more time on Tesla:
- “Around that time, Tesla’s board met with Musk for an update. Board members told him he needed to spend more time on Tesla, according to people familiar with the meeting. And he needed to say so publicly.”
After Musk committed to spending more time at Tesla, it’s not clear what is the current status of the search for a potential new CEO:
- “The board narrowed its focus to a major search firm, according to the people familiar with the discussions. The current status of the succession planning couldn’t be determined. It is also unclear if Musk, himself a Tesla board member, was aware of the effort, or if his pledge to spend more time at Tesla has affected succession planning. Musk didn’t respond to requests for comment.”
Additionally, Tesla’s board has been looking at adding a director, and JB Straubel, whose role on the board has mostly gone under the radar, has reportedly been meeting with investors:
- “The eight-person Tesla board has been looking to add an independent director, according to people familiar with the process. Some directors, including Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, have been meeting with major investors to reassure them the company is in good hands.”
WSJ has reportedly seen text messages that Musk sent to someone telling them that he doesn’t wish to be CEO at Tesla anymore:
- “Last spring, he told that person that he no longer wanted to be CEO of Tesla, but that he was worried that no one could replace him atop the company and sell the vision that Tesla isn’t just an automaker, but the future of robotics and automation as well.”
The report mentioned a Tesla manager who shared frustration about Musk’s negative impact on the business who has reportedly been let go since his comments were reported in the media:
- “Eliah Gilfenbaum, a Tesla executive in California, told his team that it was getting more challenging to hire and retain talent, according to one person who was present. He told them Tesla would be better off if Musk resigned. That was unlikely to happen, he told them, and employees needed to reconcile the boss’s politics with the company’s mission. He advised them to try to compartmentalize and just keep going.”
The board reportedly told investors that Musk wasn’t as well aware of what’s happening with Tesla as he used to:
- “In recent meetings with investors, board members told them that despite Musk’s government work, he was involved in Tesla meetings remotely. One board member told people that sometimes Musk wasn’t as well prepared and that he needed to be briefed more about what is happening with Tesla. The board members continued to say they believed Musk’s proximity to Trump and the White House would benefit the company over the long term.”

The report provides some insight into how the board is addressing the current situation with its controversial CEO.

During Tesla’s earnings call last week, Musk said that he would scale back his time at DOGE to spend more time at Tesla.

It encouraged some investors, but the CEO still claimed that he would “spend a day or two per week on government matters”:

“I think starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly. I’ll have to continue doing it for, I think, probably the remainder of the President’s term, just to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back, which will do if it has the chance. So, I think I’ll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to do so and as long as it is useful. But starting next month, I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla and now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.”

In addition to these duties, Musk serves as CEO of SpaceX and the de facto leader of X/xAI, as well as being involved in Neuralink and The Boring Company.

Musk didn’t respond to WSJ’s request for comments, and as of the time of writing this article, he didn’t seem to have directly addressed the new report on X, but he did share a couple of memes about him “wearing many hats”:

He appeared at Trump’s cabinet meeting today wearing two hats simultaneously.

Electrek’s Take

I’d take the report with a grain of salt. A lot of it makes sense, but there are unnamed sources, and this could be as simple as the board floating the idea of replacing Musk.

Also, I want this to happen, so I’m certainly biased in the sense that I want to believe it’s true.

I think the board and shareholders would have a tough time removing Musk. Shareholders are not sufficiently incentivized by the current stock price, which is resisting Tesla’s declining growth and struggling fundamentals.

And they still believe Elon’s lies about self-driving and humanoid robots soon bringing Tesla back to rapid earnings growth.

I think we might need a few more people to get the “Elon realization moment” before there’s enough motivation from shareholders to push him out.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

China’s 3-row 872hp SUV would destroy the EU/US market: $40K Lynk & Co 900 PHEV

Published

5 hours ago

April 30, 2025

admin

China's 3-row 872hp SUV would destroy the EU/US market: K Lynk & Co 900 PHEV

On our trip to Shanghai auto show facilitated by Zeekr, my colleague Scooter and I got to see an unbelievable amount of EVs from 20+ makers, many of which we’d never heard of. Each maker offered an incredible array of models but one in particular stood out to me: the Lynk & Co 900.

One thing I love about this Plug-in Hybrid is that it has a relatively huge battery and could be ridden fully electric, outside of road trips. The two 45-52kWh battery options provide somewhere between 220 and 280 km of range using China’s optimistic calculator. That’s 137 – 174 miles of EV range before the gas motor kicks in and about six times the average daily commute.

Zeekr, Lynk & Co’s sister company, has an even bigger battery, but gawdier PHEV with a 380km/236 mile range before the gas kicks in. At this point, we are really talking about an EV with a range extender.

Environment

Home solar prices just hit record lows – and storage is even cheaper

Published

6 hours ago

April 30, 2025

admin

Home solar prices just hit record lows – and storage is even cheaper

home solar storage prices — Photo: Sunrun

If you’ve been holding off on going solar, now might be the time to revisit that quote. According to EnergySage’s new Solar & Storage Marketplace Report, prices for both home solar and solar + storage reached record lows in the second half of 2024.

EnergySage, an online solar shopping marketplace (and Electrek affiliate) analyzed millions of quotes from installers across the US in its 20th semiannual report. The data covers January through December 2024 and offers a detailed look at what homeowners pay for solar panels, batteries, inverters, and more.

Home solar and battery storage price quotes hit record lows

The median price for solar-only systems dropped to $2.65 per watt in the second half of 2024, down from $2.80 per watt earlier in the year. That’s the lowest price EnergySage has recorded.

Battery-backed systems saw an even bigger price drop: home solar + storage quotes fell from $2.59 per watt in H1 2024 to $2.40 per watt in H2 2024. Tesla’s Powerwall 3 is playing a big role in the storage price drop. The new version includes an integrated inverter, which shifts some of the cost from the solar quote (measured in $/W) to the storage quote (measured in $/kWh).

Advertisement – scroll for more content

These falling prices were driven by a mix of factors. Equipment costs have dropped – Wood Mackenzie reports that residential solar panel prices were down 30% year-over-year. High interest rates and stable electricity prices have softened demand, pushing installers to offer more competitive pricing. And in California, changes to the state’s Net Billing Tariff have also pressured installers to drop prices.

“Heading into 2025, solar and battery prices had never been lower on the EnergySage Marketplace, and for homeowners, that means more affordable and accessible clean energy solutions,” said Emily Walker, director of content and insights at EnergySage. “This creates a compelling record-low benchmark to measure against as we begin to see the effects of shifting policies and tariffs take hold this year.”

Say hello to high-wattage solar panels

Home solar panels are getting more powerful, faster. In H2 2023, 81% of quotes included panels rated under 400 watts. By H2 2024, that number had dropped to just 14%. The shift is thanks to advances in panel efficiency and design: Either the panels themselves are getting bigger, or they’re packing more power into the same space.

High-wattage panels can reduce the number of panels needed per home, saving space and installation time. But there’s a wild card in 2025: tariffs. Bloomberg reported in April that the US had a stockpile of 40-50 gigawatts of solar panels at the end of 2024, which may buffer the US solar industry from big price hikes. However, that could slow down innovation and complicate the supply chain.

“As panel technologies improve, more homeowners are being offered higher-output systems – meaning fewer panels, more power, and a better return on investment,” said Walker. “We’re closely watching how inventory strategies and upcoming tariffs may shape this trend.”

To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.