WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon readers, and Happy Friday!
The northern lights dazzled much of the country last night, we hope you had a chance to experience the rare show – which may return in some areas later tonight.
In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, Callie and Maydeen look globally as Amazon has revealed its energy preferences in Asia, Ukraine issued a warning over its nuclear power plants, and international benchmarks for oil ended on a week high.
Back stateside, we touch on one city’s hopes to be the first on the East Coast to ban new gas stations and provide the latest on Hurricane Milton. Today’s election countdown looks at where voters stand on the issue of fracking in Pennsylvania. But first, keep reading for what we found to be one of the most interesting comments made in the E&E space this week.
Welcome to Daily on Energy, written by Washington Examiner energy and environment writers Callie Patteson (@CalliePatteson) and Maydeen Merino (@MaydeenMerino). Email cpatteson@washingtonexaminer dot com or mmerino@washingtonexaminer dot com for tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email, and we’ll add you to our list.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor issued a dire warning ahead of Hurricane Milton this week, telling CNN “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die.”
BANNING GAS STATIONS: Providence, Rhode Island is looking to be the first East Coast city to ban new gas stations.
The details: The city council is considering an amendment aimed at prohibiting the construction of new gas stations within Providence city limits. Existing gas stations would not be affected and current owners would still be able to transfer ownership.
The amendment may be approved through the city’s 10-year comprehensive plan used for urban planning. If passed, it is expected to then be enacted through a zoning ordinance. Backers of the ban say it will help the city reach its lofty 2050 carbon neutrality goals while making land available for housing that would otherwise be used for new gas stations.
Some background: Providence is not the only city in the nation to consider a gas station ban, as Petaluma, California, became the first in 2021, according to the Los Angeles Times. Several other cities in the state have since followed suit — despite growing criticism from some local leaders. Todd Lands, the former Republican mayor of Cloverdale, advocated against a ban in his town two years ago, saying it would suppress the market and drive up prices.
Read more from Callie here.
NUCLEAR WORRIES: Ukraine’s energy minister German Galushchenko has said Ukraine is worried Russia will launch missile strikes on its three nuclear power plants, putting the country’s electrical infrastructure at risk.
Galushchenko told the Financial times Ukraine was forced to temporarily shut down one of its plants on Aug. 26 after a substation was hit in an Russian attack. Since then, he claimed, more missiles have been seen flying above other nuclear facilities.
Key quote: “They have changed the routes of their drones and missiles..to go near or above the nuclear power station,” Galushchenko said, claiming the missile sightings are occurring “every day.”
Warning to global leaders: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously warned of a Russian attack on the nuclear plant while speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
“Putin seems to be planning attacks on our nuclear power plants and the infrastructure, aiming to disconnect the plants from the power grid,” Zelensky told the global body, claiming that Moscow was using satellites to collect images of Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure.
AMAZON OPTING FOR SOLAR AND WIND: Amazon is looking at wind and solar to power projects in Asia despite many big tech companies turning to nuclear energy, Bloomberg reported today.
“We’re going where we can procure today, and that’s renewables” in the region, said Ken Haig, Asia Pacific and Japan regional head of energy and environmental policy at Amazon Web Services. “Is it possible to procure nuclear power in this part of the world? Not yet.”
Big tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft are looking at nuclear energy to power their data centers in the U.S. because of its durability and low carbon emissions.
Haig said that it remains challenging to acquire clean energy in Asia but it has great potential, adding that it has become easier to get clean energy sources in places like Japan. Amazon has 83 renewable energy projects across the Asia Pacific and is seeking to source more clean power agreements in Southeast Asia and India.
THE LATEST ON HURRICANE MILTON: Recovery and rescue efforts are underway in Florida two days after Hurricane Milton made landfall. The category 3 hurricane left more than 2 million people without power. However, as of Friday Duke Energy Florida stated that they have restored nearly 350,000 outages but over 850,000 outages remain in the company’s service territory. In total 2,271,209 Florida residents remain without power as of Friday.
Recovery efforts: Today, the White House said 1,000 federal personnel remain on the ground in Florida. Search and rescue teams have undergone more than 4,200 rescues and assists while 50,000 workers look to restore power. There have been 1.2 million meals delivered and another 1.6 million meals are set to be delivered today, the administration added.
“We will be with the people of Florida for as long as it takes,” the White House said. President Joe Biden is set to visit Florida on Sunday.
Fatalities: At least 16 people have died, CBS News reported.
WEEKLY GAINS FOR OIL: Oil prices were set to close with weekly gains on Friday for the second week in a row, despite dipping slightly lower than the day before.
The details: At around 3 p.m., international benchmark Brent crude had dropped $0.39 to $79.01 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude sat at $75.53 per barrel after dropping $0.32. Both were anticipated to see gains of around 1% by the end of the week.
Middle East tensions: The cost of oil shot up to nearly $80 per barrel last week after Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israel on Oct. 1. The regime said the strike was a response to the deaths of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and a senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soon after, Biden told reporters that the White House was “discussing” a retaliatory strike from Israel on Iran’s oil facilities. He later clarified that the U.S. discouraged an attack, causing prices to dip once again.
What people are saying: “Markets can feel the tension, as Israel contemplates the size and form for their response to Iran’s massive missile attack,” Matador Economics’ chief economist Tim Snyder told Reuters. “If Israel destroys Iran’s oil & gas infrastructure, prices will rise.”
ELECTION COUNTDOWN: Fracking is in the foreground of the election in Pennsylvania as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vie for the support of voters in the battleground state where natural gas production is a major industry.
New polling conducted by UpSwing Research & Strategy now suggests that Pennsylvania voters remain divided on hydraulic fracturing (better known as fracking). Around 51% saying they support the drilling technology, while 30% have said they totally oppose fracking, and 19% say they aren’t sure.
A majority of voters (58%) have said they would oppose a ban on fracking, while only 42% said they would support it. While Pennsylvania voters don’t want to do away with the technology, 51% said they believe the state should be investing more in other renewable energies like wind, solar and nuclear. Until those renewables can be fully embraced, around 59% of voters said fracking will remain an “important” energy source in the state.
Some background: Pennsylvania is home to the largest source of shale natural gas in the country, the Marcellus Formation. This formation accounts for around 21% of natural gas production in the U.S., with fracking supporting around 123,000 jobs in the state. As a result, fracking has largely contributed to the state’s economic activity, with oil and gas production bringing in over $41 billion.
Dive deeper: Today, Callie takes a closer look at the issue of fracking and the Biden-Harris administration’s attempts to restrict the use of it on federal lands. Find her detailed report here on what the administration promised and accomplished since 2021, as well as the roadblocks faced along the way.
RUNDOWN
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