WASHINGTON >> President-elect Donald Trump said today that any person or company investing at least $1 billion into the U.S. “will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals.” The statement, posted on his social media platform Truth Social, did not offer further details. Trump’s transition team is working on a package to roll out within days of his taking office on Jan. 20 to approve export permits for liquefied natural gas projects and to increase oil drilling on federal lands and off the U.S. coast, sources familiar have said. It was not immediately clear how Trump could work around independent commissions such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has recently required additional environmental reviews for LNG projects. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump, a Republican, also plans to repeal some aspects of Democratic President Joe Biden’s regulations and top climate legislation, such as tax credits for electric vehicles and new clean power plant standards that aim to phase out coal and natural gas.SPRINGFIELD — When Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois Act in 2021, the incentive-bearing legislation signaled that the burgeoning electric vehicle industry could become a cornerstone of the state’s economic development agenda. A few months earlier, the landmark Climate and Equitable Jobs Act created a rebate program offering $4,000 to residents who purchase all-electric, non-gas guzzling vehicles, making them a pillar of the state’s efforts to fight climate change as well. These measures helped set the table for Illinois to take advantage of billions of dollars worth of private investment by EV manufacturers, battery makers and parts suppliers spurred by signature policies of President Joe Biden's administration that incentivized the transportation sector's shift toward electric power. Workers load a part as robotic equipment assembles R1T truck bodies in a marriage line on April 11, 2022, at the Rivian electric vehicle plant in Normal. But with President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the nascent industry. Illinois lawmakers and environmental advocates are already expressing concern that Trump will follow through on his promise to gut programs aimed at boosting it, such as a popular nationwide consumer tax credit program for electric vehicle purchases. Top Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, as part of their Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting commission, have promised to scrutinize and potentially claw back spending approved by the Biden Administration during the lame duck period. That includes a $6.6 billion federal loan to Rivian Automotive, which makes all of its vehicles in Normal and is among the rivals to Musk's Tesla. Plans recommended by Trump's transition team, first reported this week by Reuters , would impose major changes cutting off support for electric vehicles and charging stations. The president-elect's advisers also reportedly want to strengthen measures blocking cars, components and battery materials from China, where the heavily subsidized EV industry is growing. EV manufacturers and state policymakers remain in a holding pattern. Most said, however, that the transition to EVs is far enough down the road that a speed bump from the incoming administration would only slow progress, not halt it. “We're all in a little bit of a limbo right now,” said Lisa Clemmons Stott, the electric mobility director for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “The industry is in a limbo. State governments are in a bit of a limbo waiting to see what they'll do. A Tesla vehicle is charged by a EV charging station in Wheeling on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. "But in Illinois, we've made sure that our foundation is so solid that we believe that we can keep the industry moving forward, whether they have that support at the federal level or not.” Federal tax credit at risk Of most consequence is the status of a $7,500 federal tax credit for those who purchase electric vehicles, which are often sold at a higher price point than their gas-guzzling counterparts. The credit, a key factor in Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, applies to all-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles purchased new in 2023 or later. Pre-owned vehicles purchased in 2023 or later are eligible for a tax credit of up to $4,000, according to the IRS. Other requirements include a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 14,000 pounds; the price can't exceed $80,000 for vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks or $55,000 for other vehicles. The credit is not available for individuals making over $150,000 or married couples making more than $300,000 a year. According to an academic study published last month by professors Hunt Allcott of Stanford, Joseph Shapiro of the University of California, Berkeley and Felix Tintelnot of Duke University, the elimination of the tax credit would decrease electric vehicle registrations — projected near 1.2 million this year — by 27%, or about 317,000, annually. Most of the impact would be felt by American carmakers, according to the findings. “Many industry analysts predict that eventually the EV market share will be 100%,” Shapiro told Lee Enterprises in an interview. “And based on that estimate, you might think it doesn't really matter if we adopt earlier or later — eventually we're gonna get there. “But, certainly, the atmosphere matters, because if EV adoption happens in a half-century versus in a half-decade, there are hundreds of millions or billions of tons of carbon that are going to be pumped into the atmosphere, and they will remain in the atmosphere for centuries and affect the climate for centuries,” he said. Shapiro Eliminating the tax credit program has been strongly considered by Trump's transition committee and supported by many of his backers, including Musk, the CEO of Tesla. He said back in July that axing the subsidy would hurt Tesla competitors like General Motors and Ford more than his company. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents automakers like GM, Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen, has urged the president-elect to keep the tax credits. Groups like the Zero Emission Transportation Association — which includes members like Tesla, Lucid and Rivian — have said the tax credits have driven substantial job growth throughout the country. Killing the program would hurt newer job growth, they said. ZETA executive director Albert Gore III told Lee Enterprises that Biden’s support had the unintended consequence of opening the EV industry up to negative political attacks. He said there’s now an opportunity to take a “clear-eyed, dispassionate look at what the current set of policies are doing” and have “that honest conversation about what is happening in places like Illinois,” but also Republican-led states that have seen industry investment, like Georgia and Tennessee. “If you take (the credit) away, it's unclear exactly what happens to all of that economic activity,” said Gore, a former Tesla public policy employee and son of former Vice President Al Gore. “But it certainly puts it at risk. "And putting that at risk is really not a good outcome because, in general, the commodity market for minerals that are important for the battery manufacturing sector is subject to heavy influence, some would say strategic manipulation, by China.” Walton The tax credits were born from the premise that new technologies are usually more expensive to manufacture, said John Walton, chair of the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation. They were designed to help sell vehicles at a time before the technology has been widely adopted. "There were credits for natural gas vehicles and propane vehicles back in the '90s that also went away, so going away isn't anything unusual," Walton said. "When we had the initial tax credit, it was working its purpose and vehicles were starting to come down in price, and the tax credit was dropped. Then Biden put in this new tax credit a few years ago, and the vehicles didn't drop at the same rate as prices stayed." Walton said early innovations and start-ups with new technology often cost more for early adopters. Prices tend to come down as time goes on and the manufacturing process becomes more cost-effective. Advocates also point to a need for more investment in charging stations to alleviate another consumer hang-up: "range anxiety," the fear that an EV will run out of power before reaching its destination. Brown "We need to be able to increase the consumer confidence in that network so that become a non-issue, because it is still a significant barrier for a lot of potential consumers," said Michael Brown, executive director of the Ecology Action Center, a nonprofit environmental sustainability agency based in Normal. Brown said the potential elimination of the nationwide tax credit is unfortunate, but he noted that state tax credits remain for Illinoisans. Indeed, "as other states scramble to implement EV tax programs, Illinois already has in place a state-funded rebate program that isn’t impacted by any potential changes to the federal EV tax program," said Kim Biggs, public information officer at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, in a statement. Residents that purchase a new or used all-electric vehicle from an Illinois licensed dealer may be eligible for a $4,000 rebate for an all-electric vehicle or a $1,500 rebate for an all-electric motorcycle, according to the agency. The incentive is meant to help Illinois reach its goal of a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. It’s a wildly optimistic target. According to data from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, just under 120,000 electric vehicles were registered in the state as of Nov. 15. Funding for the rebate is subject to the whims of the Illinois General Assembly and has fluctuated every year, starting with $20 million in 2023, dipping to $12 million in 2024 and rising slightly to $14 million in 2025. The program has proved to be oversubscribed with funds drying up quickly after an application cycle opens. In 2023, for example, just 63% of nearly 7,700 applicants were awarded the state’s rebate. In 2024, only 3,000 of the nearly 5,600 who applied, about 54%, were given the rebate. Vella Some states like California have committed to filling in the void if Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress decide to eliminate the $7,500 federal credit. State Rep. Dave Vella, D-Rockford, who sponsored the REV Act in 2021, said that Illinois similarly “might have to beef up our credit a little bit.” But with state policymakers staring down a projected $3.2 billion budget deficit in the next fiscal year, a more generous electric vehicle rebate appears unlikely. Vella said other ideas to support EV ownership could be considered, but no legislative proposals are expected during lawmakers’ lame duck session early next month. “Donald Trump says a lot of things,” Vella said. “Sometimes he backs them up. Sometimes it's just for effect. So until I find out what is real and what is for effect, I don't know what to do.” Rivian, EV makers face challenges Less than two years after Pritzker and both Illinois senators celebrated the opening of a Lion Electric plant in Joliet, the company announced earlier this month that it would suspend operations there. The Quebec-based company also said would temporarily lay off 400 workers in the U.S. and Canada. The news was a blow for what state leaders touted as the first new vehicle assembly plant to open in the Chicago area since 1965. The electric school bus manufacturer said it has struggled in part due to a lag in the delivery of federal subsidies. The frame of a LionC electric school bus is assembled at the Lion Electric plant in Joliet on July 23, 2024. Pritzker, a second-term Chicago Democrat who has been heavily critical of Trump, said the incoming administration is unlikely to help matters. "There's an awful lot of pressure that's been put on electric vehicle companies as a result of Donald Trump's rhetoric and promises that he's made to kind of tear down electric vehicle industry development," Pritzker said, responding to a question about Lion Electric at an unrelated press conference earlier this month. Though Pritzker said he was disappointed in Lion's progress, he also highlighted the "massive growth" of Rivian. Since 2021, the startup has made all of its electric SUVs, pickup trucks and commercial delivery vans in Normal. While the Central Illinois workforce now reaches over 8,000 and plant expansion work is underway, the company has also faced challenges. Last month, Rivian reported third-quarter revenue of about $874 million , blaming supply chain issues and softer demand for the 35% decrease from the same time last year. Still, the California-based automaker is investing heavily in its future, aided in part by both the state and federal governments — at least for now. Kyle Matas, center, shows the interior of Rivian's R3 model to his children, Able Matas, left, and Quinn Matas, during an unveiling of new Rivian models on April 6 in Normal. The U.S. Department of Energy announced last month that it would loan Rivian $6.6 billion to build a factory in Georgia, where the company initially planned to build its new, more affordable R2 midsize SUVs. Construction of the long-planned facility has been stalled since March to speed up production and save money. Rivian instead announced this year that the R2 would be built in Normal, where it started work on a 1.3 million-square-foot expansion east of the southeast corner of the existing plant . The company also started construction on the $200 million development of new parts and component distribution facilities , with plans approved by the Normal Town Council. "Startup companies like this face these kinds of issues all the time," said Normal Mayor Chris Koos, referring to Rivian's recent challenges. "And it has been more with the resilience of a company to respond to these changes because it's really out of their control." Normal's government has supported Rivian's efforts since 2016, when the town government approved an economic incentive agreement that included temporary property tax reductions as long as the company met certain hiring and investment goals. The final property tax abatement came in May 2022. Later that year, council members approved purchase of an R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV to join the town's fleet of vehicles. "I see it as the coming technology for automobiles in this country and throughout the world," Koos said. "It's not just because Rivian is in our community. I've always thought it was the next logical step with advances in technology." A Rivian electric vehicle charges at a station in Wheeling on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. In June, Rivian announced a $5 billion partnership with German automaker Volkswagen that includes an initial $1 billion investment followed by the remaining investments through 2026. News of that deal came one month after Pritzker announced that Rivian would receive an $827 million state incentive package, allowing it to expand the facility in Normal. At the time, the company said it would invest $1.5 billion to create 550 full-time jobs within the next five years. A Rivian spokesperson said the company would not comment on the potential elimination of the federal tax credit. But if Musk and Ramaswamy have their way, Rivian could face the wrath of the Trump administration over the $6.6 billion loan. Ramasawamy wrote on X last month that the loan agreement came across as “a political shot” at Musk. He later told CNN that the loan was “high on the list of items” he would seek to claw back. Tesla, owned by Musk, received a similar $465 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2010. Tesla Superchargers are seen at Willow Festival shopping plaza parking lot Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022, in Northbrook. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, in a statement earlier this month, decried the “rich” irony of the situation. “Bottom line is Elon Musk’s record is clear — his vast business empire has benefitted from government assistance in the past,” Durbin said. “He’s in a delicate position with many potential conflicts of interest. I hope there will be some second thoughts to his ideas and the ideas of his DOGE partner.” 'Market conditions' delay progress Rivian isn’t the only automaker in line to receive federal assistance. Earlier this year, the Department of Energy announced that Stellantis would receive a $334 million federal grant to retrofit its idled Belvidere plant for electric vehicle manufacturing. A Stellantis factory entrance is seen July 10, 2023, in Belvidere, Ill. The company had agreed to reopen the facility and build an adjacent battery factory as part of a deal that ended the 2023 United Auto Workers strike. It had closed earlier that year after decades producing Chryslers, Dodges and Jeeps. However, the company paused those plans in August. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson confirmed to Lee Enterprises that the company believed “current market conditions indicate that delaying — not canceling — our plans would be in the best interests of our employees and the community.” Tinson declined comment on the status of the yet-to-be finalized federal grant or whether the project would remain feasible without government help. Vella, the state representative whose district includes the Belvidere plant, said it’s his “strong belief that" the grant agreement "will get done before the inauguration,” acknowledging that it “could be an issue” if it doesn’t. Stott, the state’s point person on electric vehicle policy, said that “the goal is to get that done in this administration.” At that point, the state can begin to work on a REV incentive package to reopen the complex, which could put thousands back on the assembly line. “I'm sure the Biden administration is moving forward as fast as they can on that one, and also on Rivian's,” Stott said. “I'm confident that it will be able to meet any scrutiny that the next administration has for it.” Where Illinois’ EV ecosystem stands Early returns suggest that Illinois’ cultivation of the EV market has paid off. Though not quite the “Silicon Valley of EVs” as some had predicted, the state has attracted more than $8.5 billion in private investment for clean energy and technology manufacturing since 2021, according to the Clean Economy Tracker, a tool from Atlas Public Policy that tracks investments in the clean economy. The vast majority came from EV and battery companies. In this June file photo, TCCI Manufacturing Chief Operating Officer Dennis Flaherty highlights construction work in Decatur. The company was awarded the first tax credits under the state's Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV) Act. And the REV program Pritzker created in 2021 has been fruitful, with 17 agreements inked to provide more than $1.1 billion in state tax credits to EV producers and suppliers investing in the state. The deals could result in the retention of more than 8,000 existing jobs and the creation of 5,000 new ones, according to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Regardless of policy changes at the federal level, Illinois is going to stay the course on electric vehicle policy, said Deputy Gov. Andy Manar. “Circumstances are going to be a little bit different come 2025,” Manar said. “But we're going to continue to focus on making sure that that pipeline of projects keeps flowing. It has been consistent. There have been large projects. There have been very important smaller projects." Economic development officials acknowledged that the state hasn't seen the same number of large projects in 2024 as it did in the two prior years. Manar suggested that may be indicative of smaller companies within the EV supply chain following larger companies that have already invested in Illinois. A Chicago Transit Authority electric bus charges in the West Side garage Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in Chicago. The CTA plans to move to all-electric by 2040, another sign of Illinois' embrace of clean energy. Most automobile industry experts believe the transition to electric vehicles, even if delayed, is inevitable. As such, many Illinois policymakers believe the state should continue to back the evolving technology. “I think the idea is, if the Trump administration wants to shut down or slow down the EV thing, and we know that in the future the market is going to go there, I think the smart move for us is to double down and really get into the manufacturing space,” Vella said. “So when it ramps back up, which it inevitably will, we'll be there.” Contact Mateusz Janik at (309) 820-3234. Follow Mateusz on Twitter:@mjanik99 “If you take (the EV tax credit) away, it's unclear exactly what happens to all of that economic activity. But it certainly puts it at risk." — Albert Gore III, executive director, Zero Emission Transportation Association "There's an awful lot of pressure that's been put on electric vehicle companies as a result of Donald Trump's rhetoric." — Gov. JB Pritzker “Circumstances are going to be a little bit different come 2025. But we're going to continue to focus on making sure that that pipeline of projects keeps flowing." — Andy Manar, Illinois deputy governor The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Government Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. State Government Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide Monday morning, and as Twitchy reported, the headlines didn't disappoint. As the Associated Press put it, beloved Michael Jackson impersonator Jordan Neely was just a "subway rider." This was a social media post, so we know they had room to put in something like, "subway rider with 42 arrests," "career criminal," or "man who threatened to kill subway passengers." The Wall Street Journal didn't do much better, referring to Neely as "a homeless man on a New York City subway." Is there anything else we should know? A homeless man threatening to kill passengers on a New York City subway? Or was this just a white man choking an innocent black man to death? The news of Penny's acquittal came out too late to make the New York Times Monday print edition, so we had to wait until Tuesday to see what they would come up with. Since this was the print edition, we understand the Times didn't have unlimited space to frame the story. But what is this? Can you hate the media enough? Actual headline about Daniel Perry from the NYT: pic.twitter.com/w0lwGakb4F Wow! They’ve reached a new low. Actual in print NYT headline about Penny acquittal, in case you were wondering what a garbage newspaper is pic.twitter.com/c2P6NVEC06 Tomorrow they'll be reporting on the "mostly peaceful protests" they are inciting today "Subway dancer" A "subway dancer" with a clear lack of understanding of personal space. All the news that's fit to print......but they leave out "NEGLIGENT" in the subheading. We do not hate the MSM enough. They prove it every day. Wow...that’s a disturbingly misleading headline... Absolute trash. "AUSTERE UNHOUSED SUBWAY DANCER'S KILLER SET FREE. Women & minorities hardest hit but not as much before because the subway dancer is dead now." Can the New York Times ever tell the truth of what really happens instead of making up a narrative? Just your everyday, run of the mill, rider on the subway with 42 prior arrests who wanted to die, nothing to see here. They're priming the grievance riot machine for Trump's administration after letting it sleep for 4 years. Only thing they missed in the headline was white and black. So their Marxist policies failed to protect that man before he became so desperate so as to violently threaten other citizens and then blame a bystander for protecting themselves from a threat. The same people saying Neely was just homeless and mentally ill are the same ones who support policies to keep people like Neely out on the streets. The product of our journalism schools. I would start there. They don't teach journalism anymore. ***
Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attempt
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Diane Moss lost her home in the Santa Monica Mountains after power lines ignited the apocalyptic Woolsey Fire in 2018. Since then, she’s pressed for a safer electric grid in California. “It’s so easy to forget the risk that we live in — until it happens to you,” said Moss, a longtime clean energy advocate. “All of us in California have to think about how we better prepare to survive disaster, which is only going to be more of a problem as the climate changes.” In recent years, California’s power companies have been doing just that: insulating power lines and burying lines underground, trimming trees, deploying drones and using risk-detection technology. As wildfires across the U.S. intensify , California is on the leading edge of efforts to prevent more deadly and destructive fires ignited by downed power lines and malfunctioning equipment. Customers have shouldered a hefty price for wildfire safety measures. From 2019 through 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized the three largest utilities to collect $27 billion in wildfire prevention and insurance costs from ratepayers, according to a report to the Legislature. And the costs are projected to keep rising: The three companies — Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric — continue to seek billions more from customers for wildfire prevention spending. Rates are expected to continue outpacing inflation through 2027 . Fire safety projects are a big part of the reason that Californians pay the highest electric rates in the nation, outside of Hawaii. Other reasons include rooftop solar incentives, new transmission systems and upgrades for electric vehicles. High electric bills have helped fuel a statewide affordability crisis alongside soaring housing prices, expensive groceries and costly gasoline. Small businesses are feeling the burden, along with the state’s poorest residents: One in three low-income households served by the three utilities fell behind in paying their power bills this year. California’s three investor-owned utilities are regulated monopolies, so when they spend money on costs related to wildfires, they recover it through customers’ bills. The price of electricity has ignited debate about how much California families should bear for the cost of wildfire prevention, whether utilities are balancing risk and affordability and whether the money is being spent wisely. Loretta Lynch, a former head of the state utilities commission, said lack of oversight is a problem, with the commission “rubber-stamping outrageous costs” and allowing the companies to “address wildfires in the most expensive, least effective way possible.” One of the biggest controversies is whether the utilities should be spending so much on burying power lines, an extremely costly and slow process. Last year, a state audit concluded that the utilities commission and the state’s advocates office must do more to verify whether utilities were completing the work they sought payment for. The three companies say the billions of dollars in spending is necessary as climate change worsens wildfires across the state . Utility equipment has caused less than 10% of the state’s fires but nearly half of its most destructive fires, according to the utilities commission . PG&E, which a few years ago came out of bankruptcy triggered by its liability for several deadly, destructive fires, has adopted the stance that “catastrophic wildfires shall stop.” The company, which serves the most high-risk areas in California, is the state’s largest spender on wildfire prevention. PG&E plans to bury 10,000 miles of power lines in its highest-risk areas — work that is highly contentious because it is costly and slow. The company has buried 800 miles since 2021 , with each mile costing between $3 and $4 million. Last year, the commission approved a $3.7 billion plan for PG&E to bury 1,230 miles of lines through 2026. Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s chief operating officer, told CalMatters that the utility is concerned about rates, too. He said the company is “very committed to stabilizing our customer rates as we go forward without compromising safety. I think that’s clear, that it’s a non-negotiable....There’s a pretty robust process, and oversight, that we are under.” Kevin Geraghty, chief operating officer of SDG&E, called the wildfire spending process “the most highly-scrutinized, regulatory utility process I have ever been involved in, in my life.” Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in October aimed at tackling the high costs of electricity, asking state agencies to evaluate their oversight of wildfire projects and ensure that the utilities are focused on “cost-effective” measures. He is seeking proposals for changes in rules or laws by Jan. 1. The spark for the increased spending came seven years ago, after California suffered one of its worst droughts and a series of devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018, many ignited by utility equipment. Sixteen fires were caused by PG&E equipment during a rash of October 2017 fires that decimated Napa, Sonoma and other Northern California counties. That December, the Thomas Fire , sparked by Southern California Edison equipment, engulfed parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. But the devastation of 2017 was only a prelude to an even graver year. On Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire leveled the town of Paradise, killing 85 people, making it the deadliest wildfire in state history. The Camp Fire was caused by the failure of an old metal hook attached to a PG&E transmission tower. An intense wind event pushed the fire at a rate of roughly 80 football fields per minute at its peak. The company in 2020 pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for its role in the disaster. The same day as the destruction in Paradise, another fire ignited some 470 miles south. In the Simi Hills of Ventura County, Southern California Edison wires in two separate locations made contact with others, triggering “arc” flashes that rained hot metal fragments and sparks onto the dry brush below. These triggered two blazes, which soon merged to form the Woolsey Fire. Santa Ana winds spread the conflagration across parched terrain, with swaths of the nationally protected Santa Monica Mountains reduced to ash. Moss, the clean energy advocate, evacuated her home with her son that day. Her husband, clinging to hope, stayed until the blaze threatened to swallow him whole. Their neighborhood near Malibu, with its heavily wooded surroundings, was no match for the inferno. “My husband stayed until the last minute, when it just — it looked like it could cost him his life,” Moss said. “Everybody else left, and just about all of us lost.” Three people died. Moss’ home was gone, reduced to a hollowed out structure and charred rubble, along with about 100,000 acres of parkland and wilderness , more than any other fire in recorded history for that area. In 2019, downed PG&E lines ignited Sonoma County’s Kincade Fire . Then two years later, the Dixie Fire , also caused by PG&E equipment, became the second largest wildfire in California history, burning 963,000 acres north of Chico. The 2021 Dixie Fire, which claimed one life and destroyed 1,311 structures, was the last catastrophic wildfire in California confirmed to be caused by utility equipment. The number of fires triggered by the companies’ equipment fluctuates from year to year, driven by the huge variability in California’s weather. But data from 2014 through 2023 indicate there were substantially fewer fires last year than in other recent years. SDG&E equipment caused 16 fires after its high of 32 fires in 2015, Southern California Edison had 90 fires, compared to a 2021 high of 173, and PG&E reported 374 fires after a high of 510 in 2020. PG&E also reported that fires in its highest-risk areas trended down every month of 2023 compared to the same months in previous years. But that progress reversed this year, with 62 fires reported by August in high-risk areas, compared to 65 in all of 2023. (PG&E would not provide 2024 fire data to CalMatters.) Caroline Thomas Jacobs, inaugural director of the state Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, established in 2021 to oversee utility safety, said progress can be hard to measure. Nevertheless, she said she has seen a cultural shift at electric companies in recent years, with a more focused approach in high-risk areas and an environment that empowers workers to prioritize safety. “It just takes the wrong ignition ... under the right conditions, to have a catastrophic fire,” Thomas Jacobs said. “But are we in a better place? The numbers seem to indicate we’re moving in the right direction.” PG&E has installed more than 1,500 weather stations and 600 AI-enabled cameras to detect severe weather and ignitions, Singh said. Enhanced safety systems now cut power to lines within a tenth of a second. The utility also has cleared vegetation, ordered power shutoffs during high-risk times, insulated lines and buried some lines underground. “Where do we see the greatest risk?” Singh said the company asks itself, and “what is the most cost-effective way to be able to reduce that risk for every dollar that’s spent?” Southern California Edison said since its investments began in 2019, the risk of catastrophic wildfire in its system has dropped between 85 and 90%. The company plans to bury 600 miles of lines in high-risk areas but it is relying much more on less-expensive insulating technology, which already has been used on more than 6,000 miles of lines. SDG&E began prioritizing wildfire prevention, including underground and insulated lines, a decade ahead of the other two utilities, after its lines sparked three major fires in 2007. The company has avoided a catastrophic fire since 2007, despite operating in one of the nation’s most fire-prone regions. “We continue to double down, and do and do more tomorrow than we did yesterday,” said Brian D’Agostino, the utility’s vice president of wildfire and climate science. “We don’t take a single day without a fire for granted.” Critics say the scramble to address the wildfire crisis has left the state vulnerable to overspending by utilities. About two months before the Camp and Woolsey fires, outgoing Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018 signed a $1 billion plan to thin forests and clear out the tinderbox of California’s dead and dying trees. That measure came too late to prevent the devastation. But it opened the door to increased spending by utilities beyond limits set in the highly deliberative process known as their general rate cases, which determine what Californians pay. Newsom and the Legislature in 2019 created a $21 billion wildfire fund paid for by Wall Street investors and California ratepayers to help PG&E exit bankruptcy and protect utilities from being financially threatened by the wildfires they cause. The utilities cannot access the state’s $21 billion fund unless their wildfire plans are approved by the energy safety office. One problem, critics say, is that the safety plans are approved by one government entity while the spending to carry them out is approved by another. “We now have this very odd system,” said Lynch, who served on the utilities commission from 2000 through 2004. “The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety reviews the plans, puts out guidelines, but then the (commission) still has to ratify the plans, so that the utilities can take money from their ratepayers.” On a temperate, clear morning in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Placerville in October, a PG&E construction crew donned yellow jackets and safety helmets and went about the work of burying power lines along a narrow, wooded road. Overhead lines snaked through thick trees in this area — prime fire risk territory. The workers buried the lines in a trench that had been dug using a heavy piece of equipment designed to cut hard concrete and soil. Once those power lines are buried and activated, their risk of fires are all but eliminated. Burying lines in high-risk areas improves reliability amid rising wildfire risks and extreme weather, PG&E’s Singh said. Though it’s pricier up front, it eliminates the yearly expense of trimming trees and vegetation, which makes it a better, long-run value for customers, he said. “Underground is a no-brainer when you look at it from that lens,” Singh said. But the high cost and the time it takes to do the work has left some skeptical. The company has buried 800 miles of wires underground since 2021, and plans to bury more than 1,600 by the end of 2026. It aims to get the cost per mile down to $2.8 million by the end of 2026 from $3 million at the end of 2023. Michael Campbell, assistant deputy director of energy for the public advocates office, a state entity that represents utility customers, said PG&E should consider other means of preventing wildfire, like insulated wires, otherwise known as “covered conductors.” This can be deployed more quickly and at a lower cost, he said, and is effective when combined with operational techniques like fast trip settings and power safety shutoffs. “In some areas, (burying power lines) really is the correct approach to minimize risk. But it’s also very slow and very expensive, and so there’s a need to address safety in as many miles as quickly as possible, to reduce overall risk,” Campbell said. The utilities commission has taken a proof-of-concept approach: The commission scaled back PG&E’s plan to bury 2,000 miles through 2026 to 1,230. The commission approved installing covered conductors, or insulated power lines, over 778 miles. Lynch is skeptical of utilities and their big projects because they can profit from them, and Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, says too much spending is going unchecked. The sense of urgency following fires paved the way for the multi-billion surge in spending. The commission authorized PG&E, for instance, to spend $4.66 billion on wildfire costs from 2020 through 2022, but the company ultimately spent $11.7 billion and is seeking payment through utility bills, according to The Utility Reform Network. Audits of nearly $2.5 billion in 2019 and 2020 wildfire spending found some costs from PG&E , Southern California Edison and SDG&E may already have been covered by previously approved rates, or more documentation was needed to confirm they had not been covered. The utilities challenged many of the findings, saying they didn’t plan to claim some of the costs, and disputed the auditor’s conclusions as well as some of their calculations. In interviews with CalMatters, representatives for all three utilities said the process in place to oversee wildfire spending at the utilities commission was robust and thorough. Geraghty, of SDG&E, said the process is transparent, with public comment periods and hearings. Regarding critics who say wildfire prevention should be cheaper and faster, “every one of them had that voice, had that say, had that transparency through this entire process,” he said. Some expenses, such as operating costs, have an immediate impact on how much people pay in their bills. But other costs, such as long-term investments in insulating or burying power lines, are stretched out over years, meaning they add to bills for decades to come . Over time, these capital costs are growing due to factors like depreciation and the returns utilities are allowed to generate. This creates a compounding effect, meaning wildfire-related capital costs will take up an increasing share of what California customers are charged in the future. The burden of the rising bills is hitting many Californians hard. Roshonda Wilson, of Oakland, couldn’t afford to pay her power bill even though she said she watches television only after sunset, refrains from running unnecessary appliances and is hyper-aware of every energy-consuming action in her household. At one point PG&E turned her power off this year. “I couldn’t catch up,” she said. On the other hand, Moss — who has weathered not just the trauma of losing her home near Malibu but also the difficult process of rebuilding — says the expensive wildfire prevention work is critical to prevent more tragedies. “Even though (burying power lines) is costly and time-consuming, the cost and time of not doing it is starting to seem more devastating to a broader swath of people,” Moss said. Nevertheless, the rate hikes have alarmed climate activists who fear rising power bills in California may trigger a backlash against the state’s effort to switch to renewable energy, and influence other states, too. “The state, we fear, will start to lose the political will to keep pushing on,” said Mohit Chhabra, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The problem with that is not that California will be a few years late — we can handle that. But the impact on all the other states who are looking at California.” Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett and Miguel Gutierrez Jr. contributed to this report.
What I learned from the 106 games I played this yearOpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed confidence Wednesday that Elon Musk would not use his proximity to Donald Trump to harm business rivals, calling such actions "profoundly un-American." Speaking at the New York Times DealBook conference, Altman addressed concerns about Musk's announced role heading a new Department of Government Efficiency in the incoming Donald Trump administration, and whether he might use it to favor his own companies. "I may turn out to be wrong, but I believe pretty strongly that Elon will do the right thing," Altman said. "It would be profoundly un-American to use political power to hurt your competitors and advantage your own businesses." Even if there are "lots of things not to like about him... it would go so deeply against the values I believe he holds very dear to himself that I'm not that worried about it." Musk, an OpenAI co-founder who later departed the company, is currently suing Altman's firm and Microsoft, claiming they shifted from the project's original nonprofit mission. He has since launched xAI, reportedly valued at $50 billion, making it one of the world's most valuable startups. Altman said that the court battle was "tremendously sad" and that he once saw Musk as "a mega hero." Musk became a close ally of Trump during his campaign, spending over $100 million to boost his presidential bid and joining him at rallies. Since the election victory, he has been a frequent presence in the Trump transition and was reportedly on the line when Google CEO Sundar Pichai called the president-elect to congratulate him on winning the election. The tycoon's businesses have deep connections with governments -- both in the United States and elsewhere -- and his new position has raised concerns about conflict of interest. During the interview, Altman also lowered expectations for the importance of OpenAI's models achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), a benchmark of human-level intelligence the company has long set as the goal for its technology. "My guess is we will hit AGI sooner than most people in the world think, and it will matter much less," he said. "A lot of the safety concerns that we and others expressed actually don't come at the AGI moment... AGI can get built. The world goes on mostly the same way," he said.NoneBy JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “stupid” not to put his own name on pandemic relief checks in 2021, noting that Donald Trump had done so in 2020 and likely got credit for helping people out through this simple, effective act of branding. Biden did the second-guessing as he delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution defending his economic record and challenging Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month. Related Articles National Politics | Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan National Politics | Donald Trump is returning to the world stage. So is his trolling National Politics | Biden issues veto threat on bill expanding federal judiciary as partisan split emerges National Politics | Trump lawyers and aide hit with 10 additional felony charges in Wisconsin over 2020 fake electors National Politics | After withdrawing as attorney general nominee, Matt Gaetz lands a talk show on OANN television As Biden focused on his legacy with his term ending, he suggested Trump should keep the Democrats’ momentum going and ignore the policies of his allies. The president laid out favorable recent economic data but acknowledged his rare public regret that he had not been more self-promotional in advertising the financial support provided by his administration as the country emerged from the pandemic. “I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history, and also learned something from Donald Trump,” Biden said at the Washington-based think tank. “He signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks ... and I didn’t. Stupid.” The decision by the former reality TV star and real estate developer to add his name to the checks sent by the U.S. Treasury to millions of Americans struggling during the coronavirus marked the first time a president’s name appeared on any IRS payments. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris , who replaced him as the Democratic nominee , largely failed to convince the American public of the strength of the economy. The addition of 16 million jobs, funding for infrastructure, new factories and investments in renewable energy were not enough to overcome public exhaustion over inflation, which spiked in 2022 and left many households coping with elevated grocery, gasoline and housing costs. More than 6 in 10 voters in November’s election described the economy as “poor” or “not so good,” according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. Trump won nearly 7 in 10 of the voters who felt the economy was in bad shape, paving the way for a second term as president after his 2020 loss to Biden. Biden used his speech to argue that Trump was inheriting a strong economy that is the envy of the world. The inflation rate fell without a recession that many economists had viewed as inevitable, while the unemployment rate is a healthy 4.2% and applications to start new businesses are at record levels. Biden called the numbers under his watch “a new set of benchmarks to measure against the next four years.” “President-elect Trump is receiving the strongest economy in modern history,” said Biden, who warned that Trump’s planned tax cuts could lead to massive deficits or deep spending cuts. He also said that Trump’s promise of broad tariffs on foreign imports would be a mistake, part of a broader push Tuesday by the administration to warn against Trump’s threatened action. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also issued a word of caution about them at a summit of The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council. “I think the imposition of broad based tariffs, at least of the type that have been discussed, almost all economists agree this would raise prices on American consumers,” she said. Biden was also critical of Trump allies who have pushed Project 2025 , a policy blueprint from the Heritage Foundation that calls for a complete overhaul of the federal government. Trump has disavowed participation in it, though parts were written by his allies and overlap with his stated views on economics, immigration, education policy and civil rights. “I pray to God the president-elect throws away Project 2025,” Biden said. “I think it would be an economic disaster.” Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.
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Three semiconductor units to be set up in NE will create 80K jobs: HM ShahAC Milan and Bologna have advanced to the Italian Cup quarter-finals with convincing victories. Milan thrashed Serie B leaders Sassuolo 6-1, while Bologna routed Serie A strugglers Monza 4-0. The Rossoneri will face either Roma or Sampdoria in the last eight and Bologna will play the winners of Atalanta's match against Cesena. Both those round of 16 games take place next week. Tuesday night's match at the San Siro was all but over after less than 23 minutes as Sassuolo, who featured Sydney born and raised Italian youth international Cristian Volpato, were swept away by a double from Samuel Chukwueze and other goals by Tijjani Reijnders and Rafael Leao. It had been a much-changed starting line-up for Paulo Fonseca's Milan side ahead of a tough Serie A trip to Atalanta on Friday and the Rossoneri made four further changes at halftime. Milan nevertheless extended their advantage through Davide Calabria and Tammy Abraham, either side of a consolation goal for Sassuolo's Samuele Mulattieri. "I think everyone played a great game, we were aggressive," Portugal international Leao said. "We set goals for this season, in this game we showed what we want to do ... The team is doing well, it's important to have this family atmosphere among us." Bologna scored two goals in each half, with Tommaso Pobega and Riccardo Orsolini netting in the first period and Benjamin Dominguez and Santiago Castro in the second. However, Orsolini limped off shortly after scoring and Bologna now faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of his injury. The Italy forward is Bologna's top goalscorer this season, with six goals.
A federal judge has temporarily halted a proposed merger between supermarket giants Kroger and Albertsons, an action that could scuttle the deal. U.S. District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson issued the ruling Tuesday after holding a three-week hearing in Portland, Oregon. Kroger and Albertsons in 2022 proposed what would be the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history. But the Federal Trade Commission sued earlier this year, asking Nelson to block the $24.6 billion deal until an in-house administrative judge at the FTC could consider the merger’s implications. Nelson agreed to pause the merger. OpenAI has publicly released its new artificial intelligence video generator Sora but the company won’t let most users depict people as it monitors for patterns of misuse. Users of a premium version of OpenAI’s flagship product ChatGPT can now use Sora to instantly create AI-generated videos based on written commands. Among the highlighted examples are high-quality video clips of sumo-wrestling bears and a cat sipping coffee. But only a small set of invited testers can use Sora to make videos of humans as OpenAI works to “address concerns around misappropriation of likeness and deepfakes,” the company said in a blog post. Text-to-video AI tools like Sora have been pitched as a way to save costs in making new entertainment and marketing videos but have also raised concerns about the ease with which they could impersonate real people in politics and otherwise. OpenAI says it is blocking content with nudity and that a top priority is preventing the most harmful uses, including child sexual abuse material and sexual deepfakes. The highly anticipated product received so much response upon its Monday release that OpenAI has temporarily paused the creation of new accounts.