Big Oil California candidate concedes; climate bond passes; South Dakota CO2 pipeline law dead

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

-Gandalf the Grey

I’ll update some of this in a few hours. 

Adam Perez, backed by Big Oil, loses California Assembly race:

Oil companies spent big in a California Assembly district in wildfire-prone San Bernardino County, backing Democrat Adam Perez against another, Robert Garcia, supported by unions. The election in San Bernardino County drew more than $3 million.

Before 10 AM this morning the winner was not clear. The county's Registrar of Voters said the results would be posted on its unofficial election results page here. 

On Nov. 7, Perez posted a concession statement on his Instagram account: "We will continue to monitor the results as more votes are tabulated, but it appears the election has not gone our way."

California climate bond is ahead:

The measure to loan California $10 billion to pay for upgrading anti-flood infrastructure, drought alleviation, wildfire-proofing and extreme heat protections is ahead by a wide margin. I called the Secretary of State at 9 AM to confirm whether it had passed. They said they will call me back at 11 AM. (Update: California environmental groups backing Proposition 4 have declared victory.)

Carbon capture law in South Dakota defeated:

“South Dakota voters decisively rejected Referred Law 21 on Nov. 5, stopping Summit Carbon Solutions' attempt to eliminate local control over carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline zoning laws.” The law was backed by mainly financed by Summit’s ethanol-producing partners, using misleading claims to build carbon dioxide pipelines. Source: Dakota Rural Action, Bold Alliance.

Re-orientation:

BusinessGreen: Global green tech probably stifled by Trump tariffs and other things. “Trump’s burgeoning network of right-wing and even neo-fascist autocrats, social media grifters, and climate denialist plutocrats is now better connected and utterly committed to the destruction of liberal democracy.”

Bloomberg: “A top [Trump] target is an Environmental Protection Agency regulation limiting tailpipe pollution from cars and light trucks,” including a Biden law and several waivers granted to California for cleaner cars.

Important regulations on oil and gas drilling likely will be undone. A memo from an upstream oil and gas association listed gutting methane regulations as its top priority. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas easier to control in the short term. 

Regulations to limit emissions from coal and natural gas plants will also probably be undone, and LNG export terminals put on a federal pause will now be unpaused, if not accelerated. The terminals release deadly pollution into local communities and emit millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Maintaining ambition for cutting greenhouse gases will for a time at least have to go down to the subnational level, e.g. California - China. 

Heatmap: The Inflation Reduction Act has already encouraged clean energy production in red states. “Trump might nonetheless try to pause some IRA payments for a time.”

I think that language is a little too soft. The Inflation Reduction Act is also doling out $3 billion in grants specifically for environmental justice. Biden’s EPA formed a new office, the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, to administer the grants. My hunch is that Trump will swiftly try to take any of these funds that are not already spent.

In California, these grants are marked for things like solar panels for low income residents and zero emissions cargo handling equipment at the Port of Long beach. As I wrote, Trump may undo federal protections for environmental justice enshrined since the 1960s.

Vibe check:

• Grist went to polling stations in North Carolina and Georgia areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The states mostly took a right turn.

• Latinos are getting a lot of blame. I'm from South Texas, which Trump swept—a first for Republicans. During my visits over the past few years, I’ve noticed more Trump flags and lawn ornaments.

• Blue Sky skeets: Ketan Joshi with a somewhat optimistic look at climate data since Trump won in 2016. Kevin Kircher says, “climate now takes a back seat to protecting vulnerable people from the oppression that they will soon face.”