Climate Point: Will construction workers drive e-trucks? And 2 Exxon directors ousted

USA TODAY: Will construction workers drive e-trucks? And 2 Exxon directors ousted

Thursday, May 27

President Joe Biden stops to talk to the media as he drives a Ford F-150 Lightning truck at Ford Dearborn Development Center, Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in Dearborn, Mich.

Will construction workers drive e-trucks? And 2 Exxon directors ousted

Plus: No balloons at this year's Indy 500, and California's coast may get some wind turbines.

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and the environment. From Palm Springs, California, I'm Janet Wilson.

Recently I chatted with a neighbor who's a construction supervisor about Ford's new F-150 Lightning E-Truck. It was the easiest "climate action" talk I've had with a "normal" person. He doesn't particularly care about cleaner energy, but like many Americans, he likes pick-up trucks and is intrigued. The gas-powered F-150 has been the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. for 44 years.

Construction companies, utilities and all levels of government that buy fleets of vehicles could be major E-truck customers, and a week after President Joe Biden took a spin in Michigan in the consumer prototype, Ford unveiled the Lightning Pro for them. Mark Phelan with the Detroit Free Press fills us in.

But the definitely heavy-duty electric trucks won't be available until next year, and price tags will vary widely depending on whether the federal government and your state offer rebates.

In a recent sit-down with USA Today network reporters, climate scientist Michael Mann argued that no individual choice (like buying a Prius to assuage solo commuter guilt) is going to stop climate change. In his latest book, "The New Climate War," he details how fossil fuel companies have for 30 years deflected blame to delay wholesale action. In fact, focusing on individuals "can actually undermine support for the substantive climate policies needed," he writes.

Speaking of which, there's big Big Oil news this week.

ENERGY CLEAN AND DIRTY

Logos for Exxon and Mobil.

ExxonMobil

You're out. A hedge fund that's criticized ExxonMobil's laggardly climate strategy won enough shareholder support on Wednesday from major pension fund investors and others to oust at least two directors from the oil giant's board. Two additional board seats were still too close to call Wednesday afternoon. CNN reports the vote is a major milestone in the battle against climate change because it's the first proxy campaign at a major U.S. company built around a shift away from fossil fuels.

Shell-acked. Royal Dutch Shell also lost big Wednesday, per CNBC, when a Dutch court ruled it is partly responsible for climate change and ordered the company to slash carbon emissions by 45% by 2030. Shell vowed to appeal.

Rounding out the day, as Bloomberg reports, Chevron shareholders went against management to back by 61% a proposal to reduce emissions from the oil giant's customers.

MUST-READ STORIES

Three of Deepwater Wind's five turbines stand in the water off Block Island, Rhode Island, the nation's first offshore wind farm. California and the federal government have agreed to open up areas off the central and northern coasts to massive wind farms.

Michael Dwyer, AP Images

Shore enough. The federal government will open up more than 25,000 acres off the California coast to wind development , which could generate enough power for 1.6 million homes, per the Los Angeles Times. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would speed up environmental reviews for the roughly 380 floating wind turbines about 20 miles offshore. There are concerns about how these might affect marine life and migratory birds.

Popping your balloon. This year's Indianapolis 500 will not include its traditional massive balloon release, although organizers say it's not because of potential impacts on wildlife and water, writes London Gibson for the Indianapolis Star, but due to COVID spacing precautions. A group called Balloons Blow wants race organizers to end the practice for good, and federal biologists have documented turtles and other animals eating deflated balloon debris and suffocating.

POLITICAL CLIMATE

Cars travel on a raised expressway in Kearny, N.J., Tuesday, April 6, 2021. President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, deputizing a five-member "jobs Cabinet" to help in the effort.

Seth Wenig, AP

Do I hear a trillion? Jockeying over Biden's American Jobs infrastructure plan stepped up as a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline looms. Republicans agreed to as much as $1 trillion for the proposal, a big jump, as Fortune and the Associated Press report, and the White House gave signals it might be willing to come down from $1.7 trillion. But Republicans want it funded with unused COVID relief, per USA Today, while Democrats want taxes on ultra-wealthy earners.

Keep the lights on. Congressional legislation to cancel utility debts for millions of low-income households and bail out struggling companies is set to be introduced Thursday. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) unveiled a $30 billion low-interest loans program for electric, water, sewage and broadband providers . The Guardian's Nina Lakhani has details. The loans would allow utilities to recoup money in order to stay afloat without fines and shutoffs.

Out of gas. The Department of Homeland Security plans to require pipeline companies to report cyberattacks to the federal government, reports the Washington Post. The move comes weeks after Colonial Pipeline was hit with a paralyzing ransomware attack that crippled nearly half of the East Coast's fuel supply.

AND ANOTHER THING

Blood Moon: Total Lunar Eclipse of 2014, Mt. Lemmon, Ariz.

Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

To the moon, Alice. There's no Mars news this week for my departing co-author, the wonderful Mark Olalde, whose latest great stories will be featured here soon. But as a parting gift, here's a cool solar system calendar created by The New York Times' Michael Roston and a video team. From this week's super "blood" moon to the possible October launch of the mighty Webb telescope, it's out there.

GRAPHIC DETAILS

Criminal prosecution of polluters has declined so far in 2021, with just 32 cases referred by U.S. EPA to the Department of Justice.

Syracuse University Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC)

Sliding. Syracuse University data whizzes crunched the latest available Department of Justice data and found criminal prosecution of polluters is still declining, with just 32 new referrals to them by U.S. EPA in fiscal 2021 so far. If referrals continue at the same pace, the annual total of defendants prosecuted will be down 9.8% from fiscal 2020, already a 10 year low.

That's it for now. Hope you have a heavenly week. For more climate, energy and environment news, follow me @janetwilson66. You can sign up to get Climate Point in your inbox for free here.