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EGEB: UK government committee wants ICE new-car phase-out by 2032

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

  • The UK’s Committee on Climate Change wants to phase out ICE cars eight years early.
  • Minnesota files a lawsuit against fossil fuels for being deceptive about climate change.
  • The US’ largest offshore wind farm, off Virginia, installs its first wind turbine.

The Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB): A daily technical, financial, and political review/analysis of important green energy news.

UK phase-out of ICE cars

The UK government’s climate advisory group, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), stated in a report today that the UK needs to phase out new ICE vehicles by 2032 — eight years early. This recommendation is one part of its coronavirus recovery plan for the country.

Money would need to be heavily invested in electric vehicle charging and EV incentives, the CCC said. The CCC suggested the government increase taxes on fossil fuels for transport to help pay for that.

The report was released in advance of the country announcing a stimulus plan later in 2020.

The CCC also today published its annual report on the UK’s progress in meeting climate goals, which stated that government policies are not on target.

Minnesota’s fossil-fuel lawsuit

The state of Minnesota filed a lawsuit yesterday against the American Petroleum Institute (API), Exxon Mobil Corp, and Koch Industries that stated the companies violated Minnesota laws barring consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, and false advertising.

Minnesota is the first state to name the API, the US’s main oil and gas lobby group, as a defendant.

Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said:

The fraud, deceptive advertising, and other violations of Minnesota state law and common law that the lawsuit shows they perpetrated have harmed Minnesotans’ health and our state’s environment, infrastructure, and economy.

Ellison said the state wants the defendants to fund an education campaign on climate change and pay for damages caused by global warming.

Virginia offshore wind farm gets first turbine

The first wind turbine has been installed in the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project in the US, and the second turbine will be installed this week.

It’s the first wind turbine to be installed in US federal waters, and at 12MW, CVOW will be the US’s largest offshore wind farm, capable of powering 650,000 homes. It’s being installed by Dominion Energy and Ørsted.

OffshoreWind.biz reports:

The two turbines are expected to provide the operational, weather, and environmental experience needed for the 2.6GW development in the adjacent 112,800-hectare lease site, expected to be operational by 2026.

As Electrek reported in September 2019, the CVOW project is the second offshore wind farm in the US and the first owned by a utility company (Dominion). It’s located more than 27 miles off Virginia Beach.

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Avatar for Michelle Lewis Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in White River Junction, Vermont. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.