Current conditions: Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in Taiwan with the force of a Category 3 major hurricane • Large hailstones pelted Verona, Italy • Tropical Storm Bud formed in the Eastern Pacific, but is expected to dissipate by the weekend.
THE TOP FIVE
1. Vineyard Wind turbine fiasco linked to manufacturing defect
The blade that snapped off an offshore turbine at the Vineyard Wind project in Massachusetts on July 13 broke due to a manufacturing defect, according to GE Vernova, the turbine maker and installer. During GE’s second quarter earnings call yesterday, CEO Scott Strazik and Vice President of Investor Relations Michael Lapides said the company had identified a “material deviation” at one of its factories in Canada and would “re-inspect all of the blades that we have made for offshore wind.” At a public meeting in Nantucket last night, Roger Martella, GE Vernova’s chief sustainability officer, said there were two issues at play. The first was the manufacturing issue — basically, the adhesives applied to the blade to hold it together did not do their job. The second was quality control. “The inspection that should have caught this did not,” he said. Two dozen turbines have been installed as part of the Vineyard Wind project so far, with 72 blades total. GE Vernova has not responded to requests for clarification about how many of them originated at the Canada facility, reported Heatmap’s Emily Pontecorvo. Nantucket representatives are going to meet with Vineyard Wind next week to negotiate compensation for the costs incurred as a result of the accident.
2. Biggest EPA union endorses Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris got a little boost for her 2024 presidential bid yesterday with an endorsement from the American Federation of Government Employees Council 238. The group is the largest Environmental Protection Agency union – of the 750,000 government employees it represents, about 8,000 of them are with the EPA, accounting for just under half the agency’s permanent workforce. Last month the union issued its first-ever political endorsement, for President Biden’s re-election, saying he “supports and values the work of federal employees who are working tirelessly to face the climate emergency.” Shifting support to Harris “reaffirms” that endorsement. Former President Donald Trump rolled back many EPA rules during his time in office, including emissions regulations and environmental protections. He also gutted workplace protections for federal workers. Judging by the infamous Project 2025 playbook, Trump would seek to dramatically “restructure” and “streamline” the EPA to “reflect the principles of cooperative federalism and limited government,” and many workers reportedly fear their jobs will be on the line if he wins.
3. Ford Q2 earnings disappoint as EV losses mount
Ford’s stock is down about 13% in pre-market trading after yesterday’s disappointing Q2 earnings report. The automaker reported adjusted earnings of 46 cents per share, far below analysts’ expectations of 68 cents per share. The company cited unforeseen costs for repairing problems on slightly older vehicles that are still under warranty. But its EV losses grew, too, reaching $2.5 billion through the first half of 2024. CEO Jim Farley remained bullish in the earnings call, telling investors the company is committed to reducing the losses on EVs but basically said the market has been tough and turbulent, and Ford is honing its strategy. That includes expanding its hybrid portfolio and prioritizing smaller, more affordable EVs. He said Ford “must do a much better job in educating our customers” about the advantages of owning an EV. “Overall, the EV journey has been humbling,” he said, “but it has forced us to get even more fit as a company.”
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4. Wildfires approach Canadian oil pipeline
Firefighters are battling hundreds of wildfires in Canada’s Alberta province, one of which is nearing a crucial oil pipeline. The Trans Mountain Pipeline carries 890,000 barrels of oil per day from Edmonton to Vancouver. Its operator is reportedly using sprinklers to protect the pipeline, which was still operating normally yesterday. Some oil producers with operations in Canada’s Fort McMurray oil sands region have pulled staff as a precaution and reduced production. “While wildfires have already forced some producers to curtail production, these fires still threaten a large amount of supply,” ING Group analysts said.
5. Study: Tree bark removes methane from atmosphere
Microbes living in tree bark are surprisingly effective at removing methane from the atmosphere, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. Up until now, soil was the only known “terrestrial sink” for methane, a potent but short-lived greenhouse gas that’s responsible for about one third of the global warming since the pre-industrial age. But the research suggests tree bark may be just as effective as soil when it comes to methane removal. Trees are already climate champions because of their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere, and the authors think these new findings boost their overall climate contribution by about 10%. Another fun tidbit from the study is that, if all the bark from all the trees on Earth were laid flat, it would cover the planet’s entire land surface.
THE KICKER
The Irvine Police Department is adding Tesla’s Cybertruck to its fleet. The vehicle reportedly won’t be sent out on patrols, but will instead be used for “community relations.”
X/IrvinePolice
X/IrvinePolice
