International Climate Change Development Initiative’s Post

Top stories today (£) 💰 Ofwat-style mechanism for ED3 would reduce reliance on re-openers https://lnkd.in/ejuSfMRx Borrowing a financial mechanism from Ofwat for the ED3 price control would help reduce reliance on re-openers, Energy UK has suggested. The trade body is calling for the introduction of an adaptive pathway planning framework, which was a feature of PR24, to force distribution network operators (DNOs) to provide “significantly more detail in their business plans” to negate the need for re-openers. ⚡ National Grid makes 30 tweaks to controversial scheme https://lnkd.in/e-sUKU2s National Grid has tabled 30 changes to its Norwich to Tilbury network upgrade. The scheme’s project director Simon Pepper told Utility Week that the tweaks are a result of National Grid’s efforts to put community feedback “at the heart” of the upgrade. Changes along the 112 mile route include repositioning the alignment of sections of overhead line and removing pylons in specific locations. 🚿 Water company fines will not be ringfenced for restoring waterways https://lnkd.in/esTurevB Fines collected from water companies will not be ringfenced for restoring local waterways, despite calls from politicians and environment groups. MPs voted against an amendment to the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which would have seen millions of pounds pumped into the existing Water Restoration Fund.

Top stories today 📰 Weekend press: Water firm seizes stake in Devon sewage protester’s home over unpaid bills https://buff.ly/3Rk8zX5 In our latest round-up of the weekend’s national news coverage, South West Water has taken a legal stake in a customer’s home after she withheld bill payments in protest over sewage dumping, while ScottishPower’s chief executive has urged the next government to “tackle head-on” the issues holding back the UK’s green transition. Elsewhere, there are plans to build 20 mini reactors across the UK.  💷 Set out CfD budgets three years ahead, parties urged https://buff.ly/3VhyDDp The next government should set minimum Contract for Difference (CfD) budgets three years in advance and commission an annual progress report on grid connections from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), the REA has urged. ❄ UK went entire winter without calling on backup generators https://buff.ly/45eT7Bf National Grid ESO went the entire winter without calling on backup generators to provide additional power in times of system stress. It is the first time in four years that the ESO has gone an entire winter without issuing a system notice. 🤔 Will GB Energy popularity embolden Labour? https://buff.ly/3xaJO8G If the polls are to be believed then come 5 July The Labour Party will form a government with a healthy majority. We have very little hard detail on what a Keir Starmer administration - or Labour's GB Energy plan - will actually do. Yet despite the lack of detail, GB Energy is proving popular among voters and could embolden the administration to push it further.

The report, A Review of the Impacts of Senate Bill 2038 on Land Use and Water Supplies in Central Texas, provides an overview of SB 2038 and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) regulations; a snapshot of the impacts in Central Texas; an overview of the implications for planning, land management, and water supplies in the region; and policy recommendations. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8CH9mt6

Bill Alert! US House Bill HR 1607 - To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes. Policy: Water Resources Development Status: Passed in House Full Details: https://lnkd.in/emxmHevX Bill 118 hr 1607, also known as the "Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Development Act," aims to clarify the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation in regards to certain pumped storage development projects. Pumped storage is a method of storing energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir when electricity is abundant, and then releasing it downhill through turbines to generate electricity when it is needed. The bill seeks to ensure that t...

Bill Alert! US House Bill HR 1607 - To clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes. Policy: Water Resources Development Status: To President Full Details: https://lnkd.in/emxmHevX Bill 118 hr 1607, also known as the "Bureau of Reclamation Pumped Storage Development Act," aims to clarify the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation in regards to certain pumped storage development projects. Pumped storage is a method of storing energy by pumping water uphill to a reservoir when electricity is abundant, and then releasing it downhill through turbines to generate electricity when it is needed. The bill seeks to ensure that t...

2024 is the year of water 💧 Check out the level of national, bipartisan support for water infrastructure funding in this year’s The Value of Water Campaign poll https://lnkd.in/eU48MM9y

2025 is starting off hot with a new lawsuit revolving around mandatory energy codes. Pointing to the link between the cost of housing and homelessness, fifteen states plus the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) have filed a civil suit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to prevent the government organizations from adopting new codes and standards. https://lnkd.in/esfgtGPv

Petty politics is getting out of hand. The UCP are gearing up to impede and damage many organizations who have worked collaboratively with all levels of government. Danielle Smith is acting out a juvenille vendetta with Justin Trudeau, to our collective peril. Her actions won't hurt Justin Trudeau. They will hurt Albertans. The federal government has supported housing (via CMHC funding) across the country for decades. Starting in the Lougheed years, over 25,000 units of subsidized housing have been jointly funded. Every affordable housing project that I built was jointly funded. In addition to housing, Universities rely on Canada Research Council grant funding. Centres of Excellence have been created at U of C and U of A with large federal investments in diverse areas such as Engineering and Medicine. The province has cut core funding to Universities and directed that they seek funding from national and international funders. Digging so many moats around Alberta Institutions and municipalities will only impair these institutions with additional UCP oversight, regulation, and bureaucracy. It is nonsense. It will reduce University competitiveness and starve them of funding and drive away the talent that tends to bring National or International recognition. The so-called libertarian, Danielle Smith, is damaging our province. news/politics/ideological-tinge-alberta-to-require-provincial-approval-before-municipalities-other-entities-strike-deals-with-ottawa

WAKE UP ALL CANADIANS Populists like to create the Feds as enemies2022, In the 'Us vs.Them' story, populists can portray themselves as champions of the "ordinary people" or the "true nation." They create a narrative that pits the common folk against a corrupt elite or other groups deemed to be against the interests of the people. This fosters a sense of unity among their supporters & demonizes their opponents. Painting opposition as enemies helps rally their supporters around a common cause. It creates a sense of urgency & fear, motivating people to stand with the populist leader Labelling provides justification for taking extreme measures to combat them; Populist leaders justify incivility by portraying it as necessary to protect the "true" interests of the people. Demonizing the opposition, populists can delegitimize alternative voices and sources of power, consolidating control over the narrative and suppressing dissent. This allows them to maintain a tight grip on power without significant challenges In terms of gaining power, framing the opposition as enemies solidifies the populist leader's support base, mobilizes their followers, and justifies authoritarian or divisive actions that can help them consolidate power.

With yesterday's King's Speech, Infrastructure is having it's moment in the sun....and wind, nuclear etc. A significant number of the bills proposed, in what is an ambitious legislative agenda from the new Government, relate directly or indirectly to the planning, construction, management and usage of the UK's national infrastructure assets. If delivered, the agenda has the potential to secure long term sustainable growth and increased opportunity for people across the UK. The new government has moved the conversation on from 'should we transform our infrastructure' to 'how can we transform it more quickly and effectively'. It will take time for the policy landscape to change, but this sends a much clearer message to investors and developers - the UK is open and receptive to change. One item not directly linked to infrastructure policy is the proposed Employment Rights Bill. Some commentators have suggested that this new package of rights will slow growth, and reduce job creation. I couldn't disagree more. As an employer, our goal is to identify talented people, bring them into the company, enable them to develop skills, and provide long term career opportunities. We want to work in partnership with our people from day one, helping to develop the skills that our industry will undeniably need in the decades to come. We want to invest in people who will grow their careers around a desire to transform the UK's energy, water, transport and social infrastructure. An increasingly fluid and frantic employment market does nothing to help realise that ambition. All our team are valuable to us, regardless of whether they have been with the business for a week or ten years.