Two environmental advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the US DOE and US EPA regarding the creation of a climate report by a DOE-convened group, and the implications of that report on reversing the Obama-era EPA rule that allowed the agency to regulate GHG emissions.

The US has rejected an international agreement to reduce emissions from the shipping industry and said it would not hesitate to retaliate against nations that did not join its opposition efforts.

Argentina’s national government is unlikely to introduce regulations to boost demand in the voluntary carbon market (VCM), so provinces are taking the lead to legislate GHG mitigation measures, local experts have told Carbon Pulse.

While some real estate managers are taking climate action, only one of those surveyed in a recent study has concrete plans to strip fossil fuel infrastructure from its buildings, according to new research from a UK non-profit.

A British direct air capture (DAC) developer has brought a new system online in Canada, to recover up to 250 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Another audit – The US DOE’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its inspection report last month, finding deficiencies in the agency’s Advanced Industrial Facilities Deployment Program. Part of the DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), the deployment programme was funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to help energy-intensive industrial facilities implement GHG-reducing technologies. The inspection report found five programmatic issues in it: a lack of documented internal controls policies, procedures, and plans; a lack of risk assessments and processes; no plan to mitigate conflict-of-interest risks; a lack of a programme performance plan; and no plan to track community benefits requirements. The report marks the second time this summer the OIG has audited the OCED.

California cap-and-trade – The California Assembly and Senate aren’t on the same page about how to reauthorise California’s cap-and-trade programme beyond 2030, Politico reported Monday. The Assembly is closer to “straight” reauthorisation while the Senate is pushing for broader adjustments, the outlet said. Distribution of revenues also appears to be contentious as lawmakers seek more control over the split. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said that the state is still on track to reauthorise and extend the programme this legislative year.

Hot air – An analysis of 45 US insurance groups found that 87% have set broad climate goals but none provide the targets necessary to track progress on those goals, according to non-profit advocacy group Ceres. Companies are only providing minimal reporting on emissions targets, rarely report on full climate impact, demonstrate weak progress tracking, and aren’t applying analytical tools to measure key risks such as exposure to climate impacts, Ceres said. The group suggested a three-phase implementation plan, to wrap by 2030, for insurers to better address climate risks.

Target on trial – Ontario’s climate plan will be back in court in December for a renewed constitutional challenge from a group of young climate activists, Global News reported. Their lawyers allege that the province’s 2018 decision to replace its climate target with a weaker one locks in dangerously high GHG emissions and violates their Charter rights. In 2022, an Ontario Superior Court judge found the target fell well short of scientific consensus but ruled it was not unconstitutional. Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and ordered a new hearing after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the province’s appeal.

Mining for merit - BeZero Carbon, a global carbon credit ratings agency, has awarded a ‘AAA’ rating to a coal mine methane destruction project in West Virginia, the highest assessment of a project’s likelihood of meeting its climate claims. The project uses an enclosed flare at an active mine to abate emissions and follows California ARB’s Compliance Offset Protocol for Mine Methane Capture, making it eligible for the state’s cap-and-trade programme. The project is BeZero's second public ‘AAA’ ex post rating, following one given to a direct air capture project in 2024.

Regulatory limbo - A group of truck manufacturers is suing the California Air Resources Board arguing that the regulator continues to enforce its Advanced Clean Truck rule even after it was overturned by Congress. In the suit, Daimler Truck North America vs CA Air Resources Board, truck manufacturers argue they shouldn’t have to abide by the rule, which mandates sales targets for zero-emission trucks, since the US EPA rescission of the rule pre-empts state enforcement, Reuters reported. Truck makers argue that the regulatory uncertainty has caused harm because they cannot establish production plans without knowing what vehicles they will be permitted to sell.

War of words - A California environmental group has launched an ad campaign in opposition to oil and gas lobbying in the state, E&E News reported. The California Environmental Voters Education Fund announced a seven-figure buy of television and digital ads that pin rising gasoline prices on fossil fuel companies. It is the group’s second seven-figure ad buy this year. It is designed to counter an ongoing campaign by the Western States Petroleum Association representing several major oil and gas companies, which invested millions of dollars into ads earlier this year.

Large private equity companies have stakes in 600 fossil fuel assets across 19 countries, including 61 gas-fired power plants added in the latest update to a tracker by a climate data consortium.

A financial data provider has expanded its climate risk analytics to cover more than 5 million private companies worldwide, aiming to address data gaps in the assessment of portfolio-level climate risk.

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is the most promising carbon removal pathway to limit global warming to 1.5C and avoid the early closure of young coal plants by retrofitting them with the technology, a new report has found.

The fast-rising industry of carbon accountants is looking to professionalise itself, bringing international best practices, technical alignment, and regulation to a role that is still largely taught on the job – much like a game of ‘Chinese whispers’.

Carbon removal (CDR) credit sales and clean fuel production credits turned Colorado-based renewables fuels company profitable in the second quarter of this year.

Carbon credits issued under the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) are to be formally considered for CORSIA, after an expert Article 6 body requested ICAO to clarify how new UNFCCC units may be integrated into the international aviation offsetting scheme.

Picking battles - The Trump administration has filed fewer civil lawsuits against major polluters for breaking environmental laws in its first six months relative to the former Biden administration, the New York Times reported Friday. 11 civil lawsuits were filed as of the current Trump presidency, compared with 30 under the former Biden presidency, as some environmental lawyers, activists, and former officials said that the enforcement slowdown has let polluters off the hook.

RGGI Allowance (RGA) future settlements hovered around the same price last week, as traders said that temperatures through the end of summer could challenge an anticipated pre-auction sell-off.