Fuel fix - A Hawaii Senate bill that would establish a clean fuel standard for transportation advanced to the House this week after clearing its third reading in the Senate. The measure directs the state Department of Transportation to adopt rules by Jan. 1, 2028 to implement a programme that would reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels, beginning in 2029. The proposal sets phased targets of at least 10% below 2019 levels by 2035 and 50% below 2019 levels by 2045, using lifecycle emissions accounting based on Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model. It would also create a credit-and-deficit system in which fuels below the carbon-intensity threshold generate tradable credits while those above it generate deficits. Certain uses such as aviation, rail, military vehicles, and interstate vessels would be exempt.

Indigenous co-owned BESS - Blackstone portfolio company Aypa Power and the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation have closed about C$700 mln ($512 mln) in aggregate financing for the Elora and Hedley Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects in Ontario. They said the financing was provided by an eight-bank syndicate of leading international and domestic lenders, led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. With a combined installed capacity of 422 MW and 1,688 MW, the projects represent one of the largest battery storage commitments under the Independent Electricity System Operator's Long-Term 1 (LT1) competitive procurement.

Cheapening solar - A California appeals court has sided with the California Public Utilities Commission, saying it was justified in reducing the rate utilities pay customers for excess solar energy, according to Cal Matters. The outlet reported environmental advocates who’d brought the case said the decision will exacerbate the state’s energy affordability crisis.

Case closed - A US District Court in the Northern District of California entered final judgment on Tuesday for several tobacco companies, including R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company and British American Tobacco, after plaintiffs in the case elected not to amend their complaint following a February order partially granting the defendants’ motion to dismiss, formally closing the case.

The Democratic majority of the New York Senate has called on Governor Kathy Hochul (D) in its recent budget proposal to finalise the state’s planned cap-and-invest programme, while the governor said on Wednesday she’ll look to adjust the state’s landmark climate law, media reported.

Sunny New York - Renewable energy builder PowerBank Corporation announced that its 7 MW Jordan Road 1 community solar project in New York had been approved for nearly $2 mln in incentives through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) NY-Sun Program. The project is also expected to qualify for up to an additional $1.6 mln in NY-Sun incentives through the Inclusive Community Solar Adder. The NY-Sun Program is a public-private partnership that aims to drive growth in the solar industry and make solar technology more affordable for all New Yorkers. The project advances New York's path to 10 GW of solar by 2030.

California has issued over 1 million offset credits year-to-date (YtD), largely to forestry, mine methane capture (MMC), and livestock projects, according to data published on Wednesday.

Chile on Wednesday gazetted a package of technical resolutions detailing governance, methodological standards, and integrity requirements for mitigation activities under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Canada's incoming tightening of its industrial carbon market is unlikely to have a major impact on oil producers, a new analysis by a Canadian climate think tank found.

Pump up the ethanol – Rising gasoline prices in the US, linked to the war in the Middle East, are giving new momentum to a bipartisan push in Congress to allow permanent year-round sales of E15, which lawmakers described at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Tuesday as a lower-cost fuel option, E&E News reported. Senators from both parties criticised Congress for failing to remove summer restrictions on the higher-ethanol blend despite backing from President Donald Trump and some oil companies, with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) blaming refiners for the collapse of an earlier effort to include the measure in House spending legislation. Supporters, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), said higher fuel prices strengthen the case for quick action, though the path forward remains uncertain as lawmakers search for a Senate vehicle and face complications in the House.

Policy pushback - Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has introduced a new set of Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions targeting parts of the Trump administration’s environmental agenda, including a measure aimed at reversing delays to methane emissions standards, E&E News reported. The resolutions are part of a broader Democratic effort to force votes on administration actions they oppose. While the CRA measures are not expected to become law, they put lawmakers on the record on the administration’s approach to air, water, and climate regulation.

Waste to wings – US-based clean fuels company Southern Energy Renewables announced on Wednesday it will invest $1.4 bln to build a green methanol and sustainable aviation fuel production facility in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, converting regional wood-waste biomass into lower lifecycle-carbon fuels. The company said the project is expected to create 120 direct jobs with an average salary of $97,267 and support a further 394 indirect roles, for a total of 514 jobs in the region. Construction is slated to begin in late 2027 with commercial operations targeted for late 2029. Previously the company had estimated readiness by 2028.

A new funding call launched on Wednesday aims to accelerate research and innovation in durable carbon removal (CDR) technologies, as parts of the sector move from early-stage science toward commercial deployment.

There is limited evidence that converting pasturelands to silvopasture in the eastern US can deliver as a large net driver of GHG mitigation, a review of existing literature has found. 

Thin air – US direct air capture (DAC) developer Sustaera announced this week it has achieved more than 90% efficiency in capturing CO2 from the air, claiming the breakthrough could significantly reduce the cost of carbon removal (CDR). The North Carolina-based company said its electro-thermal technology combines nano-structured sorbents with integrated electric heating to deliver operational efficiencies three to four times higher than conventional thermal DAC systems. It added that the improvements could help bring CDR costs below $100 per tonne, a level widely seen as critical for scaling the sector.

A North Dakota district court on Monday struck down state orders approving several CO2 storage permits, finding the process violated constitutional protections for landowners.

Plans to register Bolivia’s first sovereign jurisdictional carbon credit project have been delayed from initial official issuance estimates, aligning with the government’s roadmap to build a national carbon markets architecture, the initiative’s main technical partner told Carbon Pulse.

The Q1 Washington carbon auction sold out right at the 2026 Allowance Price Containment Reserve (APCR) trigger level, nearly $9 below secondary market prices ahead of the sale.

When countries put in place macroeconomically damaging climate and nature policies, carbon revenues may not be high enough to calm credit rating agencies, so sovereign nations must either plan alternate sources of revenue or strike deals with investors, Carbon Pulse has heard.

A tale of two problems - Dependence on fossil fuels, not on the US, is Europe’s worry, argued Bruegel in a new report. Since 2022, the bloc has sharply increased energy imports from the US, which now accounts for about one-fifth on average of EU imports of natural gas – particularly LNG. These imports amounted to €70 bln in 2024. Bruegel found the best way for improving EU resilience of supply would be to reduce fossil fuel demand and boosting storage.

Uncertainty over risk, credit quality, and financing is continuing to hold back the reforestation carbon market despite signs that buyers and developers may be more aligned on price than expected, a webinar heard Tuesday.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is set to release a record volume of emergency oil stocks in response to disruptions in shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, following unanimous agreement among its member countries. 

US ecosystem market stakeholders are awaiting word on a proposed EPA rule which would dramatically reduce the number of wetlands requiring offsets.

A Colombia-based international carbon standard on Wednesday published a new REDD+ methodology meant to align project baselines with UNFCCC reporting, including voluntary market (VCM) and Article 6.2 aims.

The voluntary carbon market is not the solution to global climate change, but it is a valuable instrument that can help mobilise finance, support sustainable development, and contribute to mitigation – when properly understood and managed.

New CFO - Green Impact Exchange has appointed Kevin C. Buckley as chief financial officer. The one of only 10 registered stock exchange operators in the US stands at the nexus of the green economy and has brought Buckley on following his recent position as vice president, capital/treasury and international treasurer at Prudential Financial. Buckley will serve as a member of GIX’s executive leadership team and lead the exchange's global financial strategy, capital allocation, investor relations, and balance sheet management, overseeing the exchange’s fiscal operations as it prepares for its 2H 2026 launch.

Big spender - Rio Tinto has secured $1.17 bln in financing from four international lenders to support its Rincon lithium project in Argentina's Salta Province, it announced. The funding comprises loans from the International Finance Corporation, Export Finance Australia, and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The cash will be used to develop the $2.5 bln lithium project, which is targeting around 60 bln tonnes of annual battery grade lithium carbonate capacity. First production is slated in 2028, with a three-year ramp up to full capacity. Jerome Pecresse, Rio Tinto's chief executive of aluminium and lithium said the project was underpinned by the attractive long-term outlook driven by the energy transition.

RFP opening - US-based sustainability software provider Watershed has opened its 2026 request for proposals (RFP), it announced Monday. The RFP is intended to supply Watershed's customer base of over 800 companies with credits from durable carbon removal (CDR), nature-based CDR, and super pollutant avoidance projects. Supplier applications close on Apr. 10. Watershed's first RFP targetted 1 mln CDR credits and drew proposals from over 300 projects, the software provider said, with selected suppliers gaining access to a pre-committed buyer group that executed more than 100 purchases, including multiple contracts valued at over $1 mln. Watershed will share lessons from its first RFP in a webinar on trends in carbon markets on Mar. 19.

DAC attack - Berkeley-based direct air capture (DAC) developer Airmyne has announced an investment from Japan's largest energy company, ENEOS. The unspecified investment - made through investment arm ENEOS Innovation Partners Godo Kaisha - establishes a framework for long-term collaboration between the pair, aimed at advancing technology development and evaluating future pathways toward commercialisation. AirMyne is developing a liquid solvent-based DAC technology it says is designed for industrial scale, with low energy consumption, supply-chain security, and operational simplicity.