The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is due to receive comments on a draft environmental review of six wind lease areas offshore New York and New Jersey, in the area called New York Bight. The agency estimates that full development of leases in this area, totaling more than 488,000 acres, has the potential to produce 5.6 to 7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. This marks the first regional analysis of offshore renewable energy development in multiple lease areas. Further environmental analyses specific to each proposed project will build off this programmatic review after the agency receives individual project plans. READ MORE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold public webinars on the agency’s final rule to slash emissions of methane and other harmful air pollution from oil and natural gas operations, including emissions from existing sources for the first time. The standards are expected to avoid an estimated 58 million tons of methane emissions from 2024 to 2038, which is nearly 80 percent less than projected emissions without the standards.The rule provides guidelines for states to follow as they develop plans to limit methane from existing sources.The climate benefits of the standards were estimated using the agency’s most recent analysis of the social cost of greenhouse gases. Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere over a 20-year period.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is due to receive comments on a waiver request from the California Air Resources Board regarding the Clean Air Act’s requirements for the control of emissions from new motor vehicles. The board has requested that EPA grant a waiver of preemption of the Clean Air Act for the Advanced Clean Cars II regulations applicable to new 2026 and subsequent model year on-road light- and medium-duty vehicles. The regulations include two sets of requirements, one for conventional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines and another for zero-emission vehicles. READ MORE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will hold a webinar to discuss a $81 million grant to support eligible air agencies in expanding and upgrading the nation’s air quality monitoring networks. The investment, supported by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, aims to address air pollution, enhance monitoring in and near communities, and ensure cleaner air. The funding will assist state, local, Tribal, and territorial air agencies in monitoring fenceline communities, refining air toxics monitoring methods, and promoting overall air quality. The agency has also announced an additional $2 million to support deployment and operation of air quality sensors in low-income and disadvantaged communities. READ MORE

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold the eighth meeting of the joint federal-state task force on electric transmission. The first-of-its-kind task force, established in June 2021, aims to identify barriers inhibiting planning and development of transmission infrastructure, which is key to facilitating the transition towards clean energy resources, and potential solutions to overcome them. The meeting will focus on transmission siting. READ MORE