U.S. Utilities Face Criticism Over Carbon Goals Amid Controversial Hydrogen Projects and EV Fees in Several States.

A report from the Energy News Network has found that most large U.S. electric utilities have pledged to cut their carbon emissions 80% by 2050, but they still haven’t made adequate plans to achieve that goal, even with federal funding at their disposal. Four of the seven proposals selected for federal funding include natural gas-produced blue hydrogen, drawing criticism from environmentalists after the Inflation Reduction Act only required one project produce blue hydrogen. Eight states, most of them Republican-controlled, have levied $200-plus annual fees on electric vehicle owners that critics say will delay the EV transition. New Mexico advocates urge state leaders to abandon plans to establish a hydrogen fuel production hub after its proposal was left off a list of projects garnering federal funds. Louisiana has plugged nearly 500 of its roughly 4,500 abandoned oil and gas wells using federal money, although new requirements to calculate methane emissions reduced may complicate the process moving forward. California scientists urge regulators to leave defunct offshore oil rigs intact, saying they have become part of the ocean environment and serve as refuges for sea life.