OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Vehicle mileage hits record in US

ZOOM ZOOM: The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that the average fuel economy for 2013 model vehicles reached an all-time high.

Auto mileage increased 0.5 miles per gallon (mpg) last year over 2012, according to the EPA’s trends report.

{mosads}That comes to 24.1 mpg on average for 2013 cars and SUVs, nearly 5 mpg higher than 2004 levels. Carbon emissions also dropped from 2013 vehicles, reaching a new low of 369 grams per mile of emissions.

Read more here.

PURPLE MOUNTAINS MAJESTY: The White House said on Wednesday that President Obama will make his 13th national monument designation on Friday, protecting 350,000 acres of California’s San Gabriel Mountains.

Latino groups cheered the news: “The Latino community recognizes how important quality drinking water, clean air, and accessible public lands are to the well-being of southern California — particularly in an area that has limited green space,” said Maite Arce, president of Hispanic Access Foundation. “President Obama’s action will help protect these resources for future generations.”  

Read more here.

ON TAP THURSDAY I: Secretary of State John Kerry will tour and deliver remarks at the Wind Technology Testing Center in Massachusetts. United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will join him.

ON TAP THURSDAY II: The Library of Congress will host a talk on climate change and wildfires in the 21st Century. Douglas Morton, forest carbon expert from NASA, will participate.

Rest of Thursday’s agenda…

The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold an event on major trade and development topics, including technology and best practices for industries that extract natural resources. Among the speakers at the event will be diplomats from the United States, Canada and many French-speaking countries around the world.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced and International Studies will host an event on the challenge of crafting a global agreement on climate change mitigation. It will focus on the run-up to the United Nations’ conference this year in Lima, Peru, and next year in Paris. Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Gonzalo Gutiérrez Reinel will give the keynote, followed by a panel of stakeholders and experts.

NEWS BITES:

McConnell isn’t a scientist … Using what has become a common Republican refrain when asked about the scientific basis of climate change, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told a local radio host that he is not a scientist.

“What I have said repeatedly is I’m not a scientist,” McConnell said, arguing that it wasn’t a yes or no question.

“I am not a scientist. There are scientists that think it is a problem and scientists who think it’s not a problem. There is a difference of opinion. My job is to try to protect jobs in Kentucky now not speculate about science in the future,” he added.

McConnell also called the administration’s proposal to cut carbon emissions from new and existing power plants an “Obama-induced coal depression.”

He promised that if he is the majority leader next year the Senate “will be voting on efforts to push back at the EPA.”

Speaking of climate … EPA chief Gina McCarthy will visit Miami, Fla. to tout the administration’s efforts to tackle climate change and deal with rising sea levels. Miami is one of the coastal cities plagued by encroaching tides. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will join McCarthy. The mayor of Miami Beach, Philip Levine, and Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner will join as well.

New DOE #2 … Vice President Joe Biden will head to the Energy Department Friday to swear in Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall as the department’s deputy secretary. Biden and Moniz will both give remarks at the event, which will be webcast, Energy said Wednesday.

Sherwood-Randall started her work this week, after Moniz swore her in Sunday at her home. Formerly a top White House adviser on defense and nuclear weapon non-proliferation, Sherwood-Randall had an uneventful nomination process before being confirmed by the Senate in September.

AROUND THE WEB:

Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler analyzed a recent advertisement from Democratic Kentucky Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes that accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife of accepting $600,000 from anti-coal groups. Kessler gave the statement “Four Pinnochios,” the most false rating on his scale.

California is poised to finally receive oil from fracking in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale thanks to crude by rail, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Glasgow University is going to divest the 18 billion pounds it has in fossil fuels, become the first European university to pull away from fossil fuels, the Guardian reports.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out Wednesday’s stories…

– EPA sends ozone regulations to White House for review
– GOP Senate candidate: Rain shows climate ‘changes all the time’
– Obama to designate Calif. mountain range a national monument
– EPA tells court it may have lost text messages
– US fuel economy reaches all-time high
– Efficiency rules target power cords for cellphones, laptops
– Texas natural gas export project gets favorable environmental review
– Hoeven threatens to defund EPA
– Study: Climate change will cause frequent flooding of coastal cities
– Nuke regulator faulted for California plant oversight
– Shell tests laser sensor to identify shale gas
– New SolarCity loan deal could kick-start rooftop market

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