Is BP's Shift for Real?

<p>Just weeks after taking over as CEO of BP, Bernard Looney unveiled a series of climate targets. This isn’t the first time BP has tried to make a push into clean energy and decarbonization -- is this time different?</p><p>In this week’s episode, we’ll look at the pressures that BP is facing. What does it take for a publicly-owned company to reevaluate its core product? And how do you reduce the carbon intensity of a hydrocarbon business? We’ll dig through the details.</p><p>Then, natural gas is suddenly in the hot seat. For gas-only utilities, one pathway is clear. They have to push renewable methane. But what are the limitations? And how will the battle over natural gas connections play out?</p><p>Finally, we’ll talk about another reversal, this time in Virginia. The state legislature is right in the middle of setting some pretty strong goals for offshore wind and storage, and they’ve got a governor who wants to sign it. What caused the politics to turn around so suddenly?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Recommended reading:</p><ul><li><a href="https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Hainan_Clean_Energy_Vehicle_Dev_20190426.pdf" target="_blank">Vox:</a> The False Promise of Renewable Natural Gas</li><li><a href="https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/dominion-virginia-lawmakers-race-to-define-clean-energy-goals-offshore-wind-plans" target="_blank">GTM</a>: Virginia Lawmakers Race to Define Clean Energy Goals, Offshore Wind Plans</li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-wants-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2050-11581517147" target="_blank">WSJ:</a> BP Wants to Become Carbon Neutral by 2050, But Doesn’t Say How</li></ul><p><em>=This podcast is brought to you by Energetic Insurance. Energetic’s EneRate Credit Cover policy is an easy button for commercial solar — similar to a FICO score in residential solar. This enables savvy developers and investors to quickly finance commercial solar projects and turn around portfolio refinancings more rapidly. </em><a href="https://www.energeticinsurance.com/gtm