The new head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, addressed agency staff for the first time yesterday, telling them that the US should not have to choose between the economy and the environment. “I believe that we as a nation can be both pro-energy and jobs, and pro-environment,” he told around 100 employees. “We don’t have to choose between the two.” Pruitt struck a “conciliatory tone” in his address, reports Reuters, saying he would “listen, learn and lead” and that he valued civil discussion and the contributions of career staff. However, the 15-minute speech “made clear…that he intends to step back from what he sees as the agency’s regulatory overreach during the Obama administration,” says the Washington Post. “The only authority that any agency has in the executive branch is the authority given to it by Congress,” he said. “We need to respect that. We need to follow that. Because when we do that, guess what happens? We avoid litigation. We avoid the uncertainty of litigation and we reach better ends and outcomes at the end of the day.” Much of that litigation has come from Pruitt himself in recent years, notes The Hill. Pruitt is a staunch opponent of recent EPA regulations like the Clean Power Plan and the Clean Water Rule, which were among the targets of the 14 lawsuits he filed against the agency. The Wall Street Journal says that Pruitt’s speech “stressed a dramatic change of priorities at the agency, stating the importance of the agency’s communication and relationship with businesses” but that it gave “few details about policy changes”. Pruitt didn’t mention climate change at all, notes Think Progress. CNN, Politico and CNBC all cover the story.

President Trump has reiterated his support for ethanol fuels in a letter to US industry supporters yesterday. Addressing attendees at the National Ethanol Conference, Trump said in a letter that he “value[s] the importance of renewable fuels to America’s economy and to our energy independence.” In the past, Trump has criticised the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which requires biofuels like ethanol to be blended into gasoline, notes Reuters. Trump said his administration was working to tackle the “regulatory burden” on the industry, though the letter offered no detail on policy plans.

After record temperatures and powerful storms that have prompted a series of electricity blackouts, Australia is proposing to subsidise the construction of new coal power plants in an unexpected move, reports the FT. The government’s plan aims to bolster energy security as well as support its coal mining industry, which employs an estimated 50,000 people. However, several energy companies ruled out new coal plants even with a government subsidy, as they worry that a change of government would lead to the introduction of a tax on carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the Guardian reports that a former US Republican congressman has warned Australian fossil fuel companies that they could be left behind by improvements in renewables and the possibility Donald Trump changes tack on a carbon tax. In a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Bob Inglis said that a carbon tax in the US would leave coal in a “very difficult economic position”. Elsewhere, Reuters reports that China’s major coal miners are pushing the government to reinstate limits on coal output because of weakening demand and growing supply.

Oil prices rose by more than $1 a barrel yesterday after the secretary-general of Opec said there was “unprecedented” commitment within the cartel to uphold an agreement to curb supplies. January data suggests more than 90% of Opec is complying, with Saudi Arabia cutting by more than required. Brent crude oil was trading at just over $57 a barrel yesterday, more than double its high point last year but still less than half its pre-crash levels. Meanwhile, Wood Group, the UK oilfield services company, warned that its profit margins would decline further this year, reports the Financial Times. Finance director David Kemp said margins would “continue to go down in 2017”, even though spending by major oil companies is expected to rise this year, driven by a recovery in the US shale industry. The Telegraph and the Times also cover the story.

Up to 16% of hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells spill liquids every year, according to new research from US scientists. Assessing fracking wells in four states over ten years, the researchers found that there had been 6,600 spills – two-thirds of which were reported in oil-rich North Dakota. Most of the spills occurred in the first three years of operation, the researchers say, with around 50% related to the storage and movement of fluids via pipelines. The study also highlights how inconsistent spill reporting is across different states, says Inside Climate News, showing that the mix of regulation requirements makes it impossible to come up with a comprehensive national picture.

“Pruitt sounds like a nice, reasonable guy,” writes Eric Mack in Forbes, but “he’s laying out a vision that already undercuts the very mission and long-term objectives of the agency he now leads.” In his speech to the Environmental Protection Agency, Pruitt used an anecdote about the founding fathers as a metaphor for how he will seek compromise to address issues related to “our environment and natural resources.” “To be clear,” says Mack, “in this context Pruitt is clearly referring to the industries that extract natural resources like oil and gas to bring them to market.” But the mission of the EPA is actually quite simple, says Mack: “to protect human health and the environment – air, water and land.” “That’s it. Notice there’s no mention of protecting extractive industries,” he says.

While most literature on the impacts of climate change on the electricity sector focuses on overall consumption, a new study shows explores the impact on peak load consumption during hot days. Using statistical models and data from 166 load balancing authorities in the US, the authors find an increase in overall consumption of 2.8% and the potential for additional peak capacity costs of up to $180bn dollars by the end of the century under business-as-usual.

A new study details 11 areas where major knowledge gaps still exist when it comes to understanding how human activities have altered the surface of the Earth. The list, which includes the water cycle, urbanisation, adaptation and plant migration, is intended to drive research in the coming decade. Each of the processes identified can vary in magnitude and even sign across time and space, say the authors, and need to be better quantified in order to pinpoint priority areas.