Bacardi has shifted its packaging efforts from weight reduction to cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions to make its packaging more sustainable. Meanwhile, the company has cut emissions by an amount equivalent to what 15,000 cars would produce annually.

The Interior Department on Friday confirmed plans to explore floating offshore wind development in California, and if everything goes according to plan the first projects in the state could begin generating power within six years. The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, Equinor and other companies have expressed interest in the state's emerging industry.

Carbon emissions in the US are declining due to the rise of renewables and other factors -- contrary to a recent statement from Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler crediting the Trump administration's regulatory reform efforts for the declines, says Rhodium analyst John Larsen. "EPA is taking credit for emission reductions that are a direct result of the decline of coal in America," he says.

Lawmakers and other leaders in Virginia must adopt a master plan for offshore wind energy and other stable policies that show clear support for the industry, writes Eileen Woll, director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter's Offshore Energy Program. Woll argues that Virginia risks falling behind other states in terms of development, despite its optimal location and coastal infrastructure for offshore wind.

Apex Clean Energy is seeking approval for the 36-turbine, 150-megawatt Dakota Range Wind III in South Dakota. The company is also in the process of building the $380 million Dakota Range I and II projects in the area, which are expected to begin operations in 2021.

Two new wind farms are underway in Gratiot County, Mich., with Consumers Energy preparing to break ground on a 75-turbine, 150-megawatt wind farm that will likely begin operations in 2020. Separately, Invenergy is almost finished building a 65-turbine project for DTE Energy that will straddle Gratiot and Isabella counties.

Companies can avoid costly downtime and repairs while maximizing the lifespan of their components by choosing a turbine lubrication grease that suits the project's climate, write Douglas Lucas and Kuldeep Mistry of The Timken Co. "Getting the most of evolving opportunity in the wind power market requires reliable operation and dependability in every component of a turbine, and it’s especially critical in a turbine’s main shaft," they write.

Shell has become the latest board-level member of the Global Wind Energy Council and will join in the coalition's Offshore Taskforce. GWEC has set a goal to reach a global installed offshore wind capacity of 841 gigawatts by 2022, up from 539 GW in 2017.

Orsted has ended a joint venture with NaiKun Wind Energy in British Columbia, Canada, to focus on more mature markets for offshore wind, such as the US East Coast, says Orsted North America President Thomas Brostrom. "Orsted believes that the business is, for the time being, best served by focusing our efforts on our rapidly expanding US portfolio," Brostrom says.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management published a notice in the Federal Register Friday notifying the public of its intent to require safe transit lanes in US coastal areas slated for offshore wind development. The rule is intended to help commercial fishermen navigate projects safely and efficiently.