HAPPY WEDNESDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our newsletter.

Click Here: Cheap FIJI Rugby Jersey

IT SUITS YOU: Two separate coalitions made up of 23 states and a dozen environmental groups sued the Trump administration Wednesday over its rollback of a key Obama-era climate measure that required automakers to meet ambitious fuel efficiency standards.

ADVERTISEMENT

The March rule cuts the year-over-year improvements expected from the auto industry, slashing standards that require automakers to produce fleets that average nearly 55 mpg by 2025. Instead, the Trump rule would bring that number down to about 40 mpg by 2026, bringing mileage below what automakers have said is possible for them to achieve.

Attorneys general say the rule conflicts with laws requiring the government to set the maximum possible standard for automakers.

California Attorney General Xavier BecerraXavier BecerraRipple Effect: When politics ignores science, it jeopardizes local clean water Republicans introduce bill to create legal ‘safe harbor’ for gig companies during the pandemic OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump orders cuts in regulations that ‘inhibit economic recovery’ | Green group calls for Energy secretary to step down over ‘redlining’ comment | Daily carbon emissions drop 17 percent MORE (D) told reporters the state would take the administration to court “with our three best allies by our side: the facts, the science and the law.”

A coalition of 12 environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a similar suit just moments later.

The Trump administration standards, finalized by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are considered particularly vulnerable in court because they cost consumers some $13 billion more than they would save.

“The day that the administration released this rule, EPA Administrator Andrew WheelerAndrew WheelerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Coal company sues EPA over power plant pollution regulation | Automakers fight effort to freeze fuel efficiency standards | EPA watchdog may probe agency’s response to California water issues Coal company sues EPA over power plant pollution regulation OVERNIGHT ENERGY: New documents show EPA rolled back mileage standards despite staff, WH concerns | Land management bureau grants 75 royalty rate cuts for oil and gas | EPA employees allege leadership interference with science in watchdog survey MORE claimed that ‘This final rule will save lives, reduce pollution and provide significant benefits to the American economy.’ He’s wrong on all of those counts,” Becerra said.

“EPA’s approach risks lives, it increases pollution, and it’s jocular. This rule will increase air pollution. The agency’s own analysis states that.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Internal government documents recently reviewed by The Hill showed the White House questioned the legal justification behind the rule.

The documents also show a number of concerns raised by EPA staff were not addressed before the rule was finalized.

Becerra, joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D), said they would seek to uncover any other documents showing a disconnect between staff analysis and what the administration chose to implement.

“Playing games with the facts is a short game. The courts are playing the long game. And you can’t be making stuff up and hiding the facts and get away with it over the long term,” Weiser said, noting it was the same strategy that helped states win their case against the Trump administration challenging adding a citizenship question to the census.

The NHTSA would not comment on the cases, while the EPA said its rule “provides a sensible, single national program that strikes the right regulatory balance, protects our environment, and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry, while supporting our economy and the safety of American families.”

Read more on the suits here. 

TODAY IN OIL & GAS:

Still hurting… Mike Sommers, president of the major oil and gas industry group American Petroleum Institute (API), acknowledged on Wednesday that lower prices are hurting the oil and gas industry.

“Prices still are at historic lows. … We’re still only in the $30 to $35 range, and it’s very difficult for producers to make money with those kinds of oil prices,” Sommers said during a webinar. 

Oil prices have dropped since the beginning of this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and international disputes. On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. crude oil was trading at about $33 per barrel, though prices in April dropped to as low as negative $40 a barrel. 

Sommers also defended his group’s advocacy for regulatory changes during the coronavirus pandemic. 

In March, API wrote to both President TrumpDonald John TrumpJustice says it will recommend Trump veto FISA bill Fauci: Nominating conventions may be able to go on as planned Poll: Biden leads Trump by 11 points nationally MORE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking the government to ease certain “compliance obligations” such as record-keeping and training. 

Days later, the EPA announced that it might not seek penalties against companies that don’t monitor their pollution. The agency has stressed that polluters will have to prove that the lack of monitoring was linked to the coronavirus pandemic, but opponents of the move argue that by then, the damage will have already been done. 

Sommers stated on Wednesday that some of the issues the agency advocated for were “mainly paperwork issues” and said that they were “similar to the IRS changing Tax Day from April 15 to July 15.”

Read more on that here. 

Playing favorites… House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is urging the White House not to approve a proposal that would delay payments for companies that drill on public lands. 

Last week, a possible final rule from the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) titled “ONRR Reporting and Royalty Payment Delay Related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” was sent to the White House for review. 

In his letter, Grijalva stated that the administration has “refused” to give staffers information about the rule.

The department also did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. However, industry sources have told Argus Media that the rule would allow companies to postpone paying royalties for three months. 

“There is no need to provide an additional benefit to oil and gas companies by giving them three additional months to pay their royalties,” the chairman wrote.

“It is not clear why the coronavirus pandemic would make it difficult to pay royalties,” he added. “Royalty payments are made electronically, and coronavirus does not make it more difficult to comply with current payment standards. ONRR’s silence makes it impossible to understand the administration’s position on this issue.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Grijalva called on the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to reject the proposal, which he characterized as “blatant favoritism.”

Read more on that here. 

ACCELERATE THOSE ROLLBACKS: An influential conservative group wants the Trump administration to be more aggressive with its proposed rollback of a key environmental law that dates back to 1970.

Club for Growth President David McIntosh said Wednesday he would like to see additional changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a 50-year-old law that requires federal agencies to analyze the environmental impact of construction projects.

The White House in January proposed a major rollback to NEPA, and President Trump this month signed an executive order taking aim at regulations that “inhibit economic recovery.”

But McIntosh told reporters on a press call that he thinks the administration should “take another look and see what more can be done” to limit environmental regulations and speed up the permitting process.

McIntosh said his group was putting together suggestions for agency-specific regulations that can either be suspended or permanently cut.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump last week signed an executive order saying agencies should address the coronavirus pandemic by “rescinding, modifying, waiving, or providing exemptions from regulations and other requirements that may inhibit economic recovery.”

Experts have told The Hill that they expect the order to face court challenges.

Read more about their ask here. 

OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY:

US lets corporations delay paying environmental fines amid pandemic, The Guardian reports

Pro-gas states pass laws barring local natural gas bans, limits, Bloomberg Law reports

Exxon, climate activists in showdown over independent board chair, Reuters reports

EU will fight COVID recession with green investment, Forbes reports

ICYMI: From Wednesday…

Record drop in energy investment expected this year: analysis

FROM THE HILL’S OPINION PAGES: 

“The Trump administration has just opened a new front in its war on environmental regulations, offering polluters a windfall with an executive order freezing or cutting back environmental regulations, ostensibly to help the economy recover from COVID-19,” writes David F. Coursen, a retired EPA attorney and a member of the Environmental Protection Network.  

Welcome to The Hill’s daily roundup of COVID-19 news.

The U.S. is nearing a grim milestone of 100,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data, but experts largely agree the death toll is higher. There are more than 1.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

Washington, D.C., will begin lifting some of its coronavirus restrictions on Friday, with restaurants open for outdoor seating, while certain businesses like barbershops, hair salons and others will be allowed to operate with limited capacity. The city says there has been a 14 day decline in virus transmission. But D.C. also changed how it measured the spread of the virus, leading to uncertainty as to whether there really has been a decline.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s what else you need to know today.

 

In the Trump administration and Congress

• Anthony FauciAnthony FauciFauci: Nominating conventions may be able to go on as planned The battle of COVID in the ‘quiet war’ on China Dolphins owner: ‘We’re planning to have fans in the stadium’ MORE on Wednesday said there’s no evidence that shows the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is effective at treating COVID-19, Nathaniel Weixel reports.
• Fauci also said Wednesday that a second wave of coronavirus infections is “not inevitable” if people are vigilant about proper mitigation efforts. Read more from Justin Wise.
• Antibody tests that determine if someone has had the coronavirus in the past should not be used for making decisions about people returning to work, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in new guidance. Peter Sullivan has the story here.
• Health care providers that primarily treat the poor, children and people with disabilities are getting left out of the COVID-19 aid being issued by the Trump administration, frustrating advocates who worry about the future of the Medicaid safety net, Jessie Hellmann reports.
• A group of moderate Senate Democrats are open to considering liability protection for businesses in the next round of coronavirus relief legislation, a crack in Democratic unity that gives Republicans and the White House some leverage. Alexander Bolton has more.

 

In the states

ADVERTISEMENT

• While the number of new coronavirus cases is declining in New York, Seattle and other focal points of the first wave of cases, models are predicting that cases could skyrocket in the next two weeks in cities like Houston, Dallas, Nashville, Tenn., and Memphis, Tenn., creating new epicenters. Reid Wilson reports.
• Washington, D.C., will lift its stay-at-home order on Friday, allowing restaurants to serve people outdoors, hair salons to open and retailers to offer curbside pickup. Peter Sullivan reports.
• But a group of lawmakers representing the National Capital Region is calling for the Trump administration to drop plans to hold a second “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebration in Washington, D.C. Justin Wise has the story.

 

Other news

• A study of dozens of COVID-19 patients in China found that 42 percent showed no symptoms of the disease but were contagious for shorter periods of time than symptomatic patients. Jessie Hellmann reports.
• A new poll found that 49 percent of respondents said they would get a vaccine for coronavirus. Twenty percent of respondents said they would not, and 31 percent said they weren’t sure yet. Justine Coleman reports.
• The National Women’s Soccer League will resume play in June, playing 25 games in two Utah stadiums without spectators. Zack Budryk reports.
• Disney World detailed plans to open four of its Florida theme parks in July, with physical distancing restrictions, temperature checks and mandatory face coverings. Read more on the plan from Marty Johnson.
• Tenants are afraid mass evictions will take place in the coming weeks as eviction moratoria across the country begin to expire. J. Edward Moreno has the story.

One of the recurring themes of this column has been my search for servers that will support the playback of high-resolution multichannel files with DSP for speaker/room equalization (EQ), as well as the format conversion and downsampling that are often part of those processes. Because most EQ software is PCM-based, format comversion is needed to convert DSD files to PCM. In addition, because most EQ products work within a limited range of sampling rates, PCM files sampled at high rates may have to be downsampled before being subjected to EQ. Those of us who use home-theater preamplifier-processors and audio/video receivers (AVRs) should be familiar with such constraints. Remember the hue and cry that went up when it was revealed that even top-of-the-line processors downsampled everything to 48kHz in order to use Audyssey EQ? Nothing has changed—increasing DSP horsepower to enable higher sample rates costs money for something that the vast majority of buyers don’t care or even know about.

In the more specialized market for music servers, it still takes pricey and heat-generating DSP horsepower to handle higher sample rates. Multiply everything by three to take the step from two to 5.1 channels—not to mention 7.1 channels—and makers of proprietary servers have logically decided that the added cost of accommodating those few multichannel-music fans would create a significant cost deterrent for the bulk of their market. I do get it.

The result is that the server market is dominated by a wide range of products that take no notice of music files of more than two channels. A very few of these give a slight nod to multichannel by supporting multichannel files, but unless they take on the cost of including beefier processors, that support is limited. Usually, such servers will play files of resolutions up to 24-bit/192kHz PCM or DSD64, yet don’t comfortably support DSP. I’ve reviewed a number of these, and appreciate them for offering multichannel at all. After all, there’s no reason any stereo music server with digital input from internal or external storage and digital output via USB, I2S, or HDMI can’t be a multichannel music server—unless its CPU is a complete wimp.

At the other end of the market are the hands-on folks who configure and build servers based on the Windows or Linux operating systems. (Due to Apple’s design policies, there are significantly fewer MacOS/iOS examples.) These DIYers take special care with every component, from power supply to input and output devices to CPU, RAM, and storage, to ensure that the result generates the absolute minimum of acoustical and electrical noise, and is isolated from external sources of such noise. I take my hat off to them, and might join them one day.

Right now, my comfort spot is in the middle. In my January 2019 column I reviewed Wolf Audio’s Alpha 3 server, which, like the Baetis Prodigy X server I own and love, is what a sophisticated DIY music lover would build if she or he had access to the OEM source market. Each is basically a PC running Windows 10 that employs a powerful Intel i7 CPU in a fanless case, to ensure that it runs silently enough for a music room. The CPU in these servers is substantially faster and more capable than those in proprietary stereo servers, and that’s what makes all the difference. There are many other products that are the results of a similar approach to design and construction, and until recently they were the only option for committed multichannel listeners.

Roon Labs Nucleus+ music server
It was reasonable to expect that the philosophy that led Roon Labs to support multichannel playback and DSP/EQ might lead to a complementary physical product, and the release of the Roon Optimized Core Kit (ROCK) buoyed my hopes. Roon describes Roon OS as a “a custom Linux based operating system, tailored for running Roon Server and providing a best-in-class, appliance-type user experience to host the Roon Core,” and ROCK as “a do-it-yourself build of Roon OS.” They recommend that ROCK be installed only in an Intel NUC. Such customization of the OS for a single application relieves the CPU of the burden of all the non-Roon, non-audio functions that constantly belabor CPUs running a general-purpose Linux or Windows OS, and would greatly enhance the CPU’s ability to process audio files. Buying a NUC and installing ROCK isn’t difficult, but the prospect of selecting and dealing with a bare-bones box intimidates many.

With the Nucleus+ ($2498) and the less powerful Nucleus ($1398), Roon has not only made an appealing, ready-to-wear server, but has optimized the idea behind the ROCK kit (footnote 1). Both Nucleus servers are based on an Intel NUC board, but in a small, silent, elegant package, and their operating software is an even more specialized version of ROCK. This lean, mean version eliminates support for CPUs other than Intel’s i3/i5/i7, any peripherals not included in the Nucleus, and a cooling fan and its control circuitry.

When I removed the Nucleus+ from its box, I was surprised by its small size and solidity—at 8.3″ wide by 2.95″ high by 6.1″ deep and weighing 5.5 lb, it looks and feels like a sturdy external power supply. Its top and sides comprise ranks of heatsink fins, its front panel is devoid of anything but the Roon logo, and all connections are in a small bay on the rear panel: two USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet (RJ45) and HDMI jacks, and a barrel power connector for the 19V wall wart power supply. The only actual control is an on/off button, and above that is the only status indicator: a soft blue LED. There’s no WiFi. Very basic and very compact, the Nucleus+ is entirely suitable for a network appliance that does its job at the behest of control devices such as tablets, smartphones, or other computers, and gets its data from such storage devices as USB or NAS drives. (A hard drive can be installed for internal storage.)

The Nucleus+ uses an i7 processor, though Roon doesn’t identify the specific model. I removed the bottom plate and opened the case to get a look, but couldn’t—the CPU is thermally bonded to the underside of the top panel, and directly accessing it would have required major surgery. Even then, it wasn’t clear that the chip’s identifying label would be visible. On the one hand, this is frustrating—i7s range widely in their processing capability. On the other, there’s no performance reference for an i7 in a comparably streamlined environment such as the Nucleus+, though I do know what works for me in a very different Win10 environment. The only real issue was whether the performance would justify Roon’s design choices.

Because the Nucleus+ does only one thing, installing it was easy: I plugged in the power supply, connected an Ethernet cable from my LAN switch, and pushed the power button once. I used as the control device a MacBook Pro that sits on my equipment rack, and as soon as it found the Nucleus+ I saw the familiar Roon greeting asking me to “Choose your Core” (Nucleus+, of course), “Sign Up or Login” (I did), and “Where do you keep your music?” (on my NAS). When I returned from lunch, Roon had loaded my more than 65,000 files into its library and had begun analyzing them. That process would continue, in the background, for about a week, but otherwise the music player was ready to go. All I needed to do was to choose an audio device from the list Roon had found on my network. I chose the exaSound PlayPoint Network Audio Player connected to my exaSound e38 DAC. That was it.

Because of its now-familiar, ultra-discrete mix, I always play Willie Nelson’s Night and Day (DVD-Audio, SurroundedBy Entertainment SBE1001-9) with a new setup. It confirmed that all 5.1 channels were being played through the appropriate speakers, and that I was enjoying clean, well-balanced sound from each. After that, I can’t say I was inspired to dig through my collection in search of revelations. That’s because I firmly believe that, unless I’m using some kind of up/downsampling, EQ, or other manipulation, or have changed the type of connection hardware (USB, S/PDIF, HDMI, etc.), music players/servers do not contribute to the character of the sound.

To reconfirm this belief, I made a number of comparisons within the constraints of the equipment on hand. There is no Linux support for direct USB connection to my exaSound e38 DAC and there’s no support in Roon for the miniDSP U-DIO8 multichannel interface that connects to my three Benchmark DAC3s. Using the Roon app, I compared the sound of the Nucleus+ to that of the Baetis Prodigy X, and also to both the Baetis server and the exaSound PlayPoint server using JRiver Media Center, in all cases directing output to my exaSound e38 DAC. After that, I compared files played through the Benchmark DAC trio with the U-DIO8 connected via USB to the MacBook Pro used to control Roon and the Nucleus+ with the same devices connected via USB to the Baetis. I concluded that any differences I heard in each comparison were so minuscule and fleeting as to be inconsequential. I also ran it via HDMI with the Marantz AVR in my office and the combination was faultless.

The only remaining question was how the Nucleus+ supported DSP. The answer: It depended on the sample rate and the DSP operations used. In the Roon app, if you click on the little star to the right of the track name in the playback panel at the bottom, you’ll pop open a window with playback information. Near the top is the device name, and below it a list of all the steps in Roon’s signal path. If you see a line of information between these two items, it numerically indicates how much headroom there is in the CPU’s processing ability. The number references the total processing power of the system: “1x” indicates that it’s running at full capacity to keep up; larger numbers (eg, “2x”) indicate that the system has more capability than required. Numbers below “1x” mean that the system is incapable of performing the task in real time and are generally associated with interruptions in playback. If there’s no such line of information, the Nucleus+’s processor is just loafing along with no stress at all.

Footnote 1: Roon Labs and Roon community.