POLITICS: Spinning off a climate bill from the Build Back Better package could win over some Republicans as well Democratic holdouts in the Senate. (Grist)
ALSO:
• A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduces legislation that would assess U.S. climate vulnerabilities and develop a plan to address them. (The Hill)
• U.S. House Republicans and the fossil fuel industry oppose legislation that would direct federal regulators to develop reliability and cybersecurity standards for natural gas pipelines. (Utility Dive)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Energy, technology and labor leaders ask the Biden administration to create an independent federal agency with a $60 billion budget to accelerate clean energy projects. (E&E News)
• Fifty years ago, U.S. leaders predicted solar power would take precedence over wind as the leading clean energy source — but so far the opposite has been true. (New York Times)
• Solar panel, wind turbine and battery prices are quickly growing again amid inflation stemming from supply chain delays, though experts are optimistic for the sector’s ongoing growth. (Bloomberg, Inside Climate News)
• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators asks the Biden administration not to extend Trump-era tariffs on solar panel imports, arguing that they’re harming U.S. solar companies and projects. (The Hill)
NUCLEAR:
• About two-thirds of U.S. states are taking a new look at nuclear power as an emissions-free alternative to both fossil fuels and renewables. (Associated Press)
• Construction of two new units at a Georgia nuclear plant is running six years behind schedule and $16 billion over budget, providing a warning to other states considering nuclear projects. (Inside Climate News)
OVERSIGHT:
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is expected to embrace its role in driving the clean energy transition this year through transmission planning, power market reforms, and new considerations for natural gas infrastructure. (Utility Dive)
• A House committee will ask major oil executives to testify next month on their companies’ efforts to reduce emissions. (Washington Post)
OIL & GAS:
• The recent skyrocketing count of abandoned oil and gas wells can largely be credited to the federal government offering states millions of dollars in cleanup funds. (Grist)
• Federal energy regulators won’t withdraw their approval of a Massachusetts compressor station, despite acknowledging the certification never should’ve been granted due to the proximity of environmental justice communities. (Patriot Ledger)
UTILITIES: Xcel Energy’s long-term energy plan that includes potentially building two natural gas peaking plants draws scrutiny from advocates who say clean energy and battery storage could play a larger role. (Energy News Network)
CARBON CAPTURE: An Indiana company wants state lawmakers to protect it from liability claims that might result from injecting carbon deep underneath property it doesn’t own without permission from landowners. (Energy News Network)
CRYPTOCURRENCY: The former head of a Pacific Northwest grid operator warns U.S. lawmakers of cryptocurrency miners’ energy effects, saying that when they flocked to the region in search of cheap hydropower, the power-intensive process drove up energy costs while creating few local jobs. (Spokesman-Review)
COMMENTARY: Criticism of how electric vehicles might have done sitting for hours in frozen weather on Virginia’s Interstate 95 prompts a reporter to see what happens when an EV idles for 12 hours in Minnesota weather. (Inside Hook)