ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The Biden administration is so far living up to its campaign promises on environmental justice, advocates advising the White House say, though some remain concerned over the administration’s support of nuclear energy and carbon capture. (E&E News)
OVERSIGHT:
• While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has started evaluating climate change concerns when approving gas projects, experts remain concerned the regulators don’t have clear guidelines for doing so. (E&E News)
• The U.S. House Oversight Committee requests an interview with ExxonMobil’s CEO following a lobbyist’s claims the company was fighting climate action behind closed doors. (Axios)
SOLAR:
• As polysilicon shortages slow solar installations, scientists and manufacturers are rushing to ramp up production of cadmium telluride solar technology, which doesn’t rely on polysilicon. (Grist)
• The unionization of a West Virginia solar company illustrates President Joe Biden’s promise the clean-energy transition will create “good, union jobs that expand the middle class,” but many challenges still remain. (Inside Climate News)
• Community solar could be on the verge of a decline as state incentives that encouraged the projects phase out, analysts say. (E&E News, subscription)
• A conservative-led alliance seeks to expand community solar in Wisconsin, though proposed legislation faces opposition from utilities and business groups. (Energy News Network)
UTILITIES:
• As large utilities across the country oppose net metering expansion, a small, nonprofit utility in Rhode Island successfully lobbies for the right to buy more solar power from its customers. (Energy News Network)
• Vermont’s Green Mountain Power has been a leader on microgrids and battery storage solutions, advising other utilities along the way. (Time)
• Under an agreement with federal prosecutors, FirstEnergy will reevaluate previous denials that ratepayer money was used to fund a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio to win favorable legislation. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• The U.S. EPA plans to set stricter requirements for how coal plants dispose of toxic wastewater into rivers, lakes and streams in an attempt to undo Trump administration rollbacks. (Washington Post)
• The U.S. Economic Development Administration announces it will invest $300 million in coal communities nationally, months after a working group named southern West Virginia as the area most in need of focused funding. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority isn’t adequately protecting employees or contractors against hazardous materials at its coal plants, according to a report by the utility’s inspector general. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
EMISSIONS: Minnesota becomes the first state in the Midwest to adopt stricter tailpipe emissions standards and require automakers to put more zero-emission vehicles on sales lots. (Star Tribune)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A federal judge allows the developer of a proposed lithium mine in Nevada to go ahead with preliminary excavation, thereby denying opponents’ bid to stop the work on environmental grounds. (Reuters)
• Electric vehicle-manufacturer Falcon announces plans to build its final-assembly facility in Sheridan, Wyoming. (Wyoming Tribune)
• Struggling Ohio electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors receives a $400 million investment from a hedge fund as the company seeks to start production this fall. (Associated Press)
• A group of utilities working to deploy more electric vehicle charging stations along major U.S. highways adds 14 new members, doubling its size. (news release)
• New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission allows moped sharing company Revel to bring a fleet of Tesla taxis to the city after at first blocking the launch. (Gothamist)
GRID:
• Power use in California did not decrease during recent conservation alerts, according to the state’s grid operators. (Newsweek)
• A major transmission line carrying Oregon hydropower to California is back online even though the Bootleg Fire which forced its near-shutdown continues to burn. (S&P Global)
CLIMATE: Last month’s Pacific Northwest heatwave was the deadliest weather-related event in Washington state’s history, as health officials revise the death toll to 112. (KUOW)