GRID: New data show the majority of states have seen an increase in the duration of power outages over the last five years as utilities have failed to prepare for increasingly intense severe weather events. (Washington Post)

ALSO:
• Details of a “supergrid” study that had been shelved by the Trump administration were published last month by an engineering group, as advocates are still trying to get the Energy Department to release the report. (E&E News)
• A report projects utilities will triple their spending on smart meter analytics over the coming decade. (Smart Energy International)

CLIMATE: Four top oil executives will testify in House committee hearings this week over their role in spreading disinformation on climate change. (E&E News)

POLITICS:
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin has expressed support for tax provisions in the reconciliation bill, a key sticking point in legislation that could include major climate provisions, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the bill is “90 percent” complete. (Associated Press, New York Times)
• More than 60 congressional Democrats call for the package to include “significant additional investments in climate priorities” if the Clean Electricity Performance Program is rejected. (The Hill)
• While Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said “we have to act together” to fight climate change, the company has done little to support current climate legislation. (E&E News)
• Some policy analysts predict West Virginia’s rising electricity rates will get worse as U.S. Sen. Joe Machin strips clean-energy provisions from a federal spending bill. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

SOLAR:
• Koch Industries subsidiary and major greenhouse gas contributor Flint Hills Resources is the latest dues-paying member of Minnesota’s solar industry trade group as the company pursues a solar installation at its refinery campus. (Energy News Network)
• Large solar projects face pushback in rural communities, with neighbors expressing aesthetic concerns and resentment that the electricity is going to cities. (Christian Science Monitor)

HYDROPOWER:
• A melting Alaska glacier provides an opportunity to expand the state’s largest hydroelectricity project by as much as 50%. (KTOO)
• New federal forecasts suggest Lake Powell’s water levels could drop below the minimum required for hydroelectricity generation by next summer. (CBS4) 

COAL: Critics raise concerns about a Missouri utility’s plan to mine cryptocurrency near one of its coal plants as part of an effort to maintain power demand from the facility. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

OIL & GAS: As Connecticut regulators consider modifying a program that helps customers transition from oil heating to natural gas, some advocacy groups say the ratepayer-subsidized program should end. (Energy News Network)

BIOGAS: An environmental group files a complaint with federal regulators alleging that North Carolina’s issuing of biogas permits to four hog farms will disproportionately harm communities of color in the surrounding area. (Carolina Public Press)

COMMENTARY:
• Former Sierra Club leader Carl Pope downplays talk of an energy crisis, saying current price spikes are the result of market manipulation. (Salon)
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s determination to preserve fossil fuels and avoid an “entitlement mentality” ignores West Virginia’s existing reliance on government funding and virtually assures the state will remain reliant on federal handouts in the future, writes an editorial board. (Beckley Register-Herald)
• Analysts say despite a growing need for lithium and other materials, clean energy is still far less mining-intensive than fossil fuels. (Dallas Morning News)

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.