ELECTRIC VEHICLES: President Biden tours Ford’s electric vehicle factory and test drives an electric pickup truck, while climate adviser Gina McCarthy says the administration is considering providing point-of-sale rebates for electric car buyers. (New York Times, Bloomberg)
ALSO:
• NASA is looking for companies to help it develop and build electric planes, with a goal of getting Americans on electric flights sometime in the next 15 years. (Guardian)
• Electric vehicle startup Canoo is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over a recent merger, the company’s CEO said Monday. (The Verge)
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GRID:
• The North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns that California, Texas, New England and parts of the Midwest could face electricity shortages this summer if temperatures are hotter than usual. (Utility Dive)
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Richard Glick pushes for reforms to ensure wind and solar producers aren’t forced to fully cover transmission upgrade costs. (E&E News, subscription)
• Senate Democrats propose a non-binding resolution to decarbonize the electric sector by 2035 with a goal of sparking conversation and policies in line with that aim. (The Hill)
• Texas lawmakers unveil a compromise bill to require weatherization of power plants and some natural gas wells and related infrastructure. (Dallas Morning News)
• Maine lawmakers consider legislation to propel development of a transmission line to run renewable energy out of its northernmost county. (Maine Public Radio)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The White House will continue to support existing nuclear power plants and carbon capture projects, despite environmental justice advisers’ recommendation to stop funding the latter. (Reuters; E&E News, subscription)
UTILITIES:
• North Carolina regulators push Duke Energy to set aside $6 million for low-income home weatherization and set the stage for more systemic change. (Energy News Network)
• The declining price of solar power and prodding from customers finally begins to push Virginia rural electric cooperatives from their historic reliance on coal-generated power. (Energy News Network)
PIPELINES:
• The Colonial Pipeline experiences another hiccup after its communications system for shippers goes offline. (S&P Global)
• Some Ohio lawmakers make a plea to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to back off plans to shut down the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, but she has given no indications of doing so. (Toledo Blade)
• Nineteen Republican attorneys general cite the Colonial Pipeline attack in a call to revive the Keystone XL pipeline. (Fox News)
WIND: Five years after Dakota Access pipeline protests, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe pursues wind development to promote self sufficiency. (KXNET)
EMISSIONS:
• The U.S. is considering imposing fees on imports from countries that don’t tax big carbon emitters, climate envoy John Kerry says. (Associated Press)
• The EPA issues its final rule setting limits on methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. (E&E News)
NUCLEAR: Georgia Power again pushes back plans to begin operation of new units at Plant Vogtle until next year after delays in testing, with an accompanying rise in cost not likely to be known until this fall. (Associated Press, Georgia Recorder)
STORAGE: Western states may get the most attention for their development of large-scale battery storage systems, but significant battery storage projects and policies are also coming out of East Coast states. (Energy Storage News)
GEOTHERMAL: Google launches an initiative to tap geothermal energy in Nevada to power its data centers. (CNET)
CLIMATE: The head of the House’s oversight committee will soon invite fossil fuel and social media executives to testify on climate disinformation. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY:
• A growing number of Americans look to home solar arrays because they’re losing trust in electrical and vehicle fuel networks, writes an editorial board. (Dallas Morning News)
• Advocates say 25 states have now taken a closer look at the practice of running coal plants when cheaper alternatives are available with some “very tangible successes” to date. (Union of Concerned Scientists)