OFFSHORE WIND: The Biden administration will open more than 250,000 acres off the California coast for wind development starting in 2022. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO: A Rhode Island fishing industry group decries a “backroom deal” between state regulators and an offshore wind developer that reduces the number of turbines and establishes a fishing compensation fund. (Providence Journal)

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FOSSIL FUELS:
• Fifteen Republican state treasurers threaten to pull assets from banks if they refuse to lend to or invest in coal, oil and natural gas companies. (Axios)
• Activist investors aim to replace a third of ExxonMobil’s board with climate-prioritizing leaders in today’s shareholder meeting. (New York Times)
• The Biden administration is backing research into extracting rare earth minerals from coal ash, but numerous technical obstacles remain. (Grist)

CARBON CAPTURE:
• A Democratic and a Republican introduce a U.S. Senate bill to help power plants finance carbon capture and storage projects via private activity bonds and an existing tax credit program. (Axios)
• A bipartisan group of House members meanwhile propose opening up the same tax credit to more types of carbon capture projects. (S&P Global)

INFRASTRUCTURE:
• Republican senators plan to share a “counteroffer” to President Biden’s infrastructure proposal tomorrow that is expected to exclude major clean energy and climate investments. (Reuters)
• The Sierra Club suggests the infrastructure bill can reverse the Trump administration’s decision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. (The Hill)
• A West Virginia coalition lobbies for passage of the infrastructure bill to attract billions of federal dollars to aid the state in its transition to a low-carbon economy. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

NUCLEAR: Small modular reactors could be economically competitive with other energy sources if current cost projections are realized, according to a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report. (news release)

EFFICIENCY: A rules review panel rejects proposed changes to North Carolina’s energy conservation code that would have let developers bypass minimum efficiency standards if they adhered to voluntary green building guidelines. (Energy News Network)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
• Two new studies provide further evidence that heat and smog disproportionately hurt people of color and low-income communities. (Washington Post)
• The Justice Department has only prosecuted 32 environmental crime cases so far this fiscal year, putting it on track to prosecute even fewer cases than in the last fiscal year of the Trump administration. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)

PIPELINES: The Department of Homeland Security will issue a directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cybersecurity breaches to federal authorities. (Washington Post)

COMMENTARY: Ocean experts call on Congress to solidify President Biden’s plans to scale up offshore wind development, cut shipping emissions and protect coastal communities from climate change. (Bloomberg) 

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.