TRANSPORTATION: California regulators approve a new standard for zero-emission trucks, requiring 300,000 sold in the state by 2035, with Gov. Gavin Newsom noting the shift will benefit communities of color disproportionately impacted by vehicle pollution. (Los Angeles Times)

ALSO:
• A bill proposed by House Democrats includes a provision that would upgrade 75 percent of the U.S. Postal Service delivery fleet to zero-emission vehicles. (Vox)
• Vice President Mike Pence attends the unveiling of Lordstown Motors’ electric pickup truck in Ohio, saying it’s “another example of the great American comeback.” (Cincinnati Business Courier)
• A recent study details state-by-state consumer cost savings by switching to electric vehicles. (InsideClimate News)

***SPONSORED LINK: Register today for Fresh Energy’s Truly Affordable Webinar Series on Thursdays in July! Now more than ever the topic of affordable, energy efficient housing has become even more critical.***  

CLEAN ENERGY:
• A tax bill introduced by House Democrats on Thursday includes incentives for renewable energy and electric vehicles. (The Hill)
• A new report details clean energy job losses in the Midwest since the pandemic and recommends policies to jumpstart the industry that had been growing faster than the broader economy. (Wisconsin State Journal)

OIL & GAS:
• The Interior Department announces plans to open up 18 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to oil and gas leasing. (Associated Press)
• After a two-year investigation, a Pennsylvania grand jury report says state environmental officials failed to protect residents from the health effects of fracking. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• Two women who protested construction of a massive plastics and petrochemical complex in Louisiana last year are arrested for “terrorizing” an oil and gas lobbyist and face up to 15 years in prison. (InsideClimate News)
• Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs a law that designates properties with oil and gas equipment as “critical infrastructure,” making trespassing a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. (Bloomberg)

PIPELINES: A Michigan judge orders Enbridge to temporarily shut down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, citing a lack of disclosure following significant damage last week to one of the line’s anchor supports. (Detroit News)

COAL: Taxpayers could be on the hook for millions of dollars in coal mine cleanup in Appalachia because several key financial instruments meant to guarantee environmental cleanup have been pushed to the brink of insolvency. (DeSmog)

CARBON CAPTURE: Southern Company says it is considering another carbon capture project in Mississippi at the site of an expensive, failed carbon-free coal plant. (E&E News)

SOLAR: Pollinator habitat will be included around a planned 80-acre solar project at the site of a former Indiana coal plant. (Indiana Public Media)

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WIND: Students from a Virginia university win a collegiate wind energy competition that provides networking and hands-on experience for “the next generation of the wind energy workforce.” (Energy News Network)

COMMENTARY: Racial disparities in health, policies that favor polluters, and climate change-fueled disasters have been made “more severe and more obvious” by the pandemic, environmental advocates say. (Natural Resources Defense Council)

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.