POLITICS: Still divided over the reconciliation bill, congressional Democrats suggest it’s unlikely they’ll include a carbon tax in the plan, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi maintains it would be a “dereliction of duty” to pass a bill that’s weak on climate. (E&E News, The Hill)

TRANSPORTATION:
• A group of 21 state attorneys urge the U.S. EPA to implement the most stringent tailpipe emissions standards it’s currently considering. (The Hill)
• The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA will implement a software program at 27 airports meant to reduce runway taxi delays and cut emissions. (Axios)
• Massachusetts environmental justice advocates want more air quality monitoring near highways, hoping accurate data will make resources available for communities long hurt by traffic pollution. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• A U.S. Energy Department program will spend the next five years developing and testing inverters that provide the “pulse” necessary to keep renewable energy consistently flowing across the grid. (Canary Media)
• Texas lawmakers express anger over a regulatory loophole that lets gas producers avoid winterizing facilities by paying a small fee to opt out of receiving emergency power. (Houston Chronicle)

WIND:
• Concerns over marine life and high costs plague efforts to build floating wind turbines off the U.S.’s west coast, piling on top of opposition that already burdens fixed turbine projects. (E&E News)
• The Bureau of Ocean Management will review proposals for two wind farms nine miles off the New Jersey coast, one of which would have a roughly 1.5 GW capacity. (The Hill)

OVERSIGHT:
• In a congressional hearing, FERC Chair Richard Glick defends the regulatory body’s recent move to consider the environmental impacts of natural gas projects and says FERC may increasingly consider the social cost of carbon in authorizing projects. (E&E News)
• FERC members divide over the feasibility of implementing Democrats’ Clean Electricity Performance Program. (E&E News)

SOLAR: A Virginia conservationist with the Nature Conservancy develops partnerships to put solar farms on spent coal mines in central Appalachia. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford’s choice of Tennessee and Kentucky for its high-stakes bet on the future of electric vehicles stands at odds with the states’ Republican leaders who have vilified the push for green energy. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS:
• The Biden administration revokes a Trump-era rule that let oil, gas and coal companies pay lower royalties by selling federal minerals at a reduced cost to subsidiaries. (E&E News)
• The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a petition this session by Dakota Access pipeline operators who dispute a lower court’s finding that the project needs further environmental review. (Bloomberg Law)

NUCLEAR: Several states are re-examining the role of existing nuclear power plants and providing incentives as clean energy providers. (Utility Dive)

COMMENTARY:
• The world’s rising electricity demand combined with its growing need to cut carbon emissions opens an opportunity for nuclear power to thrive, a columnist argues. (Washington Post)
• Automakers’ major battery investments and rising electric vehicle sales show EVs have reached an inflection point, a columnist writes. (Atlantic)

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.