CLEAN ENERGY: A federal clean energy standard is the country’s best chance to rapidly cut emissions, as well as save hundreds of thousands of lives from deadly air pollution, a study finds. (The Guardian)

COAL:
• When people die in Illinois coal mines, faulty equipment and a lack of safety policies and procedures are the most commonly cited causes by investigators, according to an Energy News Network review of two decades’ worth of federal mine safety records. (Energy News Network)
• Critics say penalties issued for coal mining safety violations are typically so small that they become a cost of doing business rather than a deterrent for unsafe working conditions. (Energy News Network)
• The danger and physical toll of coal mining are part of everyday life in southern Illinois, where the industry remains deeply enmeshed in communities. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• California grid operators declare a stage-two emergency after a huge wildfire takes out the Oregon-California intertie — which carries 4,800 megawatts of hydropower to California — just as extreme heat drives up power demand. (Oregonian)
• Long Island Power Authority says it intends to mainly generate electricity from wind and solar resources by 2030, so the system owner and its utility operator plan to study how to seamlessly transition the grid. (Newsday, subscription)
• A federal appeals court rules that some regulatory changes to the PJM Interconnection capacity market curve make sense, but doesn’t make a decision on the approval of a voluntary adder. (S&P Global)

CLIMATE:
• Death Valley matches an all-time high temperature record of 130 F as extreme heat grips the West. (New York Times)
• Massachusetts’ only home energy subsidy program incentivizes new gas and oil heating system installations, in contradiction with the state’s bold climate goals, experts say. (Boston Globe)

PIPELINES: The federal government threatens to fine Colonial Pipeline $200,000 per day over a massive gasoline spill unless the company installs a better leak detection system. (Charlotte Observer)

BIOMASS: Europe’s designation of wood pellets as a renewable energy source drives up demand for biomass and hurts marginalized communities in North Carolina near where the pellets are produced. (CNN)

WIND: The federal government releases a request for interest to gauge the feasibility of offshore wind projects in the Gulf of Mexico. (NOLA.com)

SOLAR:
• Tesla partners with a real estate developer and another company to announce a solar-based community in Texas. (KVUE)
• Details about Amazon’s plan to buy power from 14 renewable projects, including two new solar farms in Arkansas, remain fuzzy as officials seek more information. (Arkansas Business)
• The second largest provider of residential solar loans in the U.S. goes public, joining several clean energy companies to do so via a transaction known as a SPAC. (Canary Media)
• A 315,000-square-foot solar panel manufacturing center may begin operating by June 2022 in an upstate New York county, with plans to employ 290 workers. (NNY360)

POLITICS: House Democrats unveil a 2022 spending proposal that would boost the Department of Energy’s budget and include record funding for efficiency and renewables research. (E&E News, subscription)

NUCLEAR: The Biden administration signals it will remove uranium from its critical mineral list and reverse a Trump administration policy to fast-track uranium mining permits. (E&E News, subscription)

HEAT PUMPS: While they’re praised as an energy efficient heating alternative, heat pumps still emit a highly polluting refrigerant that could be swapped for a cleaner product. (Inside Climate News)

FINANCE: Some Ohio officials seek to expand Property Assessed Clean Energy financing to other cities under the same for-profit lender that has harmed borrowers in Missouri. (ProPublica / Cincinnati Enquirer)

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.