CLIMATE: Climate change will “increasingly exacerbate risks to human and national security” the next 20 years, a major report from the National Intelligence Council predicts, emphasizing the need for the U.S. to harden its institutions against unavoidable consequences. (Axios, Washington Post)

ALSO:
• President Biden will direct the Treasury Department and financial officials to develop a plan to address climate-related risks to the financial system. (Bloomberg)
• Climate envoy John Kerry says he’s “not confident,” but is “hopeful” China will partner with the U.S. and other countries to combat climate change, saying a failure to do so would be a “mutual suicide pact across the planet.” (The Hill, Washington Post)

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EMISSIONS:
• President Biden supports implementing carbon pricing “at some point,” John Kerry says, calling the mechanism “one of the most effective ways to reduce emissions.” (E&E News, subscription)
• Current and former employees of a potentially game-changing carbon capture startup blame its CEO for the company’s failure to make significant progress over the past decade. (Bloomberg)

GRID:
• President Biden’s plan to strengthen and electrify the grid will take more than a massive financial investment to achieve, transmission experts and regulators warn, as it takes at least 8-10 years to build the long-haul transmission lines Biden envisions. (Politico)
• A Republican U.S. senator and a Democratic representative from Texas announce federal legislation to create a half billion-dollar grant for Texas power providers, distributors and suppliers to winterize their infrastructure. (Dallas Morning News)

OIL & GAS:
• Chevron and BP America executives have declined Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders’ request for a hearing on climate change, while Exxon says it will only deliver a response to Sanders’ office. (CBS News; E&E News, subscription)
• New Mexico Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández proposes creating a program to clean up thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells, funded by $7.25 billion in federal grants. (E&E News, subscription)
• A conservation group sues the U.S. Interior Department over 32 Trump-era oil and gas leases in Utah, alleging it did not assess archaeology and nature impacts, including in nearby Bears Ears National Monument. (Reuters) 

SOLAR: In several states across the U.S., solar advocates and utilities are at odds over fair compensation rates for sending excess power sent to the grid under net metering programs. (Inside Climate News)

EQUITY:
• Climate justice leaders urge the Biden administration to direct clean energy investments to low-income neighborhoods, as they’re disproportionately exposed to pollution and other effects of climate change. (Reuters)
• Black and Latinx families in Milwaukee pay disproportionately high energy bills as a share of their household income compared to White families, according to a Sierra Club report. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Sunday marks the deadline for President Joe Biden to overrule a trade decision against a Korean electric vehicle battery maker, which says it says will withdraw from three factories in Georgia if the ruling isn’t reversed. (NPR Morning Edition)
• Researchers at Michigan and Ohio universities seek to reduce fuel and energy consumption with automated and connected vehicle technologies. (Centered)

PIPELINES: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to issue recommendations on the future of the Dakota Access pipeline at a federal hearing today. (Reuters)

OFFSHORE WIND: Rhode Island regulators say National Grid collected $46 million in excess profits for an undersea transmission cable for the Block Island Wind Farm, and then failed to set aside money for maintenance, costing ratepayers even more. (Providence Journal, subscription)

HYDROPOWER:
• Citing a “process issue,” a Maine state agency rescinds a river plan amendment that may have seen several hydroelectric dams removed, after taking heat from all sides. (Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel)
• A near-to-below normal water supply in the Columbia River Basin is expected to decrease hydropower generation in the Pacific Northwest this summer. (U.S. Energy Information Administration)

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COAL ASH: A Tennessee Democratic representative introduces a bill to strengthen federal rules around the storage and disposal of coal ash. (news release)

COMMENTARY: Publicly owned utilities can give more power to Michigan ratepayers through lower bills and supportive renewable energy policies, say two University of Michigan graduate students. (Energy News Network)

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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.