CLIMATE: Climate scientists say they’re disappointed in gloom-and-doom news coverage of Monday’s IPCC report, noting that progress continues to be made and urging leaders to focus on solutions. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:
• A new report finds the oil and gas industry “is using a more sophisticated playbook to undermine climate action,” serving up millions of ads on social media at key political moments. (CNN Business)
• Alberta officials say the Biden administration’s push for OPEC to increase production “smacks of hypocrisy” after the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline. (Financial Post)
• Wyoming’s drilling activity on public lands has tripled during the Interior Department’s oil and gas leasing pause. (WyoFile)
• New York utility regulators approved a rate increase on nearly 2 million National Grid customers in order to fund what some call the North Brooklyn Pipeline, which local activists and politicians have condemned. (Vice)

HYDROGEN: Researchers say that even if carbon is captured, so-called “blue hydrogen,” set to receive a massive influx of funding under the federal infrastructure bill, is likely worse for the climate than just burning the natural gas used to produce it. (New York Times)

POLITICS: Duke Energy has spent at least $1.2 million over the last year and a half as it promotes contentious North Carolina energy legislation that critics say will hamper utility oversight, harm ratepayers and slow the clean energy transition. (Energy News Network)

GRID: Outgoing FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee says he regrets that the issue of grid resilience has become politicized, acknowledging that his own past comments have fueled the fire. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Illinois regulators vote to open an investigation to determine whether ComEd improperly recovered costs from ratepayers as part of a bribery scandal involving favors from lawmakers. (Chicago Tribune)

OHIO: State Attorney General Dave Yost takes steps to freeze the assets of former utility regulator Sam Randazzo, a key figure in the ongoing bribery scandal involving favorable policies for FirstEnergy. (WKYC, Energy News Network archive)

SOLAR:
• Facebook plans to power a new, $800 million data center in Mesa, Arizona, using 450 MW of capacity from three new solar installations. (Arizona Republic)
• Florida regulators expect the installation of more than 13,000 MW of solar power over the next decade as state policies encourage larger-scale development and utilities pursue aggressive expansion plans. (S&P Global)
• A new report sheds light on utility efforts in Illinois and Kansas to stifle attempts at growing distribution generation and rooftop solar. (PV Magazine)

NUCLEAR: The developers of an advanced nuclear reactor proposed for Wyoming ask lawmakers to tweak regulations and waive a $5 per megawatt generation tax to make nuclear projects more economically feasible. (Casper Star-Tribune)

COMMENTARY: A climate activist argues big tech companies could fight climate change and save money by using video meetings “rather than shuttle employees around the planet on airlines that … burned 7 million to 8 million barrels of oil per day.” (Los Angeles Times)

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.