COAL: U.S. utilities plan to retire a record-setting 23 GW of coal-fired power plant capacity in 2028, on top of 51 GW expected to go offline before that year. (S&P Global)

ALSO: Duke Energy announces plans to close its remaining coal plants by 2035 and spend more than $100 billion to double its renewable capacity over the next decade. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• California regulators sue Tesla, alleging the electric vehicle maker discriminates against Black employees at its San Francisco factory. (Associated Press)
• Amendments to an electric vehicle charging station bill in Wisconsin have turned clean energy advocates against it while highlighting a broader debate over who will control and profit most from the transition to electric vehicles. (Energy News Network)

POLITICS:
• Sen. Joe Manchin says Congress should limit spending amid a surge of inflation, throwing another wrench in Build Back Better plans. (E&E News)
• States are redrawing Congressional maps to strongly benefit one party or the other, suggesting districts favoring Democrats could see contested primaries with climate as a main issue. (E&E News)

STORAGE: Oregon engineers are building an iron flow battery based on a 30-year-old design they say could store power more cheaply than a lithium battery. (Grist)

SOLAR:
• German researchers say they’ve found a way to reuse silicon from old solar panels, but an Arizona researcher says silicon is only a small piece of solar panel waste that needs to be addressed. (Inside Climate News)
• Nevada energy industry officials criticize the Biden administration’s extension of Trump-era solar panel tariffs, saying domestic supplies are insufficient to equip current projects. (Nevada Current)

WIND: Construction on the roughly $2 billion South Fork wind farm off Rhode Island’s coast will begin after a ceremonial groundbreaking today. (Newsday)

GRID: Texans struggle with climate-induced trauma one year after a powerful winter storm nearly knocked out the power grid and resulted in hundreds of deaths. (Texas Observer)

NUCLEAR: The federal government’s nuclear energy regulator lacks the oversight it needs to keep defective and counterfeit parts out of power plants, its inspector general finds. (E&E News)

PIPELINES: Ongoing protests and a civil rights case against a North Brooklyn pipeline could signal a turning point in how the federal government considers and applies environmental justice principles, some observers say. (The Guardian)

ELECTRIFICATION: A group of Colorado natural gas companies, utilities and real estate groups use questionable claims to campaign against “forced electrification.” (DeSmog)

 

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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.