GRID: The Department of Energy launches a 100-day push to strengthen the electric grid’s resistance to cybersecurity attacks, which wasn’t a part of the White House’s infrastructure proposal. (The Hill)
ALSO:
• The department also reverses a Trump administration order that blocked utilities supplying power to “critical defense facilities” from installing Chinese-made bulk-power equipment. (Utility Dive)
• Lawmakers reintroduce a bill that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission six months to expand and improve its interregional transmission planning process. (Utility Dive)
• A transmission company obtains several permits for a 1.2 GW transmission line intended to service future wind farms off the New Jersey coast. (Associated Press)
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EMISSIONS:
• President Biden this week is expected to commit the U.S. to cutting emissions at least in half by 2030, nearly doubling the Obama administration’s goal. (Washington Post)
• The U.S. joins the International Maritime Organization’s push to achieve net zero emissions in the global shipping industry by 2050. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• The NAACP and environmental justice advocacy groups form the Solar Access for All Coalition with a goal of adding solar power to 30 million homes, 15 million of them low and moderate income. (Axios)
• A surge in community solar proposals in Minnesota intensifies renewable energy developers’ complaints about costs and delays when attempting to connect with Xcel Energy’s system. (Energy News Network)
CLIMATE:
• Progressive lawmakers reintroduce the Green New Deal days after proposing funding for cities, tribes and territories to enact clean energy initiatives. (Politico)
• Chinese President Xi Jinping says he’ll attend the White House’s climate summit, meaning the world’s biggest emitters will be there. (Guardian)
• Dozens of companies will likely announce increased investments in renewable energy and electric vehicles at the summit. (Washington Post)
OVERSIGHT: The EPA shut out career staffers as it reduced vehicle emissions standards under the Trump administration, an inspector general report finds, and also failed to consider the pollution’s impact on poor and minority communities near highways. (Washington Post)
COAL: The head of the United Mine Workers of America is skeptical that a “just transition” from coal is possible as the Biden administration plans to announce more aggressive emission-reduction targets. (Ohio Valley ReSource)
UTILITIES:
• President Joe Biden nominates four people with environmental and labor-friendly backgrounds to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board, likely signalling an increased focus on further reducing its carbon emissions. (E&E News, subscription; Commercial Appeal)
• Rural electric cooperatives contend President Biden’s plan to decarbonize the electric grid by 2035 is “an overly ambitious goal,” especially since they and municipally-owned utilities can’t access federal tax incentives meant to encourage the transition. (Utility Dive)
PIPELINES:
• The Memphis City Council delays a vote on an ordinance to expand regulations that might block the proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline, while the mayor calls for more scrutiny of the project by local, state and federal officials. (Commercial Appeal)
• A protester locks herself to Mountain Valley Pipeline equipment to delay construction for four hours before she is extracted and arrested, while more than 60 conversation and environmental groups call on federal regulators to suspend the project. (Roanoke Times, news release)
PUBLIC LANDS: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland refrains from committing to a course of action on issues of significant interest to Western states during her first congressional hearing as the department’s leader. (Missoula Current)