ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Environmentalists, automaker trade groups, and utilities band together to encourage each other and all levels of government to boost the construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Axios)
ALSO:
• A group of House Democrats say senators’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill doesn’t include enough funding to incentivize building electric vehicles and charging stations. (The Hill)
• Ohio electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors makes a “critical, strategic pivot” and is in talks to build vehicles for other automakers or lease space in its northern Ohio factory. (Reuters)
EMISSIONS:
• Some climate experts say the IPCC’s dire report understated the need to quickly curb methane emissions, especially in its abbreviated recommendations for policymakers. (Inside Climate News)
• Bill Gates says his climate investment fund will dedicate $1.5 billion to developing technologies that curb emissions if the U.S. government approves funding for the developments first. (Wall Street Journal)
OIL & GAS:
• Republican lawmakers say the nation’s biggest oil and gas trade group has lobbied them to support carbon pricing, but most still haven’t changed their minds. (E&E News)
• The White House pushes OPEC+ to boost oil production amid rising gasoline prices and tells the Federal Trade Commission to investigate divergences between oil and gas prices. (The Hill)
• Natural gas companies across the U.S. are using drones and other methods to collect methane leak data in an attempt to show they can cap those leaks, reduce emissions and preserve their industry. (Wall Street Journal)
• U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota introduces a budget amendment that would prohibit the Biden administration from releasing rules or guidance to ban hydraulic fracturing. (Minot Daily News)
NUCLEAR: Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers say they’ve taken a big step toward producing a fusion reactor. (New York Times)
POLITICS:
• Few Republican Congress members say the IPCC’s report encouraged them to more urgently address climate change. (Politico)
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation puts the state’s implementation of an ambitious climate policy into question. (E&E News)
CARBON CAPTURE: Critics of the infrastructure bill’s funding for regional carbon capture hubs say they’ll extend the life of fossil fuels, and that there may never be enough capture projects to support the hubs. (E&E News)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• California regulators vote to require solar and battery storage in many new commercial and multifamily buildings, to incentivize a shift from natural gas and to expedite the addition of storage to existing rooftop solar installations. (New York Times)
• PJM Interconnection predicts it will need between $2.2 billion and $3.2 billion in transmission upgrades to handle planned increases in renewable energy and offshore wind production over the next 15 years. (E&E News)
• Midwest clean energy jobs declined by roughly 9% last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, though clean transportation jobs actually grew in some states compared to 2019, according to a new report. (Energy News Network)
LITHIUM: The Biden administration is considering a ban on new public land mining claims on millions of acres of sage grouse habitat, potentially affecting future lithium mining projects. (E&E News, subscription)
ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Virginia’s participation in a regional climate initiative funds top-of-the-line energy efficiency measures during a phased renovation of 450 apartments and townhomes in a public housing complex. (Energy News Network)
CRYPTOCURRENCY: Texas lures crypto miners through incentives like generous programs that pay out when large industrial and commercial customers curtail energy consumption during periods of high demand. (S&P Global)