PIPELINES: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission votes to consider climate impacts when deciding to approve pipelines, as well as landowner and environmental justice concerns. (The Hill, E&E News) 

ALSO: Construction wraps on Pennsylvania’s Mariner East gas pipeline — an environmentally destructive project that led the state attorney general to file 48 criminal charges against the builder. (WHYY)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
• The Biden administration unveils an online screening tool meant to identify communities facing the worst effects of pollution. (Washington Post)
• The White House is advancing plans to create a Senate-confirmed position to lead environmental justice efforts, perhaps in the federal government’s annual spending bill. (E&E News)

WIND:
• The U.S. is on track to meet a Biden administration goal of deploying at least 30 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030, two analyses conclude. (Utility Dive)
• Eversource Energy tells investors it expects to spend up to $1 billion this year on its three offshore wind projects in the Northeast. (S&P Global)

CLIMATE: The White House still hasn’t released a promised plan to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030, suggesting the Biden administration hasn’t entirely figured how to accomplish the goal. (E&E News)

GRID:
• Federal energy regulators request comment on dynamic line ratings as they consider mandating transmission providers use the tool to improve power flow. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A task force of state and federal energy regulators consider plans to develop portfolios of transmission projects instead of reviewing projects on a case-by-case basis. (Utility Dive)
• Thousands of Texans turn to solar power and battery storage in the wake of mass blackouts during last year’s winter storm. (Houston Chronicle)
• Texas death counts spiked in February 2021, suggesting the state is undercounting fatalities related to that month’s winter storm. (Houston Chronicle)

FOSSIL FUELS: A California lawmakers’ bill that would create a fund to support and retrain energy transition-affected oil industry workers exposes a rift between two groups of labor unions. (CalMatters) 

HYDROGEN: Southern California Gas Co. proposes building the nation’s largest green hydrogen infrastructure system to move the fuel from wind and solar facilities to the Los Angeles Basin. (S&P Global)

UTILITIES:
• An environmental attorney says antitrust law could potentially be used to stop monopoly utilities from trying to limit distributed generation. (Grist)
• Vermont utility regulators reject a petition by the state’s largest private employer to form and manage its own electric utility — a move advocates warned would exempt the company from state climate laws. (VTDigger)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: A Montana coal plant’s greenhouse gas emissions increase dramatically after a cryptocurrency mining firm sets up shop nearby to purchase all of the plant’s power. (Guardian)

NUCLEAR: Western utilities hoping to build a small modular nuclear reactor facility in Idaho dispute a think tank’s study suggesting the reactors are too expensive and risky. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Nissan announces it will invest half a billion dollars into a Mississippi plant that will start making two new electric vehicle models in 2025. (Associated Press)

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.