ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Ford unveils its electric F-150 pickup truck, which has the potential to convert a new class of drivers to electric vehicles based on its features and price. (Grist)

ALSO:
• Ford also announces partnerships with a South Korean battery company and solar installer Sunrun as it prepares to ramp up electric vehicle production. (Reuters, Solar Power World)
• As California weighs an electric vehicle requirement for rideshare services, a driver advocate worries it will be a “green badge of honor” for the companies while low-income drivers shoulder the cost. (CalMatters)

***SPONSORED LINK: The Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition via Fresh Energy is hiring for a Manager of Building Policy and Technology consultant to support policy and technology solutions. Apply before June 1.***

GRID:
• Texas lawmakers repeatedly ignored warnings about electric grid vulnerabilities, making decisions that experts say increased the risk from weather-related emergencies. (Houston Chronicle)
• February’s winter storm cost power companies more than $10 billion, largely from skyrocketing fuel prices and purchasing supplemental power. (S&P Global)

PIPELINES:
• Colonial Pipeline’s CEO says the company paid a $4.4 million ransom to hackers because it was unsure how severe the attack was or how long it would take to restore service. (Associated Press; Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm tells a House committee the U.S. has “inadequate” pipeline security standards. (The Hill)
• House science committee leaders request a hearing with the Department of Energy regarding its Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack response. (The Hill)

OIL & GAS:
• Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who heads the House Natural Resource Committee’s oversight arm, chastises oil executives after they decline to appear at a hearing regarding their “misuse of taxpayer dollars.” (The Hill)
• A state-commissioned analysis finds it would cost $8.38 billion to clean up New Mexico’s oil and gas infrastructure, but the state only has about $200 million in bonds to pay for it. (New Mexico Political Report)
• Activists and officials across New England disagree on whether the region needs the controversial Weymouth compressor station’s natural gas output. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR: The Tennessee Valley Authority announces a partnership to build a 150 MW solar farm in Tennessee that will power a Facebook data center. (WATN)

NUCLEAR: New York utility regulators decide Holtec International can buy the Indian Point nuclear plant in order to shut down and remediate the site and its already decommissioned generating units. (Rockland/Westchester Journal News)

COAL: An Appalachian think tank reports the cost of reclaiming old coal mines across the country could come close to $26 billion. (Daily Yonder)

STORAGE: The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researchers study whether batteries should be placed near clean power sources or concentrated grids to maximize their value. (Utility Dive)

OFFSHORE WIND: Ørsted, Eversource, and a maritime monitoring contractor plan to use local fishing crews to map out navigable routes around the utility’s planned wind farms along the East Coast. (Providence Business News)

CLIMATE: The Biden administration rehires the former head of a federal climate research program who was removed by the Trump administration. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• The Colonial Pipeline cyberattack was enabled in part by a business culture that has resisted efforts to maintain robust cybersecurity standards, writes a journalist. (The New Yorker)
• The IEA’s Net Zero report should “bolster arguments” that worldwide net zero goals are “unrealistic” and would result in a massive economic crash, a columnist and energy analyst argues. (Forbes)

Avatar photo

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.