CLEAN ENERGY: President Biden has promised the clean energy transition will bring “good, high-wage jobs,” but much of the industry has so far avoided employing union workers and made high-demand, low-pay jobs the norm. (New York Times)
ALSO: Missouri clean energy advocates are among groups pushing for a $100 billion federal loan program that would help electric cooperatives transition from fossil fuels. (Missouri Times)
SOLAR:
• The Biden administration unveils an app that allows local governments to automatically process applications for rooftop solar installations and issue permits. (Reuters)
• Elon Musk takes the stand in a trial over Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity and fights shareholders’ claims he effectively bailed out the failing solar installer. (CNBC)
• An energy developer reverses course after public outcry over its plan to demolish a historic drive-in movie theater in Pennsylvania for a solar farm, saying it will no longer pursue the project. (Morning Call)
TRANSPORTATION: A coalition of large fleet owners, including Amazon and several utilities, call on Congress to include support for electrified fleet vehicles in a federal infrastructure plan. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas industry lawyers say Biden administration officials could be held in contempt of court if they don’t comply with a judge’s order to resume oil and gas lease sales. (Bloomberg)
• A bankrupt St. Croix oil refinery forced to close due to foul odors and noxious releases needs at least $1 billion to complete an overhaul and remain viable, according to lawyers and others involved in its bankruptcy. (Reuters)
CLIMATE: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the central bank will likely require banks to test how vulnerable they are to climate change, following European banks’ leads. (Bloomberg)
HYDROGEN: Plug Power enters into a 345 MW wind power purchase agreement with Apex Clean Energy in what is set to be the first wind-powered hydrogen project in the U.S. (Utility Dive)
GRID:
• Soaring demand for natural gas for power generation is expected to continue in the Western U.S. as the National Weather Service forecasts above-average August temperatures. (S&P Global)
• The wildfire-caused shutdown of an Oregon-to-California transmission line bolsters calls for a vastly expanded and more integrated power grid. (E&E News, subscription)
• A new report says the Texas grid operator’s demand response program cut power to critical natural gas infrastructure amid the power crisis during February’s winter storm. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
• A controversial proposed transmission line through northern Iowa and Wisconsin showcases the debate over bringing more renewable energy projects online to service populated areas. (KWWL)
NATURAL GAS:
• A leaking gas pipe appears to be responsible for high carbon monoxide levels that sent 53 people at a New York youth summer camp to nearby hospitals. (Times Union)
• Pennsylvania’s utility regulator approves a $1 million fine against Energy Transfer LP over a 2018 natural gas pipeline explosion that destroyed a home. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
HYDROPOWER: Drought is likely to shut down a major California hydroelectricity generator for the first time ever this summer. (E&E News, subscription)
COMMENTARY: The Biden administration is repeating the Obama administration’s clean energy subsidy playbook — but it wasn’t very successful the first time around, a columnist writes. (Forbes)