OFFSHORE WIND: The Biden administration will gauge interest in opening the Gulf of Mexico to offshore wind and other renewable energy development. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• The addition of three new members to ExxonMobil’s board could move the oil company toward clean energy spending, analysts and investors say, but major changes will take time. (Reuters)
• White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy will meet with oil executives today as the Biden administration considers regulations and a clean energy mandate that would affect the oil industry. (Bloomberg)
• Wyoming’s governor plans to spend federal COVID-19 relief funds on oil and gas projects and revive energy jobs. (Rocket Miner)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The Biden administration’s plan to strengthen clean energy supply chains calls for cutting cobalt and nickel out of lithium batteries by 2030. (news release; E&E News, subscription)
• Electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors tells federal regulators that its financial problems may limit its ability to produce electric trucks at an Ohio facility. (Reuters)
EMISSIONS: A new study finds vehicle emissions killed thousands of people across the Northeast in 2016 and subsequently racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in “health-related financial tolls.” (Boston Globe)
INFRASTRUCTURE: Gina McCarthy says some climate proposals may not make it into the federal government’s final infrastructure plan even as President Biden cuts off infrastructure negotiations with Republicans. (Politico, NBC News)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Wind could overtake solar as the U.S.’s No. 1 clean energy job creator, a study suggests, also finding the East Coast needs a major retraining effort if it wants to become a wind industry hub. (E&E News)
• First Solar announces plans for a new $680 million solar manufacturing plant in northern Ohio, which will be among the largest integrated solar manufacturing complexes in the world. (CNN)
• Surging costs for components and labor are slowing down the rate of new solar installations worldwide, industry analysts say. (Reuters)
PIPELINES:
• “This is just the beginning,” says Indigenous activist Winona LaDuke as roughly 200 protesters are arrested while attempting to stop construction of the Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota. (Inside Climate News)
• In a Senate hearing, Colonial Pipeline’s CEO defends the company’s response to a cyberattack in which hackers guessed a single password to infiltrate Colonial systems. (Washington Post)
• In Michigan, Line 5 pipeline opponents launch a six-figure TV and radio advertising campaign calling for the permanent closure of the pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Detroit News)
GRID:
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs new reforms he says “fix all of the flaws” that contributed to February’s deadly winter blackout, despite criticism from experts who say much more needs to be done. (Associated Press, KXAN)
• The Bureau of Land Management opens the public comment period on a high-voltage transmission line that would carry primarily renewable energy from central New Mexico to markets in Arizona and California. (Deming Headlight)
COAL: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney claims Washington’s rejection of a coal export terminal violates the Commerce Clause of the Constitution because it “undermines” Wyoming’s coal industry. (Oil City News)
CLIMATE: Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signs a $7.35 billion budget that includes $50 million for climate change measures, nearly half of which is earmarked for weatherization efforts. (VT Digger)
NUCLEAR: Regulators report Georgia Power’s long-delayed nuclear expansion of Plant Vogtle is even further behind schedule than the utility acknowledges, and could cost $2 billion more than expected. (Associated Press; Wall Street Journal, subscription)
COMMENTARY: Researchers argue hydrogen needs its own regulatory structure to thrive in the U.S. (Utility Dive)