CLIMATE: House Democrats introduce a broad climate bill that targets 100% emissions-free electricity by 2035 and sets a goal of fully decarbonizing the economy by 2050. (Reuters)

ALSO:
• The House bill would also establish an Office of Transmission within FERC to guide interstate power line projects. (S&P Global)
• At an industry conference, climate envoy John Kerry says the oil industry “clearly could do a lot more” to advance clean energy technology. (Reuters)
• Critics say the American Petroleum Institute’s embrace of carbon pricing would amount to “little more than a public relations ploy.” (Washington Post)
• Legislators in Rhode Island say a new climate bill must be enforceable and include the ability of residents to sue the state for non-compliance. (ecoRI)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Six major U.S. utilities announce a new coalition to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure on highways covering a vast swath of the country from West Texas to Washington, D.C. (CNET)
• Minnesota environmental groups express dismay as the state’s largest transit agency seeks to purchase 143 biodiesel buses instead of electric models. (Star Tribune)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• While the Senate continues to deliberate Deb Haaland’s nomination to lead the Interior Department, the agency is already moving quickly to address climate change and slow fossil fuel development. (New York Times)
• The Senate energy committee may take a vote on Haaland’s nomination tomorrow, and Maine Sen. Susan Collins becomes the first Republican to say she will vote for confirmation. (Native News Online, The Hill) 

COAL:
• A federal bankruptcy court holds a hearing today on coal operator Blackjewel’s plan to abandon nearly 200 mining permits in Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, and observers say reclamation bonds won’t be enough to cover the cost of clean-up. (Inside Climate News)
• Authors of a new study note that the U.S. still lacks a cohesive plan to help communities transition from coal. (Grist)
• Private equity firms are increasingly buying and profiting from old coal plants that are paid to remain online to maintain reliability during high demand periods. (Reuters)
• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon calls on lawmakers to support bills that would save the state’s coal industry, and says the state “can and must be a leader in carbon capture and other emerging technologies.” (Casper Star-Tribune)

GRID:
• Texas regulators meet today for the first time since last month’s outages, amid calls to cut fees that skyrocketed during the crisis and will potentially swamp power companies and their customers. (Reuters)
• Energy analysts call for Texas to reestablish links to regional electric grids to avoid a repeat of last month’s massive outages and rolling blackouts. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR: Connecticut solar developers propose to use sheep for vegetation control as more sites are seen as potential locations for dual energy and agricultural production. (Energy News Network)

NUCLEAR: A proposed Nevada bill would require the federal government to get the approval of state, local and tribal entities before building a permanent nuclear waste repository. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

BIOFUELS: Demand is growing for renewable diesel fuel, but production is limited by a shortage of feedstocks. (Reuters)

PIPELINES: The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline has enlisted the brother of a key Biden administration advisor as a lobbyist for the project. (Bloomberg Government)

COMMENTARY:
• A Montana geologist argues the Keystone pipeline cancellation won’t actually hurt the U.S., as it benefitted Canadian oil sales more anyway. (Missoulian)
• Climate activists need to “win over” utilities or reduce their influence to have any chance at enacting meaningful reforms, a climate policy researcher argues. (Grist)
• A Texas professor says the recent energy crisis “spotlighted the Lone Star State’s pervasive history of structural racism.” (CNN) 

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.