CLIMATE: The International Energy Association says the world must immediately halt fossil fuel investment and quickly phase out gasoline cars to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change. (New York Times)
ALSO:
• The U.S. Supreme Court strikes a blow to Baltimore’s climate lawsuit against major oil and gas companies, agreeing with the corporations on a narrow procedural issue — but experts say it isn’t the “kill shot” the industry sought. (New York Times)
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signs landmark climate legislation into law but vetoes a provision calling for a 5-cent gasoline tax increase. (Spokesman-Review)
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EFFICIENCY:
• The White House says it will establish energy performance standards for federal buildings and create new Energy Star standards for heat pumps, central air conditioners and electric water heaters. (The Hill)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority will spend $7.3 million across seven states to train public school personnel to reduce energy use and save money. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES:
• Fuel outages and a six-year high in gas prices persist across parts of the Southeast even as the Colonial Pipeline resumes operations. (ABC New)
• Congressional Republicans falsely link the cyberattack-related shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline to President Joe Biden’s executive order to halt construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. (PolitiFact)
• The Dakota Access pipeline owner cites the recent Colonial pipeline shutdown as reasons to keep the project operating during an environmental review. (S&P Global)
HYDROPOWER: Nez Perce Tribal Chairman Samuel Penney says Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray are “providing no substance” in their opposition to a plan to remove four Snake River dams. (E&E News, subscription)
COAL: Environmental groups sue the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation, saying it needs to press West Virginia to ensure coal companies pay the full costs of mine reclamation. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
SOLAR: The president of the U.S.’s biggest solar engineering firm discusses the challenges of hiring local residents to build projects and reshaping its hiring pipeline to diversify its workforce. (Canary Media)
WIND:
• One of the world’s biggest wind turbine manufacturers announces a “technological breakthrough” that will allow its unrecyclable old turbine blades to be reconfigured into new products. (E&E News, subscription)
• Southern Massachusetts officials are frustrated over what they characterize as a string of missed opportunities through the offshore wind procurement process for “permanent industry investment” in their region. (Standard-Times)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Two Ohio transit agencies roll out their first electric buses this year as federal lawmakers push for funding to electrify the nation’s entire public transit fleet by 2035. (Energy News Network)
• President Biden’s focus on electric vehicles represents a shift in U.S. industrial policy that emphasizes potential growth industries, experts say. (Associated Press)
RENEWABLES: Indigenous and historical groups say a proposed wind and solar project could threaten the experience of a culturally significant archaeological site for tribes in southern Minnesota. (Grist)
GRID:
• A series of bills to winterize and stabilize Texas’ power infrastructure still languish in committee as the state legislative session nears its end. (KCEN)
• Vermont’s Green Mountain Power says its pilot project using residential batteries to bolster regional grid reliability is a utility industry first. (Smart Energy International)
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POLICY: After two years of tense negotiations, Illinois stakeholders agree that a sweeping new clean energy bill is likely to pass this month. (Energy News Network)
COMMENTARY:
• The cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline will happen again unless policymakers boost the energy system’s resilience in the face of cyberattack and severe weather risks, a climate professor writes. (Foreign Policy)
• A history professor recalls horse-swapping stagecoaches in a call to standardize electric vehicle batteries so old ones can be quickly replaced. (Washington Post)