OIL & GAS: A federal judge throws out 1.7 million acres of oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico because the Biden administration’s auction last year relied on a flawed Trump-era analysis of climate impacts. (Washington Post, NPR)

ALSO:
• A Harvard University study links fracking with the premature deaths of senior citizens, finding airborne contaminants significantly harmed those living close to or downwind from wells. (Inside Climate News)
• Indigenous and environmental advocates urge the federal Bureau of Land Management to ban oil well flaring and venting of associated gasses. (E&E News, subscription)

SOLAR:
• Utility-scale solar projects are generating more power per acre, suggesting the clean energy transition may require less land than previously predicted, national lab researchers find. (Inside Climate News)
• The Biden administration is considering extending Trump-era solar import tariffs, with some changes to help domestic manufacturers access supplies. (Reuters)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Cecilia Martinez says she recently left the Biden administration’s environmental justice due to “nonstop” work that left her “dangerously close to burnout,” citing the difficulty of building environmental justice guidelines from scratch. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A recent report highlights barriers to buying, financing and charging electric vehicles, which Ohio consumer advocates say shows the need to consider public transit, housing and land use while electrifying transportation. (Energy News Network)

TRANSMISSION: The Department of Energy launches a program to coordinate transmission planning across stakeholders to reduce barriers impeding a grid buildout. (Utility Dive)

EQUITY: Although the city is no longer mainly an industrial hub, Pittsburgh residents still face some of the highest levels of air pollution and cancer risk in the country. (Yale Environment 360)

PIPELINES: The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe withdraws as a cooperating agency in the ongoing environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline, citing transparency and oil spill risk concerns. (Bismarck Tribune)

LABOR: A growing interest in American labor and cooperation with other unions is helping Alabama coal miners sustain a strike that began last April. (NPR)

MINING: A fight against a lithium mine in northern Nevada splinters as environmental and Indigenous activists take issue with two lead advocates over their organization’s anti-transgender views. (E&E News)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: Democratic Congress members ask major cryptocurrency miners to disclose information regarding their energy use and climate impacts. (The Hill)

CLIMATE: The federal government’s mortgage lender pushes FEMA to require that home sellers disclose flood risks to potential buyers. (Politico)

HYDROGEN: New Mexico lawmakers table a bill establishing hydrogen production hubs around the state after environmentalists speak out against using natural gas to produce the fuel. (NM Political Report)

COMMENTARY: The U.S. needs to implement subsidies and increase oversight to benefit clean energy, end fossil fuel use and fight climate change, a climate columnist writes. (New York Magazine)

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.