CLEAN ENERGY: Corporations are starting to take location into account when investing in clean power projects, as solar and wind installations that replace more carbon-intensive sources can also reap carbon offset profits. (Canary Media)
UTILITIES:
• Utilities face the highest physical risks from climate change of any industry, an analysis finds, with water stress cited as the biggest risk to power supplies. (S&P Global)
• More utility and energy executives say they feel vulnerable to cyberattacks than executives in any other industry, a poll shows. (Utility Dive)
CLIMATE:
• President Biden will use his United Nations speech today to pledge increased funding for helping poor countries combat and prepare for climate change. (E&E News)
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is working on its first rule to protect people who face extreme heat at work as climate change is poised to make outdoor jobs even more dangerous. (Washington Post)
• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he’s “tremendously worried” about the outcome of international climate talks, citing U.S.-China conflict as a major barrier to progress. (Associated Press)
MINING: The clean energy transition is set to accelerate demand for once-obscure minerals that are essential for building batteries, solar panels, and other needed supplies. (Bloomberg)
WIND: Extended federal tax credits, states’ clean energy commitments and Vineyard Wind’s approval forecast an offshore wind boom in the U.S., experts say. (S&P Global)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Global sales of electric and plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles are set to double in 2021 from the year before, though battery and chip shortages and other issues stymy the boom. (S&P Global)
• Production resumes at two Michigan plants that manufacture battery modules for GM’s Chevrolet Bolt. (Detroit News)
• Clean transportation advocates are “largely very supportive” of Massachusetts utilities’ plans to spend $470 million on new charging infrastructure. (Energy News Network)
TRANSMISSION: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announces two new transmission lines to move 2.6 GW of wind, solar and hydropower to the New York City area, as well as a goal of 10 GW of distributed solar by 2030. (Bloomberg, S&P Global)
OIL & GAS:
• Oil and gas industry leaders protest the federal government’s double whammy of proposed fees on natural gas venting and the EPA’s coming boost to Clean Air Act rules. (E&E News)
• Royal Dutch Shell sells off its oil and gas business in the Permian Basin to ConocoPhillips. (Texas Tribune)
• Critics take issue with a provision of the federal $1 trillion infrastructure bill for giving $2 million to an organization that has advanced oil and gas interests, including lobbying for favorable well-plugging programs. (The Guardian)
• The Dakota Access pipeline developer asks the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a lower court ruling calling for an additional environmental review of the project. (Reuters)
SOLAR: Ohio regulators will hold a series of workshops next month for drafting statewide siting rules for solar and other energy facilities, days before a new state law takes effect that would allow municipalities to block solar and wind projects. (Energy News Network)
COMMENTARY: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin can best serve his West Virginia constituents not by propping up coal but by supporting a stronger social safety net and Biden’s clean-energy agenda, writes a columnist. (New York Times)