CLEAN ENERGY: Analysts say natural gas could still count as a clean power source under Democrats’ proposed Clean Electricity Performance Program, provided it’s blended with low-carbon fuels and that plants utilize carbon capture. (E&E News)

SOLAR: Price increases didn’t stop the U.S. from installing 5.7 GW of solar power in the second quarter of 2021, up 45% from last year though the total still falls short of Biden administration goals. (The Hill)

UTILITIES:
• American Electric Power condemns Democrats’ clean electricity program, claiming it would force utilities to shift to clean energy “too rapidly” and jeopardize reliability. (E&E News)
• New Orleans’ city council president announces an investigation of Entergy after the utility’s antiquated transmission and power delivery system collapsed during Hurricane Ida. (NOLA.com)

STORAGE:
• Hyundai partners with two Texas companies to test whether spent electric vehicle batteries can be reused as energy storage systems. (Korea Herald)
• A Tesla co-founder is looking to build a million-square-foot factory to advance his lithium-ion battery recycling business and patch gaps in the electric vehicle battery supply chain. (Bloomberg)

OIL & GAS:
• Chevron pledges to triple its investments into cutting its emissions via carbon capture, offsets, and renewable energy installations, but declines to commit to a 2050 net-zero target. (Reuters)
• Offshore oil and gas producers take stock after Hurricane Nicholas, while more than 43% of oil production and about half of natural gas production in the Gulf remains offline after Ida. (Houston Chronicle)
• Vermont sues several fossil fuel companies, including Shell and Citgo, for allegedly misleading customers about how fossil fuels harm the environment and public health. (Burlington Free Press) 

TRANSPORTATION:
• Commercial production begins on Rivian’s electric truck at the company’s central Illinois manufacturing plant. (WGLT)
• A small group of sailors takes a different tact than most cargo transporters: to reduce emissions, they haul Hudson Valley goods down to New York City via a 64-foot steel-hulled sailboat. (New York Times)

COAL: More than 76% of planned coal projects worldwide have been cancelled since the Paris Agreement was struck, a climate think tank finds. (Axios)

EFFICIENCY: Connecticut climate activists say the state’s work to reduce building emissions isn’t moving fast enough to mitigate the climate crisis and want energy efficiency incentives for natural gas heating to end. (Energy News Network)

CLIMATE:
• President Joe Biden uses a Colorado visit to make the economic case for federal investments in clean energy and other climate-related efforts. (Washington Post)
• A renowned climate scientist warns that industrial pollutants likely masked some of the effects of global warming, and that their decline may expose the planet to rapid warming in the coming decades. (Inside Climate News)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom survives a recall vote, keeping the state’s progressive climate and energy policies intact. (Los Angeles Times)

COMMENTARY: When rebuilding Puerto Rico’s grid after 2017’s hurricanes, FEMA should invest in rooftop solar and battery storage rather than reconstruct  a fossil fuel-dependent system, environmental justice advocates argue. (Canary Media)

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.