OIL & GAS: In a stunning defeat for the oil industry, ExxonMobil shareholders elect two climate-conscious board members backed by activist investors who want the company to shift more aggressively to clean energy. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• A majority of Chevron shareholders support a measure to cut emissions indirectly tied to the company, including consumers’ use of the fuel it produces. (The Hill)
• The Interior Department will defend the Trump administration’s approval of an Alaska oil project, despite Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s prior opposition to the development. (Politico)
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may list the lesser prairie chicken as endangered in Texas and New Mexico, potentially leading to drilling restrictions in the Permian Basin. (Washington Post)

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INFRASTRUCTURE:
• Senate Republicans unveil their nearly $1 trillion counteroffer to President Biden’s infrastructure plan, which includes billions for electric vehicles, public transit and passenger rail. (CNBC)
• More than 200 House Democrats demand strong union and labor protections as a condition for federal infrastructure funding, raising particular concern with the clean energy industry. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford says it expects electric vehicles to make up 40% of its global sales by the end of the decade, and will increase its investment in the field to more than $20 billion through 2025. (CNBC)
• A U.S. Senate committee advances legislation to boost electric vehicle tax credits to $12,500 for vehicles assembled by U.S. union workers. (Reuters)
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has sold her holdings in an electric bus maker that President Biden virtually visited last month. (Politico)

OFFSHORE WIND: The U.S.’s wind development boom will largely create jobs in Europe, industry executives and analysts say, at least until manufacturers see enough demand to open plants here. (Reuters)

UTILITIES:
• California regulators order Pacific Gas & Electric to pay nearly $150 million for claims over wildfire damages and its mishandling of power outages in 2019. (Associated Press)
• Maine advocates want state regulators to expand the use of electricity time-of-use rates to help change customer behavior and meet climate goals. (Energy News Network)
• Environmental groups ask the Tennessee Valley Authority’s internal watchdog to investigate whether the utility misused ratepayer money by funding a group that lobbies against tighter climate regulations. (Associated Press)

GRID:
•There are enough clean energy projects seeking interconnection today to get the U.S. more than halfway to a net-zero electric grid, a study finds. (Canary Media)
• Extreme heat, increased electricity demand, and lower generating capacity could lead to power outages across the Western power grid this summer, according to the organization tasked with ensuring electric reliability. (Reuters)

COAL:
• A previously undocumented culvert is feeding stormwater discharge from a coal-fired power plant into Maryland’s Patuxent River, leading to increased flooding in a historically Black town. (Bay Journal)
• The Biden administration has urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to take up an effort to overturn Washington state’s denial of a permit for a proposed coal export terminal. (E&E News, subscription)

NUCLEAR: Three Democratic U.S. senators plan to introduce a measure that would provide relief for existing nuclear plants as part of a broader energy tax reform bill. (Reuters)

CARBON CAPTURE:
• Online payment company Stripe is investing $2.75 million in six early-stage carbon removal projects. (Grist)
• San Antonio’s Valero Energy spends hundreds of millions of dollars on carbon capture projects and renewable diesel with the goal of reducing its emissions. (San Antonio Express-News)
• A Virginia company plans to use carbon capture technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from liquefied natural gas export terminals it wants to build in Louisiana. (The Advocate)

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.