JOBS: Labor activists are pushing back on the Biden administration’s efforts to slow oil and gas development, noting there is still a wide pay disparity between jobs in fossil fuels and renewable energy. (Washington Post, Houston Chronicle)

ALSO: President Joe Biden’s climate change plans include a promise to focus on economic development in coal-producing communities, but central Appalachian communities remain skeptical after decades of struggles with poverty and depopulation. (New York Times)

EQUITY:
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasizes righting “intentional decisions” that harmed Black communities in upcoming infrastructure plans. (Politico)
• Pittsburgh environmental justice advocates hope a new federal emphasis will lead to more effective action at the local and state level. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Opponents of the Byhalia Connection Pipeline point to its proposed route through poor, predominantly Black neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee, as evidence of environmental racism. (Associated Press)

PIPELINES:
• A northern Minnesota shelter has received increased calls for service and reports of sexual assault and harassment involving workers on the Line 3 pipeline. (Minnesota Reformer)
• Tribal members in Michigan worry about similar violence toward women should construction move forward on the Line 5 pipeline tunnel. (Michigan Advance)

CLIMATE: While an oil industry group is considering supporting a carbon tax, the idea still has little political support from either party. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Many auto dealers remain skeptical about how quickly customers will adopt electric vehicles, and experts say a shift to online sales will transform the business. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• Volkswagen accelerates its shift to electric vehicles, anticipating EVs will make up 70% of its European sales by 2030. (Reuters)
• Advocates say phasing out gas-powered cars by 2035 is an attainable goal as electric vehicles gain wider acceptance with proper policies in place. (ecoRI)
• A Minnesota lawmaker proposes taxing electricity as a fuel at EV charging stations as a way to generate revenue for road projects. (St. Cloud Times)

GRID:
• More than 30 Texas power plants failed to heed the warnings of a 2011 cold snap and were shut down again in last month’s freeze, according to a news analysis. (Washington Post)
• Tesla is reportedly building a 100 MW energy storage project outside Houston. (Bloomberg Green)

SOLAR:
• Opposition to a 5 MW solar project by North Carolina’s utility customer advocate reveals the challenges with developing relatively small solar farms in the state. (Energy News Network)
• Massachusetts legislators file bills to require solar panels on new residential and commercial buildings. (ecoRI)

NUCLEAR: Arkansas and Louisiana regulators say Entergy wrongfully charged customers more than $1 billion for a troubled Mississippi nuclear power station. (Associated Press)

PUBLIC LANDS: Four conservation groups file a lawsuit calling for a judge to void the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of a Nevada lithium mine, alleging that serious environmental impacts were ignored. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS: A Pennsylvania county that rode a wave of prosperity from fees paid by the fracking industry over the past decade is nearly broke after failing to keep money in reserve. (PA Spotlight)

COMMENTARY:
• Companies are using net zero pledges as “indulgences” to emit carbon, the founder of a nuclear engineering company argues. (The Wall Street Journal)
• An editorial board calls Texas’ deregulated energy market “an expensive failure” after last month’s winter storm and blackouts. (Austin American-Statesman)