ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Experts don’t think the Colonial Pipeline’s shutdown will trigger a wave of electric vehicle purchases, though it could push drivers considering an electric vehicle over the edge. (Bloomberg)
PIPELINES:
• The Colonial Pipeline resumed normal operations Saturday following its cyberattack-related shutdown, though gas shortages persisted across the Southeast over the weekend. (Axios, Reuters)
• The effects of the Colonial Pipeline hack and shutdown will likely spill into President Joe Biden’s agenda, leading him to take a more aggressive approach to ransomware attackers and energy security. (E&E News, subscription)
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will speak about pipeline cybersecurity at one House committee hearing this week, while another committee will mark up and vote on the “Pipeline Security Act.” (E&E News, subscription)
• Hundreds of tribal and environmental activists serve a symbolic “eviction notice” at an Enbridge pumping station after the company ignored a state-ordered shut down of Line 5. (Energy News Network)
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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The White House’s environmental justice advisors say President Biden should omit carbon capture and large-scale bioenergy from his clean energy plans because they won’t benefit at-risk communities. (E&E News, subscription)
OIL & GAS:
• Wind and solar generation and storage’s shrinking costs could lead to natural gas’ decline, leading some natural gas companies to start investing in renewables and batteries. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• The EPA halts operations at a U.S. Virgin Islands oil refinery for 60 days, determining it poses an “imminent risk to public health” after repeatedly showering oil on surrounding communities. (Reuters)
• Oil and gas companies emerge from the pandemic focused largely on paying down debt and boosting returns instead of drilling new wells and boosting production, a sign they’ll play a smaller economic role in coming years. (Houston Chronicle)
SOLAR:
• A Chinese factory producing an essential piece of solar panels opens its doors to reporters as the industry seeks to counter allegations of human rights abuses and forced labor. (Bloomberg)
• The outgoing leader of the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association saw strong industry growth and statewide policy support over the past eight years. (Energy News Network)
• A California homeowner files a class-action lawsuit against Tesla after the company doubles the price for his solar roof; CEO Elon Musk acknowledged last month the company has made “significant mistakes” in estimates. (Business Insider)
CALIFORNIA: Gov. Gavin Newsom releases a “transformative” $100 billion budget plan that includes $912 million to advance clean energy and $3.2 billion for zero-emission vehicles alongside measures to address racial and economic inequities. (Los Angeles Times, NRDC)
OFFSHORE WIND: Permitting documents for the Vineyard Wind offshore project show commercial fisheries will likely abandon the area due to turbine-related hardships, contradicting federal officials’ insistence the industries can coexist. (Providence Journal)
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HYDROPOWER: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray issue a statement opposing a proposal to breach four Snake River dams championed by Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson. (Spokesman-Review)
COMMENTARY:
• Carbon capture engineers and social psychologists say the technology exists to turn emissions into plastic and concrete, but those products’ value depends on how willing consumers are to buy them. (The Conversation)
• Climate researchers argue the U.S. isn’t prepared for forthcoming climate disasters, and call on President Biden to address them in his infrastructure package. (New York Times)
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says in an op-ed that Line 5 is a “ticking time bomb” that should immediately be closed in the Straits of Mackinac. (Washington Post)