ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. Postal Service orders a fleet of new delivery trucks that includes a mix of fossil-fuel and electric vehicles, falling short of President Biden’s goal of electrifying the federal fleet. (Detroit Free Press, E&E News)

ALSO:
• A Maryland county signs a contract to lease 326 electric school buses, making it the largest municipal operator of electric vehicles in the country. (Bloomberg Green)
• Ohio startup Lordstown Motors is entering its electric truck in a major off-road race in Mexico, which company officials say is not a publicity stunt. (Autoweek)
• Electric car startup Lucid Motors raises $4 billion in a merger that will support expansion of its Arizona factory. (CNN Business)

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GRID: Several directors of Texas’ grid operator resign as the entity is beset by lawsuits and a growing number of investigations after last week’s power outages. (Politico, San Antonio Express-News, Texas Tribune)

CONGRESS:
• A group of House Republicans try to distance themselves from their party’s partisan attacks on renewable energy after Texas’ power grid failure. (E&E News)
• Sen. Mitt Romney says he is open to supporting a federal carbon tax, which could make him a key swing vote on climate policy. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE:
• President Biden says he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to work toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050. (Reuters)
• Annapolis, Maryland files a lawsuit against large oil companies in state court alleging they concealed knowledge and risks associated with climate change. (Inside Climate News)
• A pending Supreme Court decision on whether Baltimore’s climate lawsuit against fossil fuel companies can continue in state court carries high stakes for dozens of other cities and states pursuing similar cases. (E&E News)

PUBLIC LANDS:
• Interior Secretary nominee Deb Haaland addresses criticism from Senate Republicans about drilling restrictions on public lands in her second day of confirmation hearings. (Washington Post)
• Former Democratic senators Tom and Mark Udall say characterizations of Haaland as a “radical” are “motivated by something other than her record.” (The Hill)
• Native American leaders around the country praise Haaland’s historic nomination, which they say could open opportunities for greater representation. (Associated Press)

WIND: The Long Island Power Authority says transmission upgrades needed to accommodate large offshore wind projects could cost up to $1.5 billion. (Newsday)

SOLAR: Seventeen renewable energy CEOs in a letter call on President Biden to repeal former President Trump’s solar panel tariffs. (Solar Industry)

PIPELINES:
• An administrative law judge rules that Michigan regulators do not have to consider climate change when considering Enbridge’s application to build a tunnel for Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Advance)
• Two men charged last week in a Minnesota human trafficking bust are Line 3 pipeline workers, fueling activists’ concerns that the project brings higher risk of sex crimes to the area. (Duluth News Tribune)

POLITICS:
• State legislation resurfaces in Ohio that seeks an across-the-board 30% cut to “regulatory restrictions” that critics say would significantly weaken consumer protections and clean energy development. (Energy News Network)
• A irreconcilable partisan split in blame for the Texas power outages signals renewable energy’s emergence as a cultural wedge issue. (Guardian)
• Misinformation about the causes of the Texas outages continues to fester as conservatives falsely blame wind turbines. (CNN)

COMMENTARY:
• One of the most important steps President Biden can take on climate is to empower cities and states to pursue their own agendas, writes Michael Bloomberg and former Sierra Club chairman Carl Pope. (Bloomberg)
• A think tank’s analysis concludes that many current fossil fuel hubs are ideal sites for renewable energy production if federal and state leaders can provide investment and workforce development. (Brookings)

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.