UTILITIES: No U.S. utility is on track to meet climate goals consistent with preventing warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a recent report, though Xcel Energy and Dominion Energy are close. (Utility Dive)

ALSO:
• North Carolina lawmakers adjourn for the year without making fixes to an energy bill that critics warn could allow Duke Energy to build dozens of new gas plants instead of solar and wind. (Energy News Network)
• Pacific Gas & Electric, whose equipment sparked the 2019 Kincaid Fire, agrees to pay $125 million in fines and penalties for damages and to cover costs to remove abandoned transmission facilities. (Los Angeles Times)

POLITICS: U.S. Senate Republicans say they’ll try to remove or weaken a new methane fee, electric vehicle tax credits, and new oil and gas royalties included in Democrats’ spending package. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:
• A U.S. House committee asks 10 major oil companies to disclose more information about methane emissions in the Permian Basin. (Washington Post)
• BP agrees to pay more than $500,000 and reduce soot emissions from an Indiana refinery under a deal with regulators and advocates who accused the company of violating a prior deal. (Washington Post)

SOLAR:
• California unsurprisingly tops the list of states with the most solar power capacity as of June. (Canary Media)
• Energy News Network reporter Frank Jossi discusses interconnection delays that have stymied solar projects in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. (MPR News)

CARBON CAPTURE:
• Journalists break down carbon capture, including its different technologies, its challenges and opportunities, and what the private sector and governments are doing to boost it. (Bloomberg)
• A group of more than 100 major investors urges utilities to not use carbon offsets to reach emission-reduction targets while also warning against the risks and high costs of carbon capture. (Energy and Policy Institute)

TRANSPORTATION: The world’s first passenger flight powered completely by sustainable aviation fuel travels from Chicago to Washington, D.C. (Axios)

CLIMATE: California researchers find the Western mountain snowpack, which feeds hydropower dams, will continue to dwindle due to climate change and may disappear by the end of the century. (Los Angeles Times)

EQUITY: EPA Administrator Michael Regan tours Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” as part of a 5-day tour highlighting low-income, mostly minority communities adversely affected by industrial pollution. (Associated Press)

EFFICIENCY: California energy officials say weaker manufactured home efficiency standards that federal regulators are considering could threaten grid reliability and result in increased greenhouse gas emissions. (Utility Dive)

MINING: Oklahoma and the U.S. Interior Department argue over which agency has the authority to regulate surface coal mining and reclamation programs on tribal reservations after a Supreme Court case last year. (KWTV)

BIOFUELS: The Biden administration is expected to soon propose new biofuel blending requirements for oil refiners after more than a year of delays. (Reuters)

CRYPTOCURRENCY: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren presses a Bitcoin miner that claims to be carbon neutral for more information on its climate impact. (Bloomberg) 

COMMENTARY: Hydropower advocates urge lawmakers to support hydroelectricity incentives and dam modernization provisions in Democrats’ federal reconciliation bill.  (Portland Tribune)

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.