COAL: A new report from investment firm Morgan Stanley projects coal-fired generation will be eliminated from the U.S. grid by 2030, with renewable energy supplying 55% of electricity by 2035. (Bloomberg)

ALSO: Replacing coal-fired generation with clean energy will likely coincide with declining wholesale power prices, experts say. (S&P Global)

JOBS:
• If the Biden administration is to meet its goal of 10 million clean energy jobs, it will have to move at a pace and scale that far exceeds the recession response of the Obama years. (CNN)
• Despite high unemployment, solar installers are struggling to find workers as many positions in the field are labor-intensive and lack opportunities to advance. (E&E News)

CLIMATE:
• Exxon Mobil announces plans to spend $3 billion to cut emissions over the next five years, with a focus on carbon capture, but the commitment only represents 5% of the company’s capital budget and some of the projects are already underway. (New York Times, Bloomberg)
• A Wall Street trader says major oil companies promoting green initiatives “is mostly horseshit and P.R. propaganda.” (Vanity Fair)

CARBON CAPTURE: Operators of a coal plant that feeds a Texas carbon-capture project announced last week that the plant will shut down this summer. (Reuters)

EPA:
• A federal court rejects a Trump administration rule that would have limited the types of scientific research that can be used to craft EPA regulations. (E&E News)
• Administrator nominee Michael Regan has a track record as a consensus-builder, but some advocates worry he will be too quick to make compromises on climate change. (New York Times)

ELECTRIFICATION: Seattle’s city council approves a proposal to ban natural gas in new large multifamily and commercial buildings. (Seattle Times)

UTILITIES:
• As part of a deal with the state’s attorney general, FirstEnergy agrees to forgo $102 million in income under a decoupling mechanism in the state’s power plant subsidy law that had guaranteed the utility’s revenue regardless of a downturn in electricity demand. (Toledo Blade, Energy News Network archives)
• The New Jersey rate counsel says storm resilience by the state’s utilities has not seemed to have improved despite billions spent since Superstorm Sandy. (NJ Spotlight)

GRID:
• The Southwest Power Pool yesterday expanded its wholesale market to include utilities in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, part of a broader movement to regionalize energy grids. (Greentech Media) 

TRANSPORTATION:
• Environmental advocates push Virginia lawmakers to join the Transportation and Climate Initiative. (Energy News Network)
• A regional planner says there is still potential for a high-speed rail network in the Northeast. (CT Mirror)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Duke Energy launches a subsidiary company to help companies, local governments, school districts and transit agencies to convert their fleets to electric vehicles. (Charlotte Business Journal)
• A new study says placing electric vehicle charging stations on residential streets would help increase vehicle popularity and alleviate concerns about range anxiety. (WBUR)
• Utah lawmakers advance a bill that would increase electric and hybrid vehicle registration fees. (Salt Lake City Tribune)

COMMENTARY:
• A former Obama adviser and member of ConocoPhillips’ board says GM’s shift to electric vehicles will have ripple effects across the entire energy sector. (New York Times)
• The head of a national energy efficiency nonprofit says “the conversation so many of us are having about environmental justice and climate policy … should start with energy efficiency.” (Politico)
• Clean energy-powered community microgrids must be deployed more rapidly to avoid power outages that can disrupt critical services, advocates say. (Energy News Network)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.