GRID: The coming surge of renewables, electric vehicle charging, and customer-owned generation will likely prove too complicated for human grid operators to maintain, forecasting a growing need for an artificial intelligence-powered solution, researchers warn. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• Eversource Energy gave televised updates and got more than 1,000 workers ready to address outages this weekend as it used Hurricane Henri to repair its image in Connecticut. (CT Mirror, WHDH)
• Across New England, over 100,000 people lost power as the storm made landfall. (MassLive)
• Pacific Gas & Electric’s plan to bury 10,000 miles of overhead power lines to reduce the risk of igniting wildfires has no timeline for completion and some say it may not be worth the cost. (Grist) 

WIND:
• Vineyard Wind has committed to building the project with entirely union labor, likely making it harder to reach workforce diversity targets, as most Massachusetts building trade union members are White and most minority-owned contractors are non-union. (Energy News Network)
• A think tank founded by former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger finds offshore wind could shore up the state’s grid and save billions of dollars, but a lack of transmission infrastructure could hinder development. (Canary Media)

POLITICS:  Environmentalists are taking lessons from the Waxman-Markey climate bill that failed a decade ago as they aim to shape Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package. (E&E News)

EMISSIONS:  The White House so far hasn’t come out in support of Democratic Congress members’ proposed carbon border tax. (Reuters)

OVERSIGHT: FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee says he’ll depart the board at the end of the month after his term expired earlier this year. (The Hill)

STORAGE: U.S. battery storage capacity grew by 35% in 2020, led by large gains in California. (Energy Information Administration)

PIPELINES:
• The federal government directs the Army Corps of Engineers to wait the maximum amount of time it’s allowed — 1 year — before finalizing water permits for pipeline projects. (The Hill)
• The state of Minnesota asks a federal court to block a first-of-its-kind tribal lawsuit over the Line 3 pipeline that names wild rice as the lead plaintiff. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• Georgia’s solar industry has grown from virtually nonexistent 10 years ago to ninth in the country, even without subsidies and clean energy mandates, as tech companies build near renewable sources and rural communities look to create tax revenue and jobs. (Wall Street Journal)
• Construction has begun on First Solar’s $680 million manufacturing facility in northwest Ohio. (Construction Review Online)

CLIMATE:
• Several Nevada groups led by women of color band together to highlight climate change’s disproportionate effect on low-income and diverse communities. (Associated Press)
• A vote to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom next month could lead to big changes in the state’s strong climate policies. (E&E News) 

COAL: A federal court rules Ameren must install pollution controls at a Missouri coal plant, which advocates say could accelerate its retirement. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

UTILITIES: Hearings on the merger of Public Service Company of New Mexico and Avangrid conclude with little indication of how regulators will vote. (Santa Fe New Mexican) 

COMMENTARY: Advocates say expanded transmission and distributed clean energy are both necessary to reach climate goals. (Forbes)

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Kathryn Krawczyk

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.