OIL & GAS: The U.S.’s biggest methane emitters include little-known oil and gas producers that buy larger companies’ high-polluting assets and private equity firms that sell off fossil fuel properties. (New York Times)

ALSO:
• A Trump-era law may force the Interior Department to hold another lease sale for drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge despite President Biden’s pause on new leases there. (New York Times)
• Activist shareholders win a third seat on ExxonMobil’s 12-member board as they try to reshape the oil giant’s climate change strategy. (Washington Post)
• The oil and gas industry’s top trade group opposed federal cybersecurity regulations for years before a ransomware attack shut down the Colonial Pipeline. (Salon)

COAL:
• Appalachian coal counties see local tax revenues squeezed by the industry’s decline, but after years of failed promises, advocates remain wary that proposed federal funding will be spent effectively. (Southerly)
• Coal companies find alternative paths to financing, including tax-exempt bonds in West Virginia, as viability and environmental concerns restrict their access to traditional capital. (S&P Global)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Electric van startups are scrambling to secure a “golden ticket” to success: A contract with a big-name delivery company. (Reuters)
• 7-Eleven will install 500 fast-charging stations at 250 North American locations by the end of next year. (TechCrunch)
• Ford’s electric Ranger truck model, released more than 20 years ago, serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of car companies overpromising and under delivering. (E&E News, subscription)
• Virginia advocates look to grants, private-public partnerships and federal funding to pay for electric school buses after state lawmakers mandated a diesel phase-out but failed to provide funding behind it. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR: A northern Florida town whose residents are descendants of slaves and some of the nation’s earliest Black landowners pushes back against a proposed 50 MW solar and 12 MW battery storage project. (E&E News, subscription)

WIND:
• The U.S. will need to train at least 75,000 wind industry workers over the next five years to meet growing demand, a report suggests. (Energy Monitor)
• Despite pushback from the state’s fishing industry and environmentalists, Rhode Island coastal regulators certify the South Fork Wind Farm. (Providence Journal)

ELECTRIFICATION: Up-front incentives for electric appliances and breaker boxes are key to electrifying U.S. homes, a report from proponents suggests. (Canary Media)

GRID: Texas lawmakers responded to February’s power outages with new winterization laws, but did not provide direct relief for Texans who suffered death and property loss and who will shoulder the cost of grid upgrades. (Texas Tribune)

PIPELINES: Michigan’s attorney general dismisses claims that shutting down Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac would invoke an international treaty with Canada. (CBC)

PUBLIC LANDS: Oil and gas and uranium companies have nominated 40,000 acres for mineral leasing and staked six mining claims within the original boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument this year. (KUER)

NUCLEAR: Bill Gates’ TerraPower company and PacifiCorp select a retiring Wyoming coal plant as the site for a first-of-its-kind advanced nuclear reactor, expected to go online by 2028. (Casper Star-Tribune)

CLIMATE: Amazon, Google, Disney and five other massive companies form a collective where they’ll share strategies to achieve their climate goals. (Axios)

JOBS: Vermont renewable energy advocates have created a new clean energy resume bank and jobs board to highlight opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women, and help diversify a male-dominated, cliquey sector. (Energy News Network)

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.