ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: A New York state program could provide a blueprint for the Biden administration as it seeks to define the “disadvantaged communities” that at least 40% of infrastructure and clean energy spending is meant to benefit. (Grist)
POLITICS:
• Senate Republicans block further debate over a bipartisan infrastructure bill, arguing it’s not ready yet, though top Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer says he’ll bring it for a vote again as early as next week. (Reuters)
• U.S. Rep. Sean Casten launches a “Hot FERC Summer” campaign that aims to draw attention to the regulatory board and introduces bills to codify FERC’s ability to consider climate impacts when approving projects. (Utility Dive)
STORAGE: Massachusetts startup Form Energy says it has built an inexpensive battery out of iron that can store massive amounts of renewable electricity on a power grid so it can be used around the clock. (Wall Street Journal)
BUILDINGS:
• The Department of Energy says adopting the latest commercial and residential model building codes would save $138 billion over the next 30 years. (The Hill)
• A study shows how making buildings more efficient could expedite the clean energy transition by turning buildings into grid resources. (news release)
COAL:
• The U.S. Commerce Department announces it’s allocating $300 million in pandemic relief funds to coal communities to help them recover from the pandemic and create new jobs. (ABC News)
• U.S. senators from West Virginia and Wyoming strike a deal to renew the fee that coal companies pay to clean up abandoned mines and infuse the Interior Department’s reclamation fund with an additional $11.3 billion. (E&E News)
UTILITIES:
• Pacific Gas & Electric says it will bury 10,000 miles of its power lines to reduce fire hazard as yet another wildfire potentially sparked by its equipment burns in California. (New York Times)
• Rural Colorado electric cooperatives seeking to split from power wholesaler Tri-State Generation face estimated exit fees ranging from hundreds of millions of dollars to more than a billion. (Colorado Sun)
CLIMATE:
• Senior Biden administration officials say the Midwest will play a key role in emission reductions as part of the U.S. climate strategy. (Indiana Environmental Reporter)
• Utah Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney says a failure to act to prevent global warming due to politics would be “an extraordinary lapse in America’s judgment.” (Deseret News)
OIL & GAS: A new report by an environmental group calls for stricter standards around radioactive waste from oil and gas production that states often ignore. (news release; E&E News, subscription)
SOLAR: Duke Energy announces plans to build four new solar facilities in northern Florida as part of a $1 billion, 10-site solar infrastructure plan that will produce 750 MW once it is completed. (The Capitolist, WMBB)
PIPELINES: Minnesota law enforcement agencies in charge of policing Line 3 pipeline protests expect to benefit from additional funding if the project is completed. (The Intercept)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Quickly transitioning to electric vehicles proves a major challenge for large fleets, which need to figure out how to charge dozens of vehicles for hours while avoiding timed fees that could balloon their electric bills. (E&E News)
• In Boston, a new electric vehicle rental program offers income-tiered prices, allowing those who receive city social services to access the vehicles for half the price. (Boston Globe)