POLICY: States have been making aggressive moves toward decarbonizing their electricity sectors this year rather than waiting for action at the federal level. (E&E News)

ALSO: Utility trade group Edison Electric Institute is lobbying for a federal clean energy standard that would include nuclear and hydro and provide partial credits for natural gas. (Morning Consult)

OVERSIGHT: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Neil Chatterjee says next week’s commission meeting will “likely” be his last. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE:
• U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will meet with Russian officials next week to discuss collaboration on cutting emissions. (The Hill)
• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte pulls out of a multi-state coalition dedicated to fighting climate change. (Montana Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY:
• The sprawling Quantico Marine Corps Base plans to save a projected $1.6 million annually on utility payments by refurbishing systems connected to 35 buildings and installing a microgrid. (Energy News Network)
• A new Minnesota law incentivizes utilities to help cover “pre-weatherization” costs, such as removing asbestos or lead paint, that have been barriers to energy efficiency upgrades for low-income property owners. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• With Tropical Storm Elsa looming, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont tells utilities to avoid a repeat of the much-derided clean-up and recovery effort that followed a tropical storm last summer. (Patch.com)
• Texas power companies respond to a new law requiring they winterize their facilities by filing with state regulators to request that ratepayers cover the costs. (Houston Chronicle)
• Grid operator PJM advances plans to update its capacity market rules that could empower states to adopt energy policies to meet climate goals. (E&E News)
• Texas becomes a hotbed for cryptocurrency mining in part because power companies will pay them to curtail energy use during times of peak demand, meaning they “get power for next to nothing.” (Washington Post)

OIL & GAS: Even as New Mexico oil and gas production and revenues reach record levels, the industry’s employment numbers remain depressed, with no uptick in sight. (Los Alamos Daily Post, Capital & Main)

PIPELINES: The EPA recommends the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not grant a critical permit for the long-delayed and over-budget Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross waterways in Virginia and West Virginia. (Virginia Mercury)

COAL:
• Wyoming lawmakers consider a new approach to coal mine reclamation bonding that has support from industry and environmentalists. (WyoFile)  
• An Alabama miners’ strike against Warrior Met Coal for better benefits enters its fourth month. (WBUR)

TRANSPORTATION:
• In a panel discussion, executives from Amazon and UPS say electric trucks are advancing faster than hydrogen. (Utility Dive)
• Federal law puts Colorado’s highway rest areas off-limits to electric vehicle chargers, but the transportation bill making its way through Congress could change that. (Colorado Public Radio)

ACTIVISM: Climate activists say an 8-year prison sentence for an Iowa woman who damaged a pipeline represents a double standard compared to the treatment of rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol. (Salon)

COMMENTARY:
• Twenty state legislatures have now passed laws to preempt municipalities from passing local bans on natural gas hookups in new construction, “a brazen move to use state law to invalidate local government ordinances,” write clean energy and ratepayer advocates. (Canary Media)
• An editorial board says Republican efforts to be taken seriously on climate change “are far too little, coming this late in the game.” (Los Angeles Times)

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.