ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Just under half of Americans support a proposal to phase out gas-powered vehicles, and 39% say they are likely to consider going electric the next time they buy a vehicle, a survey finds. (Pew Research Center)
ALSO:
• The White House plans to boost domestic battery recycling to curb mining of lithium and other metals needed for electric vehicles, government officials say. (Reuters)
• Ford nearly tripled its electric vehicle sales last month compared to the same period last year in part from growing sales of its electric Mustang. (Bloomberg)
• Electric bus manufacturers discuss how federal funding could give the industry a critical boost. (Canary Media)
• The Biden administration proposes endangered species protections for a rare Nevada wildflower, potentially upending plans to build a lithium mine there. (Nevada Independent)
ELECTRIFICATION: The U.S. has the technology to electrify broad swaths of the economy while relying on greater amounts of wind and solar, according to a new federal study. (Inside Climate News)
UTILITIES:
• Nine former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission members call on the current board to use its “broad authorities” to move the whole country toward “well-structured organized power markets.” (Utility Dive)
• Progressive House members introduce a congressional resolution that would declare electricity a “basic human right” and decry “monopolized, profit-driven utility corporations and providers.” (The Hill)
POLITICS: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin appear together in West Virginia to tout the coal-heavy state’s role in the transition to clean energy, including use of its manufactured steel in a ship for building offshore wind turbines. (Associated Press, WV News)
PIPELINES:
• Pipeline opponents gear up for a wave of larger demonstrations as a new phase of construction begins on Line 3 in northern Minnesota. (MinnPost)
• Minnesota crisis centers see an uptick in reports of sexual harassment and violence that officials link to an influx in pipeline workers. (The Guardian)
• Kinder Morgan’s CEO warns that converting pipelines to transport CO2 from carbon capture initiatives won’t be financially viable without new federal subsidies. (S&P Global)
OIL & GAS: Nearly 30% of the Permian Basin’s methane emissions come from“routinely persistent” leaks that could be largely eliminated with repairs and diligent monitoring, scientists say. (Bloomberg)
GRID: Western states are looking to regional transmission organizations to improve movement of renewable power. (Canary Media)
SOLAR:
• Tesla’s SolarCity factory is 500 jobs short of its promise to bring 1,460 jobs to Buffalo, New York, even after a two-year extension, and could face a $41 million fine if it doesn’t get it done by December. (Buffalo News)
• The Interior Department advances a 400-megawatt solar project proposed for Moape Band of Paiute land in southern Nevada. (news release; E&E News, subscription)
• Illinois stakeholders are still hopeful an ambitious clean energy bill can pass during a special session, but solar companies say they can’t hold out much longer without a new influx of state incentives. (Energy News Network)
PUBLIC LANDS: The Biden administration proposes spending $2.8 billion on national park programs and conservation projects across the U.S. (The Hill)
COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board urges the U.S. to permanently ban drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Washington Post)
• While some news outlets are paying attention to the climate crisis, most are still underplaying its threats, the co-founders of a climate journalism collective write. (Guardian)