ELECTRIC VEHICLES: After reporting its largest quarterly profit to date, Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 stock index in December, alongside mainstay automakers Ford and GM. (CNN)

ALSO:
• BMW plans to release an electric SUV in the U.S. in 2022. (Reuters)
• Ford says it is focusing on electrifying commercial vehicles like pickup and vans, a sector it already dominates. (Reuters)
• Ohio startup Lordstown Motors sees its stock price rise after announcing new hiring and 50,000 vehicle reservations. (CNBC)

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CLIMATE:
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announces $791 million in grants to 16 groups to fight climate change, part of a $10 billion environmental commitment. (Washington Post)
• Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz presents findings of a study outlining the steps New England must take to decarbonize its economy. (S&P Global)

OVERSIGHT:
• New FERC chairman James Danly, a Trump appointee, cancels monthly press briefings and says he will not take interviews with journalists. (E&E News, subscription)
• A coalition of 70 groups urge President-elect Biden to not appoint Ernest Moniz to reprise his role as Energy secretary. (The Hill)
• New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, a contender to lead the Interior Department in the Biden administration, says the government should prioritize renewable energy on public land. (Reuters)
• Incoming Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte names leaders of coal and oil industry groups, but no environmental advocates, to an advisory council to review environmental appointees. (Helena Independent Record)

OHIO: FirstEnergy is neither confirming or denying whether it spent ratepayer funds on activities related to Ohio’s power plant bailout law, a position that could support a broad scope for state regulators’ independent audit of the utility. (Energy News Network / Eye on Ohio)

SOLAR:
• The developer of a proposed 120 MW solar array in Connecticut says it has a soil restoration plan that could meet siting officials’ objections to the project’s impact on farmland. (Journal Inquirer)
• A 162 MW solar farm near Houston begins operation and will supply power to Starbucks. (Renewables Now)

GRID: California regulators will vote this week on opening a process to examine demand response and supply issues to prevent a repeat of this summer’s power outages. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: A federal court sets aside an environmental analysis for oil and gas leasing on public land in Wyoming, saying the Trump administration failed to account for climate impacts as required by law. (Casper Star-Tribune)

COAL:
• A judge won’t dismiss a lawsuit questioning the financial health of West Virginia’s coal mine reclamation fund, which is at risk of being overwhelmed by the abandonment of more than 100 mines last spring. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• A new report from a federal watchdog says workplace safety regulators aren’t doing enough to protect coal miners from silica dust, a major factor in clusters of advanced black lung disease in the Ohio River Valley. (Ohio Valley ReSource)

COMMENTARY:
• A tech writer says Jeff Bezos is “largely playing it safe” by focusing his climate philanthropy on large, established environmental groups. (Vox)
• An anthropologist suggests a change in the business model for wind energy would cause greater acceptance if the financial benefits were shared with an entire community instead of only landowners whose property is used. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

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Ken Paulman

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.