BATTERIES: The White House unveils a task force to address “near-term bottlenecks” in supply chains dependent on imports, including semiconductors, high-capacity batteries and rare earth minerals. (New York Times)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• The Energy Department launches an “Energy Earthshots” initiative to shrink clean energy costs, starting with a call for innovation to reduce the price of hydrogen by 80% in the next decade. (The Hill)
• A Trump administration infrastructure official says a backlogged permitting process, not capital, is the biggest constraint preventing new clean energy development. (E&E News, subscription)
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PIPELINES:
• The FBI recovers millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency ransom Colonial Pipeline paid hackers to halt their cyberattack. (The Hill)
• Activists chain themselves to bulldozers, excavators and other equipment as hundreds of people trespass on Enbridge property to protest Line 3 pipeline construction in northern Minnesota. (MPR News)
• A federal pipeline safety agency tells companies it will start inspecting their plans to curb methane leaks next year. (E&E News, subscription)
• The use of eminent domain by the proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline in Memphis, Tennessee, sparks a debate over property rights. (E&E News)
EMISSIONS: Carbon in the atmosphere hits its highest level in recorded history, more than rebounding from last year’s pandemic-induced drop. (Washington Post)
OIL & GAS:
• Declaring bankruptcy has allowed offshore oil and gas drillers to evade cleanup responsibilities, but the Interior Department is fighting back. (Grist)
• The U.S. became a net exporter of oil in 2020 following an Obama-era policy, complicating efforts to reduce emissions. (Rolling Stone)
COAL:
• A high-tech manufacturing training center built with federal grants near a reclaimed coal mine has trained nearly 200 eastern Kentucky workers — most of them men, many of them laid-off coal miners. (Energy News Network)
• West Virginia has failed to comply with state and federal law in overseeing its coal mining reclamation program, creating a risk of insolvency, according to a legislative audit. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Achieving Uber’s and Lyft’s electric vehicle targets will require a dramatic increase in charging stations in low-income areas, according to a new study. (E&E News, subscription)
• A think tank report finds that electric vehicle rideshare drivers in Los Angeles stick to upper-income neighborhoods, leaving the combustion engines to the poorer areas. (Canary Media)
OFFSHORE WIND: Nine East Coast governors ask the Biden Administration for help with transmission constraints and to designate more federal offshore areas for possible wind development. (E&E News, subscription; news release)
GRID: Utilities in the Southwest turn to solar, storage, and microgrids to bolster grid resilience as a severe wildfire season looms. (Energy News Network)
TRANSPORTATION: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont now says he’s committed to the region’s Transportation Climate Initiative after seemingly abandoning it, and environmental groups say the deal isn’t dead yet. (Boston Herald)
CLIMATE: Colorado Democrats reach a deal with Gov. Jared Polis on a stalled bill that will require state regulators to enforce emissions limits and create an environmental justice task force. (Colorado Sun)