TRANSPORTATION: As White House officials meet with oil refiners today, climate advocates say the Biden administration should push for a transit fare holiday instead of giving drivers a break on gas taxes. (Reuters, Washington Post) 

ALSO:
• Experts say a federal gas tax holiday is unlikely to lower prices because it would increase demand while also hurting federal highway funding. (Guardian)
• High gas prices prompt some Americans to start driving less by consolidating trips, carpooling, taking mass transit, or working remotely. (Wall Street Journal)
• Sprawling, car-centric Los Angeles may consider banning the construction of new gasoline stations before the end of the year. (Grist)

Sponsored Link
Energy PLUS Webinar series
Climate and energy issues play out across our society—in books and Hollywood, institutions of higher learning, our democracy, and in the very air we breathe. Register and join Fresh Energy, authors, scientists, and climate leaders on Thursdays in July for thought-provoking discussions about the many facets of energy in our lives.

CONGRESS:
• A last-minute, behind-the-scenes effort by Missouri U.S. Rep. Cori Bush adds $100 million in new clean energy funding to an appropriations bill. (Intercept)
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition to electric vehicle tax credits and direct payments to clean energy developers are the latest sticking points in Democrats’ negotiations over a climate-focused reconciliation bill. (E&E News, Bloomberg)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The Biden administration quietly leans on Telsa to help craft a new policy that would allow electric vehicles to benefit from renewable fuel subsidies. (Reuters)
• Volkswagen gears up to make an electric SUV in Tennessee as a regional board considers awarding it a $50 million grant. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• A Virginia law directing agencies to consider a vehicle’s lifetime costs instead of sticker price could accelerate electrification of its state fleet. (Virginia Mercury)

CLIMATE:
• A New York shoreline restoration program could become a model for coastal resiliency in areas experiencing sea-level rise and increased storms. (Inside Climate News)
• Most of the contiguous U.S. last week experienced higher-than-normal nighttime temperatures associated with climate change. (Washington Post)
• Air conditioning proliferates in Colorado cities due to climate change-caused warming, increasing buildings’ emissions and straining the grid. (Denverite) 

PIPELINES: Over 2,600 gas pipeline leaks since 2010 have killed 122 people and cost states more than $4 billion in damages and other costs, a new report by environmental groups finds. (Reuters)  

POLLUTION:
• An environmental group’s study finds oil and gas development in New Mexico disproportionately affects people of color, low-income communities, children and elderly people. (Carlsbad Current-Argus)
• Louisiana environmental justice groups eye a provision in federal legislation to require assessing the cumulative health impact that industrial projects have on residents in areas such as the state’s “Cancer Alley” corridor. (WWNO)

JUST TRANSITION: Navajo Nation leaders call on Arizona regulators to approve a proposed $100 million Just Transition fund to offset impacts of coal power plant closures. (ABC4) 

COMMUNITY POWER: New Hampshire regulators are expected to propose final rules for the state’s community power law that will let municipalities procure electricity for residents and businesses. (Energy News Network)

UTILITIES: Oregon utilities use big data analytics and artificial intelligence to forecast weather and fire risks, better track their grids, and model potential outages. (Oregonian)

BIOGAS: Turning trash into renewable biogas can have some of the same downsides as fossil fuels, but it doesn’t have to, experts say. (Gizmodo)

NUCLEAR: California’s energy crunch has spurred an unexpected push to save the state’s last nuclear plant, which was scheduled to close in 2025. (Guardian)

COMMENTARY: Reducing large commercial and residential buildings’ energy usage is a key first step cities can take to reduce their carbon emissions, says an analyst with a clean energy advisory firm. (Energy News Network)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.