COURTS: Experts say the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade signals that the court’s conservative majority may soon rule to limit the federal government’s ability to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. (E&E News, Winston-Salem Journal)
OIL & GAS:
• The Interior Department considers banning new offshore oil and gas drilling, which would win climate advocates’ support but draw Republican criticism. (New York Times)
• As President Biden calls for a gasoline tax holiday, Republicans who’ve previously supported lifting state or federal gas taxes flip to oppose the idea, while Democrats remain uncommitted. (Axios, The Hill)
• The Biden administration will soon decide whether ConocoPhillips can pursue its proposed Willow oil and gas development in Alaska, which observers say is a key test of the administration’s energy and climate policies. (Washington Post)
• The Biden administration considers triggering tighter ozone pollution rules in parts of the Permian Basin, potentially curbing drilling in the nation’s busiest oil and gas field. (Bloomberg)
• The Energy Department keeps hiring a global public relations firm with a long history of working with fossil fuel companies. (E&E News)
COAL: Fossil fuel-rich tribal nations explore ways to dismantle their coal-dependent economies in a way that keeps jobs and revenues intact. (Indian Country Today)
CLIMATE:
• President Biden and other global leaders were set to affirm their climate commitments at this year’s Group of 7 gathering, but instead seem more focused on lowering fossil fuel prices. (New York Times)
• Six southwestern Virginia farmers grow specialty varieties of barley for state craft brewers as part of a regional economic development group’s program to spur off-season agriculture and limit shipping-related carbon emissions. (Energy News Network)
GRID:
• Fights against transmission projects across the U.S., including Central Maine Power’s controversial project, are preventing thousands of megawatts of renewable energy from being brought onto the grid. (CNBC)
• A bill in the U.S. House would direct the Energy Department to consider requiring that new water heaters be able to moderate their energy use in accordance with grid demand. (Utility Dive)
• Transmission planners and grid experts say time is running out to build the grid infrastructure needed to combat the worst effects of climate change. (RTO Insider, subscription)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Low-income and Black residents in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” are receiving more federal attention for disproportionately bearing the brunt of pollution, but longtime advocates say they’re concerned that may not translate into concrete action. (NOLA.com)
UTILITIES: At an industry conference, utility executives say they’re prepared to further the clean energy transition and debate ways to address supply chain shortages, high energy costs and other challenges. (E&E News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• While Tesla still dominates global electric vehicle sales, Volkswagen is pushing hard to overtake it. (Bloomberg)
• Utah joins seven other Western states to build an electric vehicle charging station network across the region. (Salt Lake Tribune)
OFFSHORE WIND: Rhode Island lawmakers pass legislation requiring major utilities to issue an energy procurement up to 1 GW of new offshore wind capacity by mid-October, with financial incentives to encourage development. (Providence Business News)
SOLAR: California regulators approve a new distributed energy project review process aimed at speeding rooftop solar and storage interconnections. (Solar Power World)
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