NUCLEAR: As a new unit at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle goes online, 7 years late and $17 billion over budget, analysts are skeptical whether the country’s first new reactor in 30 years represents a renaissance or a “swan song” for nuclear power. (Associated Press, Canary Media)

ALSO: Residents of a Wyoming coal town prepare for the 2025 closure of a power plant and mine and the subsequent arrival of an advanced nuclear reactor. (Cowboy State Daily)

CLEAN ENERGY: Experts say clean energy projects will still face numerous hurdles despite proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act aimed at streamlining permitting. (Bloomberg Law)

UTILITIES: A survey finds the majority of customers are unaware of their utility’s plan to cut emissions, and more than a quarter believe reaching 100% clean energy isn’t possible. (Smart Energy International)

EFFICIENCY: New efficiency standards for light bulbs take effect today, reviving decade-old culture war rhetoric over incandescents, as the EPA notes that many types of specialty bulbs are exempt from the rules. (Quartz)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Battery makers are seeking out states where they can procure clean energy, anticipating future limits on emissions from electric vehicle supply chains. (E&E News)
• As GM plans to revive the Chevy Bolt with its new Ultium technology, union officials say workers at the company’s Ohio battery plant are underpaid compared to their counterparts at other facilities. (Washington Post)
• Ford’s CEO says the company will rely on hybrid trucks for years to come to accommodate customers who are apprehensive about switching to all-electric vehicles. (Detroit Free Press)

EMISSIONS:
• As Virginia officials move to withdraw from a regional carbon market by the end of the year, environmental groups announce they’ll sue to block the process. (Virginia Mercury, Washington Post)
• Senate Republicans will send a letter to the EPA today saying the agency has overstepped its authority by cracking down on power plant emissions. (Washington Post)
• Four Democratic senators urge the Department of Justice to sue fossil fuel companies for misleading the public on climate change. (The Hill)

EQUITY:
• Chicago is launching a $15 million initiative to help low-income residents decarbonize their buildings through grants for electric stoves, heat pumps and energy efficiency measures. (Energy News Network)
• The Department of Energy announces $450 million in funding to install solar power and battery storage for as many as 40,000 households in Puerto Rico. (news release)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Federal officials outline three new, large areas off the Atlantic coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia that they believe could support at least 4 GW of offshore wind power. (UPI)
• Analysts say increasing costs may make it harder for states to meet their offshore wind energy targets. (Bloomberg NEF)

ELECTRIFICATION:
• Boston’s mayor bans fossil fuel-fired infrastructure in new or renovated city buildings, as officials move forward on a plan that would do the same for new residential projects. (Boston Herald)
• Colorado firms take advantage of state and federal incentives to develop all-electric, solar-powered residential subdivisions. (Colorado Newsline)

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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.