CLIMATE: President Biden is expected to announce executive actions on climate change today but stop short on declaring an emergency, as experts weigh the risks involved with various options. (Associated Press, E&E News)

ALSO:
• When asked about President Biden possibly declaring a climate emergency, Sen. Joe Manchin says “let’s see what the Congress does. Congress needs to act.” (Business Insider)
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he will “keep fighting” to get climate legislation through Congress and will continue negotiations with Manchin. (E&E News)

GRID:
• Solar energy is playing a “major role” in stabilizing Texas’ power grid amid record-breaking heat, providing 4 to 5 gigawatts of power. (CBS Austin)
• The heat wave straining the power grid in Texas and beyond is highlighting the need for more long-duration energy storage, experts say. (Utility Dive)
• A Vermont utility offers to donate to a local charity if enough ratepayers curb their power demand during a projected peak load period. (WCAX)

SOLAR: A solar manufacturer announces it will open a new factory in Texas to produce its residential solar roof shingles domestically instead of in Asia. (Reuters)

EFFICIENCY: In a nationwide first, a new Vermont law prohibits linear fluorescent bulbs beginning in 2024, earning praise from efficiency advocates. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushes back on criticism from Republicans that electric vehicles will strain the grid: “The idea that America is inferior to the other countries that have figured this out just doesn’t sit well with us.” (The Hill)
• Georgia officials recruiting Hyundai Motor Group to build a $5.5 billion electric car plant near Savannah approve portions of the deal. (Associated Press)  

OIL & GAS:
• Industry experts say a sale of low-producing oil and gas wells in Colorado illustrates how companies shuffle assets around to evade liability for cleanup costs and hoist it on the public. (High Country News)
• Midwest farmland is being irreversibly altered for silica sand mining, providing a key ingredient in the hydraulic fracturing process. (Civil Eats)
• Texas oil and gas employment may never rebound to pre-COVID levels, according to a new report from an energy economics think tank. (Marketplace) 

WIND: The Western Area Power Administration approves the interconnection of a proposed 504 MW wind facility in Wyoming to its grid, clearing the way for construction to begin. (ReNews.biz)

HYDROPOWER: Federal officials say a transformer fire Tuesday at Hoover Dam was extinguished without injuries or interruption to the power grid. (Reuters)

COMMENTARY: “The future being foisted upon us by Manchin and the entire Republican party — one of continued reliance on planet-endangering fossil fuels — makes our country weaker by prolonging our dependence on petrostate autocrats.” (Los Angeles Times)

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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.