CLIMATE: President Biden is considering declaring a national emergency on climate change as Democrats face limited options for legislative action. (Washington Post, E&E News)

ALSO:
• Recent polling shows that while a majority of people in most states think Congress should do more to address climate change; West Virginia is not one of them. (New York Times)
• Progressives hope Sen. Joe Manchin’s resistance to climate action will motivate voters to expand the Democratic majority in the Senate. (E&E News)
• Advocates say cities and states can close much of the gap as the federal government remains at an impasse on cutting emissions. (The Hill)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom positions himself as a climate leader, fueling speculation that he may run for President in 2024. (The Hill)
• Patrick Michaels, an influential climate denier and frequent guest on conservative media outlets, died Saturday at age 72; “if only he had been right,” lamented scientist James Hansen. (E&E News)

OVERSIGHT:
• The Biden administration appeals a court ruling that temporarily blocks use of the social cost of carbon metric. (E&E News, subscription)
• Environmental lawyers say the West Virginia v. EPA ruling means federal agencies will need to avoid discussing climate impacts of future regulations. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:
• A new report finds the federal government continues to prioritize oil and gas development over clean energy on public lands. (Bloomberg)
• U.S. Gulf Coast export terminals see a spike in liquified natural gas shipments to Europe amid the war in Ukraine. (The Advocate)
• Federal analysts predict Permian Basin oil production will reach an all-time high of 5.4 million barrels per day in August. (Reuters) 

SOLAR:
• Clean energy and consumer advocates challenge Indiana regulators’ interpretation of a 2017 law that gutted net metering in the state, saying the changes have gone beyond what’s called for in the law. (Energy News Network)
• A floating 1.1 MW solar array deployed by the U.S. Army in North Carolina last month is part of a larger trend of using “floatovoltaics” to generate power. (The Hill)

EQUITY: Nearly 3,000 Massachusetts residents died in 2019 from air pollution, according to a new study, which notes that proximity to major roads and power plants increased the death rate. (Environment Health, WBUR)

GRID: FirstEnergy proposes a new $626 million grid modernization plan as the Ohio utility still faces questions over how it spent ratepayer funds for a similar plan in 2016. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist writes that Joe Manchin isn’t the only one to blame for our failure to act on climate change. (Washington Post)
• An energy columnist blames spiking energy bills on Virginia utilities’ reliance on coal and natural gas, and longtime failure to invest in renewables even as wind and solar became the lowest-cost sources of energy. (Virginia Mercury)

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

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.