BIOFUELS: As federal incentives encourage farmers to produce energy from of crop and livestock waste, environmental groups worry about threats to water and air quality. (New York Times)
ALSO: The U.S. Treasury prepares to release a new sustainable aviation fuel tax credit that will likely boost production of ethanol and other biofuels. (E&E News)
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OIL & GAS:
• A buildout of liquefied natural gas terminals on the Gulf Coast is being financed by global banks that have pledged to work toward net-zero emissions. (Guardian)
• A report finds offshore drilling safety improvements since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill but flags federal inspectors’ lack of oversight over contractors, which make up 80% of the workforce. (Associated Press)
• The U.S. promises to keep exporting large quantities of liquefied natural gas to the European Union as the bloc tries to divest from Russian supplies. (Politico)
• A federal judge rejects environmentalists’ bid to block the Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska, citing support from the state’s congressional delegation and Alaska Native corporations. (Associated Press)
• Biden administration officials announce the first $196 million of grants in a $1 billion program to repair and replace aging and leaking U.S. natural gas pipelines. (Associated Press)
CLIMATE:
• Parts of the U.S. along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts are seeing their earliest springs on record as warmer temperatures lead blooms to sprout earlier than ever. (Grist)
• A New York lawmaker introduces a bill that would allow residents to sue the fossil fuel industry for climate change impacts, taking a page out of the same legal theory undergirding a Texas abortion law. (E&E News)
NUCLEAR: A bipartisan group of U.S. senators proposes a bill that would lower regulatory costs for advanced nuclear reactors and encourage their development at brownfields. (Utility Dive)
GRID: Critics take aim at state laws awarding utilities exclusive or preferential treatment for building regional transmission lines, which can raise ratepayer costs and slow needed grid improvements. (Louisiana Illuminator)
SOLAR: A Rhode Island legislator introduces a bill that would require new homes, buildings and large parking lots to incorporate solar projects. (Energy News Network)
OFFSHORE WIND: A federal judge questions whether the fishing interests challenging a Vineyard Wind environmental permit have legal standing to sue. (E&E News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla remains dominant in the U.S. electric vehicle market, but its share is shrinking as more companies roll out EV models. (Axios)
CARBON CAPTURE: A Colorado company unveils North America’s largest direct air carbon capture facility in a Denver-area warehouse. (Colorado Sun)
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EFFICIENCY: A federal ban on incandescent light bulbs will take effect in August. (NewsNation)
COMMENTARY: The world needs to downplay the promise of carbon removal technology and instead prioritize quick emissions reductions, a climate scientist writes. (Nature)
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