POLITICS: The House easily passes a compromise debt ceiling bill that includes permitting reforms for energy projects but lacks provisions to boost transmission construction, sending it to the Senate. (NPR)
ALSO:
• Democratic lawmakers criticize White House officials who tried to sell them on a debt ceiling bill ahead of yesterday’s vote, saying sped-up energy project reviews will leave environmental protections “gutted.” (Politico)
• A provision in the debt ceiling deal to force completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline should withstand legal scrutiny, experts say, despite worries it upends the balance of power between Congress and federal courts. (Washington Post)
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CLIMATE:
• Cutting carbon emissions from factories and power plants will also reduce aerosol pollution — a win for public health that may also cause hotter temperatures in the short term, scientists find. (The Hill)
• A combination of a strong El Niño and warming Atlantic Ocean is injecting uncertainty into the pending hurricane season, forecasters say. (Inside Climate News)
• Western wildfires are causing unhealthy air conditions in small cities hundreds of miles away that don’t have enough people or cars to generate much smog on their own. (The Hill)
UTILITIES:
• A California county’s prosecutor dismisses criminal charges against Pacific Gas & Electric after the utility agrees to pay $50 million for its role in sparking the fatal 2020 Zogg Fire in northern California. (Los Angeles Times)
• Attorneys representing FirstEnergy investors say the former Public Utilities Commission chairman who accepted $4.3 million from the utility is not fully disclosing how he spent the money. (Ohio Capital Journal)
STORAGE: The need for domestically sourced raw materials for batteries has led some environmental groups to join with fossil fuel and mining interests in calling for federal mining permitting reforms. (States Newsroom)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Despite their growing popularity, it’s still difficult to get an electric vehicle from most U.S. dealerships due to limited manufacturing and some dealers’ reluctance to carry EVs. (Sierra)
CLEAN ENERGY: California Gov. Gavin Newsom floats a plan for the state, instead of utilities, to purchase large amounts of geothermal and offshore wind power to encourage clean energy development and reduce reliance on natural gas generation. (Associated Press)
COAL: The U.S. Justice Department sues 13 coal companies owned by the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice over failure to pay more than $5 million in penalties for mine cleanup violations. (Charleston Gazette-Mail, Politico)
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NUCLEAR: A Washington startup is among companies receiving a chunk of $46 million in federal funding to research and develop fusion power. (GeekWire)
FINANCE: Boston provides a strong environment for climate tech companies to incubate and grow, but venture capital isn’t flowing as easily to the sector in part because investments often take a long time to come to fruition. (Boston Magazine)
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