OVERSIGHT: Some environmental lawyers think the Supreme Court’s recent EPA decision left open the possibility that the court may allow regulators to set national limits on greenhouse gas emissions. (E&E News)
ALSO:
• Legal experts, though, say the decision will make targeted regulations to curtail natural gas power plant emissions especially challenging. (E&E News)
• Environmental justice advocates call on Congress to restore the U.S. EPA’s enforcement capabilities after years of funding and staffing cuts have let significant violations fall through the cracks. (Grist)
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CLIMATE:
• As President Biden considers declaring a climate emergency, advocates in countries that have declared such emergencies say the moves haven’t driven much action. (Washington Post)
• Record heat across the U.S. and Europe is driving increased air conditioning use, in turn ramping up fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. (The Hill)
• Triple-digit temperatures across the Northeast this weekend increased air conditioning demand and put pressure on ISO New England’s power surplus and peaking power assets. (New York Times, Hartford Courant)
PIPELINES: Colonial Pipeline announces a 2020 North Carolina gasoline leak spilled 30 times the original estimate of 63,000 gallons, making it the largest U.S. gasoline pipeline spill on record. (E&E News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Conservationists’ and tribes’ opposition to proposed lithium mines and a geothermal project in Nevada cast doubt on the Biden administration’s ability to reach clean energy goals by 2035. (Associated Press)
OIL & GAS:
• The $4.7 billion from last year’s federal infrastructure law to plug orphan oil and gas wells across the U.S. will only be enough to scratch the surface of the problem, an analysis shows. (Bloomberg Law)
• An energy analysis group says the oil and gas industry has added back only half of the jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a May jobs report shows the jobs increase may already have plateaued. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• Researchers and climate advocates worry a longstanding push to quickly and proactively replace natural gas pipes to avoid leaks and explosions will slow the clean energy transition. (E&E News)
GRID: Experts say the Biden administration’s order shoring up grid security falls short because it fails to prepare for physical machinery attacks. (Utility Dive)
HYDROGEN:
• The price of green hydrogen recently hit nearly triple its usual price point as energy prices rise across the board. (Utility Dive)
• A study commissioned by California regulators finds hydrogen blends above 5% in the natural gas system raise the chances of pipeline and appliance leaks. (Utility Dive)
EFFICIENCY: New rules requiring Minnesota home sellers to disclose energy efficiency scores have had little impact on buyers’ decisions so far because of the tight housing market and other factors. (Energy News Network)
COMMENTARY:
• Congressional Republicans’ and Sen. Joe Manchin’s refusal to enact meaningful climate legislation jeopardizes the safety of the people they’re supposed to serve, an editorial board writes. (New York Times)
• If President Biden can’t stand up to global interests and U.S. lawmakers who are blocking climate action, he shouldn’t run in 2024, a climate activist says. (Guardian)
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