ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Sen. Joe Manchin worries the Biden administration will “try to screw me” as it prepares guidance for electric vehicle incentives, which Manchin only wants to apply to U.S.-made cars. (E&E News)
ALSO:
• Uncertainty still surrounds federal electric vehicle incentives, leaving potential buyers unsure whether to lease or buy an EV, and whether the models they’re looking at will be eligible for incentives at all. (Washington Post)
• Amazon, Google and Wells Fargo are among the first companies announcing major electric vehicle investments under a White House EV acceleration challenge. (The Hill)
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POLITICS:
• House Republicans will vote today on their energy package, which is likely to pass before falling flat in the Democratic-controlled Senate. (Washington Post)
• Environmental groups and some farmer advocacy groups say this year’s Farm Bill could be Congress’ next big climate measure if lawmakers focus on reducing agricultural emissions. (Grist)
WIND:
• The U.S. Energy Department unveils a new plan to meet offshore wind deployment goals. (The Hill)
• Two of four major lawsuits challenging Vineyard Wind will begin oral arguments next week, with fishing industry groups contending the offshore wind turbines will disturb the environment. (E&E News)
• Republican lawmakers call for a nationwide pause on offshore wind development, citing debunked claims that the industry is killing sea mammals. (Inside Climate News)
CLIMATE: The U.S. doesn’t support a United Nations resolution that asks an international court to determine countries’ legal obligations to address climate change. (E&E News)
MINING: While decarboning the global economy will require around 28 million tons of critical minerals each year, the world is already extracting billions of tons of oil, gas and coal annually. (Distilled)
OIL & GAS: While the Willow project is just a tiny percentage of the U.S.’s total oil drilling capacity, its approval still angers environmentalists because President Biden pledged to stop new drilling altogether. (Washington Post)
HEAT PUMPS: A Massachusetts organization trains volunteer “heat pump coaches” who’ve electrified their homes and help answer neighbors’ questions about switching to clean heat. (Canary Media)
UTILITIES: The Tennessee Valley Authority acknowledges it holds remains of nearly 5,000 mostly Native people removed from places where it operates and pledges to return them to their families and tribes. (Knoxville News Sentinel, AL.com)
SOLAR: A developer starts construction on an 800 MW Illinois solar project that would be the largest in the state and the first to use only U.S.-made modules, hardware and electrical components. (PV Magazine)
PIPELINES: A federal court upholds a key permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, although the long-delayed project still requires other approvals to resume construction. (Roanoke Times)
CLEAN ENERGY: Oregon lawmakers say Amazon has quietly lobbied against a bill that would require cryptocurrency miners and data centers to use clean energy even as the Seattle company publicly pledges to become zero-carbon. (Oregonian)
EFFICIENCY:
• A central Virginia climate advocacy group awards minority-owned small businesses grants to pay for energy-efficient appliances and lighting. (Energy News Network)
• A Southeast clean energy group says regional utilities and regulators are underinvesting in energy efficiency. (Utility Dive)
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