ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Treasury Department releases long-awaited and complex electric vehicle tax credit rules, which include North American material and manufacturing requirements, a price cap, and buyer income limits. (CNBC)
ALSO:
• The IRS will publish a list of qualifying electric vehicles in the coming weeks, which will include fewer vehicles than a current list, but will likely expand as the domestic EV supply chain grows. (Washington Post)
• While a handful of states have made billion-dollar pledges to build microchip and electric vehicle plants, Pennsylvania and other states are falling behind. (Associated Press)
• A truck stop electrification company merges with a defunct pro basketball league to easily go public and raise proceeds to expand its charging network. (Axios)
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CLIMATE:
• Some climate scientists say President Biden needs to tamp down his climate “doomerism,” saying he should emphasize continued action even if the U.S. passes its warming goal, rather than label it a point of no return. (E&E News)
• After the defeat of a major climate bill in 2009 and a subsequent Republican congressional takeover, environmentalists dove deeper into politics to push for the eventual success of the Inflation Reduction Act. (Politico)
• Experts say climate change is affecting tornadoes in the U.S., resulting in fewer storms in Plains states while the Midwest and mid-South are seeing an increase. (Miami Herald)
TRANSPORTATION:
• The Biden administration approves a California plan requiring companies to sell an increasing number of zero-emission medium- to heavy-duty trucks over the next two decades. (Associated Press)
• North Carolina advocates say a state program to reduce transportation-related carbon emissions lacks urgency and specific directives, especially with regard to a state law that prioritizes highway construction. (Energy News Network)
RENEWABLES:
• China’s biggest solar and wind manufacturers are pursuing production and research facilities in the U.S. as new Inflation Reduction Act incentives take effect. (Bloomberg)
• Republican congress members, plus some Democrats, look to restore tariffs on Chinese solar panel imports. (Canary Media)
OVERSIGHT: Environmental justice leaders urge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider historic pollution burdens and gather more community input when reviewing new energy infrastructure projects. (Utility Dive)
POLICY: Two House Democrats pitch a permitting reform bill that would speed the deployment of renewable energy projects while taking frontline communities’ feedback into account. (E&E News)
EFFICIENCY: A new study singles out the Tennessee Valley Authority for trailing all other major Southeast utilities in helping customers reduce their energy consumption, while the region as a whole lags the rest of the country. (Chattanooga Times Free Press, WFAE)
OIL & GAS: Environmental advocates say the Biden administration is failing to implement required reforms before an upcoming federal oil and gas lease sale in Nevada. (Nevada Independent)
CARBON CAPTURE: California entrepreneurs and officials aim to make the state a carbon removal and sequestration industry hub. (KQED)
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