CLEAN ENERGY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces it will devote $11 billion to electrify and decarbonize rural areas, with funding set aside for hydrogen projects, carbon capture and transmission improvement, in the biggest investment in rural electrification since the New Deal. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• Questions over just what qualifies as clean energy will make it hard for Massachusetts to determine when it has fully decarbonized, experts say. (Boston Globe)
• Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson takes office with high expectations from activists to pass his citywide Green New Deal plan, which will face opposition from powerful entities. (In These Times)

SOLAR:
• Some Democrats push back against new guidance on how much domestic material solar panels must contain to qualify for federal incentives, saying it’s too soft on Chinese-made components. (The Hill, Utility Dive)
• Virginia community solar advocates eye breakthroughs in Maryland and District of Columbia programs as they prepare to make another push for shared solar in next year’s state legislative session. (Energy News Network)
• Two companies are helping to make northwestern Ohio a U.S. hub for solar panel manufacturing as they prepare to scale up operations. (Spectrum News)

CARBON CAPTURE: The political fight over building a carbon capture project at Louisiana’s Lake Maurepas exemplifies the rush to access government funding even while the technology’s safety and viability remain uncertain. (Politico)

OVERSIGHT: A former U.S. EPA official says the agency has finally “hit full throttle” as it rolls out a wave of rules targeting power plant and vehicle emissions, as well as other toxic pollutants. (Guardian)

CLIMATE: A peer-reviewed study finds 37% of forest burned in Western wildfires since 1986 can be linked to greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s largest fossil fuel companies and their products. (Grist)

GRID: PJM Interconnection asks federal regulators to allow it to include wind, solar and energy storage projects in its definition of “black start” generators and offer such facilities incentives to maintain assured fuel supplies. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Americans are keeping their cars longer than ever, dragging out the transition to electric vehicles. (Axios)
• Electric vehicle maker Canoo projects it will build 20,000 cars by the end of the year despite a $90.7 million loss in the first quarter of 2023. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

OIL & GAS: California lawmakers advance legislation that would hold oil and gas companies liable when their operations harm people’s health and allow victims to sue for up to $1 million in damages. (Capital & Main)

COMMENTARY: An editorial board endorses U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s permitting reform proposal as a way to push oil and gas projects through a “labyrinth of rules and reviews.”(NOLA.com)

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Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.