OIL & GAS: The White House and the top federal consumer safety official say they have no plans to ban new gas stoves after the suggestion of a ban ignites a heated debate. (The Hill, Grist)
ALSO:
• The Tennessee Valley Authority defies critics, clean energy advocates and federal officials by announcing it will stick with fossil fuels and replace a retiring coal plant with a 1,450 MW natural gas plant. (WPLN, Knoxville News Sentinel)
• A Massachusetts regulatory decision last month was a setback for renewable natural gas, but environmentalists say it leaves open the possibility for future attempts to promote captured methane as a climate solution. (Energy News Network)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Switching to an electric vehicle would provide cost benefits to nine out of 10 U.S. drivers, but the lowest-income Americans would be left behind, according to a University of Michigan study. (Grist)
• The U.S. Energy Department awards two California companies nearly $6 million to work to make electric vehicle batteries run longer, charge faster and cost less. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• States should provide local governments with guidance on how to change policies and operations to support electric vehicle infrastructure, Michigan’s chief mobility officer says. (Smart Cities Dive)
• General Motors’ electric Hummer was meant to win over electric vehicle skeptics, but has since sparked controversy for prioritizing power over function in the emerging industry. (E&E News)
OFFSHORE WIND: As federal and state officials look to create a diverse clean energy workforce, Black business owners search for their place in the white-dominated offshore wind industry. (E&E News)
POLITICS: The new Republican leader of the House energy committee teases a energy package that will aim to boost natural gas exports, modernize energy infrastructure, and promote carbon capture, nuclear and renewables. (The Hill)
OVERSIGHT: House Republicans say they’ll scrutinize the nomination of a fossil fuel critic to lead the federal agency overseeing offshore energy production. (E&E News)
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SOLAR: A Tesla factory in Buffalo, New York, utilizing significant state tax incentives was supposed to be a major solar industry manufacturer, but a decade later less than a quarter of employees are working on such projects. (Investigative Post)
EMISSIONS:
• An environmental group calls an experimental jet Lockheed Martin is building for NASA’s supersonic aviation program a “climate debacle,” saying the carbon-intensive jets are like “putting Humvees in the sky.” (Inside Climate News)
• A U.S. EPA proposal to lower soot emission limits could particularly benefit public health in Indiana metropolitan areas that are close to violating current standards, experts say. (Indiana Public Radio)
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