POLITICS: The U.S. Senate passes a debt ceiling bill that includes energy permitting reforms after rejecting an attempt to detach it from completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. (E&E News, Cardinal News)

ALSO:
• West Virginia’s U.S. senators have received more than $70,000 since 2018 from political action committees linked to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which they helped push into the debt ceiling deal. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• The debt ceiling bill doesn’t contain provisions to speed electric transmission construction, raising questions over whether Democrats will ever be able to advance that priority. (The Hill)
• U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich introduces new bills aimed at expediting transmission siting and permitting and that would provide a 30% tax credit for large-scale grid projects. (E&E News)

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CLEAN ENERGY:
• Many cities and local governments lack the expertise and staff capacity to apply for their share of federal clean energy funds from the Inflation Reduction Act. (Inside Climate News)
• The federal government issues guidance for a new tax credit for building facilities focused on clean energy manufacturing and recycling, industrial decarbonization and critical mineral processing. (Utility Dive)
• Supply chain constraints, policy uncertainty and interconnection issues contributed to a 15% decline in U.S. renewable energy installations last year compared to 2022, according to a new report. (Politico)

HYDROGEN: Major environmental groups and local organizations say the Biden administration is shielding its $8 billion clean hydrogen program from public scrutiny, leaving communities unsure of how planned hydrogen hubs will affect them. (Inside Climate News)

CLIMATE:
• Rich countries promised to give vulnerable nations $100 billion for climate resilience projects, but so far their money has gone toward coal plants, airports and, in the U.S.’s case, a hotel in Haiti. (Reuters)
• A judge revives a youths climate lawsuit in Oregon alleging the federal government’s fossil fuel-friendly policies are unconstitutional. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS: U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland bans new federal oil and gas leasing within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico for the next 20 years. (Albuquerque Journal) 

GRID: Federal regulators prepare a new rule governing how energy projects connect to the grid, with a goal of more efficiently getting solar, wind and storage projects plugged in. (E&E News)

BUILDINGS: A Massachusetts program that funds new school buildings doesn’t stipulate the use of climate-friendly alternatives to fossil fuel heating and power, an exception to state policy that advocates say dents climate progress. (Boston Globe)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Toyota ups its investment in a North Carolina electric-vehicle battery plant to $5.9 billion, making it the state’s single largest economic-development project commitment. (Greensboro News & Record)
• Xcel Energy moves to withdraw its proposal to build the country’s largest utility-owned electric vehicle charging network after Minnesota regulators approve less than half of the utility’s rate increase request. (Star Tribune)

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INNOVATION: Business incubators in Ohio and Michigan launch a joint program to help clean energy startups commercialize their products faster and recruit people of color, women, veterans and people with disabilities. (Energy News Network)

COMMENTARY: The federal debt ceiling bill enshrines “an insidious piece of misinformation” — that natural gas infrastructure is a climate solution, writes a legal expert on gas pipeline fights. (New York Times)

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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.