COAL: Nearly half of the U.S.’s coal capacity operating in 2011 will shut down by the end of 2026, an energy think tank estimates, pointing toward a quicker and more permanent transition than earlier expectations. (Grist)
ALSO:
• The Biden administration announces $450 million to develop renewable energy projects on current and former coal mine sites. (The Hill)
• The Biden administration today will release guidance on how investors can access additional tax credits when building clean energy in fossil fuel-dependent communities. (Reuters)
• Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant will shutter this summer, with its owner saying the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative has made its future unaffordable. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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OVERSIGHT: The U.S. EPA may have an easier time imposing carbon regulations on coal and gas power plants if it argues the rules won’t impact the industry much more than the Inflation Reduction Act already did, analysts say. (E&E News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A top electric vehicle trade group welcomes the U.S. Treasury’s tax incentive guidance, saying it “provides a clear roadmap for automakers, battery manufacturers, and critical mineral suppliers.” (Utility Dive)
• Automakers’ lack of inventory, a shortage of fast-charging stations and unique demands on government vehicles have slowed Minnesota’s progress in electrifying its state government vehicle fleet. (Energy News Network)
• A federal jury orders Tesla to pay $3.18 million in damages to a Black employee who suffered racial discrimination and abuse at the company’s Fremont, California, factory. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OIL & GAS:
• OPEC+ countries’ announcement of oil production cuts is unlikely to spur more U.S. production, at least not immediately, analysts say. (E&E News)
• Researchers find the climate impact of emissions from oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico is double that of official estimates. (CNN)
PIPELINES: A federal court rejects a permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross waterways in West Virginia, with a judge citing the project’s history of erosion and sedimentation control violations. (Roanoke Times, Reuters)
GRID: U.S. Senate Democrats may seek to negotiate for more aggressive transmission build-out measures under a broad energy permitting bill package the House passed last week. (S&P Global)
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SOLAR:
• Reports and employees show Buffalo, New York’s Tesla factory, built with big state incentives to produce solar roofs, is instead focusing on charging equipment and self-driving cars. (Investigative Post)
• North Carolina avoids sunsetting its net-metering rules after environmental groups, utilities and industry work out an agreement to replace credits for rooftop solar with a variable payment rate. (Utility Dive)
CLIMATE:
• The U.S.’s geography is a big reason it faces more frequent and harsher extreme weather than any other country, and that’s only expected to worsen as the climate changes. (Associated Press)
• Global emissions of planet-warming CFCs have been on the rise after an international protocol discouraged their use in 2010. (Inside Climate News)
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