POLITICS: A new analysis finds the largest U.S. power utilities have funneled at least $215 million to dark money political groups in recent years, boosting legislators who have helped to increase rates, bail out failing power plants, and oppose clean energy. (Floodlight/Guardian)
ALSO:
• Four top environmental organizations endorse President Biden’s re-election despite concerns about his approval of fossil fuel projects. (New York Times)
• Political observers predict that hydrogen, offshore wind and rooftop solar to be hot topics in statehouses across the country this year. (E&E News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: State legislators across the country wrestle over whether to let utilities or private businesses take the lead on building electric vehicle charging stations. (States Newsroom)
CLIMATE:
• The California plaintiffs in a lawsuit accusing Delta Air Lines of misleading customers with its carbon neutrality claims say they aim to set a precedent with the action. (Los Angeles Times)
• Global average temperatures are setting record highs this month, leading scientists to predict 2023 could be the hottest year in recorded history. (Guardian)
• Much of the continental U.S. has seen an increase in fire days — when low humidity, high winds and heat make wildfires likely — over the last 50 years, an analysis finds. (Axios)
• A former Illinois meteorologist who now serves in Congress is using his position to educate the public and fellow lawmakers on climate change. (Politico)
SOLAR: A solar deployment boom depends on a steep panel material price drop that’s happening globally, but hasn’t reached the U.S. yet. (Inside Climate News)
GRID:
• The federal debt ceiling law’s limited permitting reform provisions could convince Congress they don’t need to do more to boost transmission deployment, grid experts say. (Utility Dive)
• Texas’ grid manager predicts the state will exceed the previous record for electricity demand three times in coming days as a major heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures. (Houston Chronicle)
• New research makes a case for equipping freight trains with electric batteries and using them to back up the grid. (Utility Dive)
GAS:
• New York City’s decades-old natural gas pipes are aging, and when they fail, residents who can’t afford repairs or electric upgrades are sometimes left without hot water and cooking gas for months. (Inside Climate News)
• House lawmakers pass a second gas stove bill, this time seeking to thwart a forthcoming efficiency regulation for the appliances. (Politico)
• Santa Cruz, California, suspends its natural gas hookup ban after determining it was too similar to Berkeley’s court-overturned ordinance to survive legal challenges. (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
EMISSIONS:
• As promised, President Biden vetoes a congressional resolution that targeted the U.S. EPA’s new heavy-duty truck emissions rule. (E&E News)
• Michigan House Democrats introduce a series of clean energy bills that include a 100% carbon-free electricity target by 2035, one of the fastest timelines in the country. (MLive)
HYDROGEN: As Pennsylvania contends for federal hydrogen hub funding, industry and labor interests push to secure a fossil fuel-based facility, while environmental interests seek a carbon-neutral source. (PublicSource)
COMMENTARY: Texas lawmakers’ mostly failed attempts to restrict clean energy projects demonstrate just how much market forces have aligned behind renewables over fossil fuels, writes a columnist. (New York Times)
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