EMISSIONS: Almost all of the country’s gas-fired power plant capacity could meet proposed U.S. EPA emission rules with only minor operational changes, according to an environmental group’s new analysis that contrasts with more dire predictions by grid operators and utilities. (Utility Dive) 

OFFSHORE WIND:
• The offshore wind industry is in a state of flux as it prepares for the first Gulf of Mexico leasing auction, facing unprecedented demand but dire financial conditions that threaten its expansion. (Canary Media)
• Massachusetts utility regulators allow the power purchase agreement between Eversource and Commonwealth Wind to be terminated after the developer said it was no longer a financially viable project. (CommonWealth Magazine)

GRID:
• Grid experts say new technologies could help get more out of existing transmission and potentially reduce the need for new wires. (States Newsroom)
• The North American Electric Reliability Corp. for the first time identifies energy policy as a threat to grid reliability, saying grid operators, policymakers and power system operators need to improve coordination. (Utility Dive)
• A deadly heat wave blankets the central U.S. from Texas to Minnesota, threatening power grids and other infrastructure. (Associated Press) 

POLITICS:
• Environmental groups say the Inflation Reduction Act has proved too complicated to take advantage of, as applying for its various programs and grants demands staff and time they just don’t have. (Guardian)
• In their first debate, Republican presidential candidates called for “energy dominance,” including more fossil fuel drilling, and those who didn’t avoid the topic of climate change denied that humans are causing it. (E&E News, New York Times)

OIL & GAS:
• Mountain Valley Pipeline officials say they expect completion by year’s end after courts dismiss the last of the legal challenges that have delayed construction for years. (Virginia Mercury)
• A nationwide fight over gas appliance bans finds new fronts as lawsuits arise, some cities roll back policies, and lobbyists push to preserve gas hookups. (E&E News)
• Public health and environmental advocates call for a fracking ban in Pennsylvania — or at least stronger regulations — after new studies link asthma, lymphoma and low birth weights to proximity to fracking operations. (Capital & Main)
• Rising Permian Basin oil production and prices help boost New Mexico revenues to “unprecedented, historic” levels, setting the state up for a $3.5 billion budget surplus. (Albuquerque Journal)

CLIMATE:
• Legal observers say young Montana advocates’ recent court victory is a paradigm shift in climate litigation that will have a “ripple effect across the world.” (NPR)
• Climate change could force more farmers and ranchers to invest in expensive irrigation infrastructure to sustain their operations through increasingly common extreme heat and drought. (Associated Press)

SOLAR: Developers of a proposed 500 MW solar installation in Wyoming plan to elevate the photovoltaic panels to allow livestock grazing and other agricultural uses to continue. (Cowboy State Daily)

STORAGE: A federal document reveals a company is considering Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a $1 billion battery factory. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

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.