CLIMATE: A year after its passage, an analysis concludes the Inflation Reduction Act is helping to lower the cost of wind and solar power and put the country on track to cut greenhouse gas emissions between 29% and 42% by 2030. (Grist)

ALSO:
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency is running low on disaster funding as hurricane season looms, but Congress seems unlikely to replenish it before it recesses for the month of August. (E&E News)
• Farmworkers, construction crews and others who work outside or without air conditioning have few federal protections as extreme heat puts their health at risk. (Axios) 

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The Biden administration’s race-blind efforts to curb air pollution disparities will only have moderate success if they don’t consider a history of racist policies, a report finds. (Washington Post)

OIL & GAS:
• Newly proposed federal rules would increase royalty rates for oil and gas companies to drill on public land, while also tightening requirements for cleaning up old and abandoned wells. (Associated Press, E&E News)
• An investigation of Texas’ efforts to weatherize natural gas plants after 2021’s near-collapse of the grid reveals that regulators cited only 222 of more than 7,000 facilities, and nearly all were written up only for paperwork violations. (E&E News)
• A company that planned to build a liquified natural gas plant near a historically Black community in the Florida Panhandle using a legal loophole to limit federal oversight announces it will no longer pursue the controversial project. (Canary Media)

SOLAR:
• Labor unions worry that U.S. renewable energy jobs aren’t paying workers as much as the fossil fuel jobs that they’re displacing. (Inside Climate News)
• Bifacial perovskite solar cells that capture sunlight on both sides have the potential to outperform one-sided cells, National Renewable Energy Laboratory research finds. (Utility Dive)

OVERSIGHT: A federal agency that oversees commodity trading starts investigating fraud in the carbon credit market, suggesting it may roll out regulations soon. (Grist)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Wind and solar together produced more power than coal in the first half of the year. (Canary Media)
• Energy analysts urge other states to follow Colorado’s lead in leveraging federal infrastructure tax credits and grants to lure solar and other clean energy projects. (Colorado Sun) 

POLITICS:
• Attorneys continue to wrangle over documents that detail how Ohio’s former top energy regulator spent $4.3 million he received in 2019 from FirstEnergy, which the utility later said was a bribe. (Ohio Capital Journal)
• Former President Trump promises to reverse President Biden’s electric vehicle policies if he’s elected, as the United Auto Workers raise concerns the EV incentives benefit automakers more than employees. (Politico) 

OFFSHORE WIND: President Biden visits the Philadelphia Shipyard to promote offshore wind development along the East Coast and emphasize the first-ever lease sale in the Gulf Coast. (E&E News)

UTILITIES: Calgary’s public municipal utility, which owns Maine utility Versant Power, has spent $7.5 million to oppose the state’s referendum on converting its investor-owned utilities into a public entity. (Global News)

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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.