ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Seven major automakers including General Motors, Honda, and Stellantis announce a joint venture to build at least 30,000 fast-charging stations across North America in an attempt to compete with Tesla’s charging network. (Canary Media)

ALSO:
• Utilities and others work to develop better ways to predict and manage grid loads to prevent electric vehicles from overwhelming the grid. (Utility Dive)
• Vermont wants to win over the state’s biggest gas-guzzlers with new electric vehicle incentives aimed at drivers with long commutes or older vehicles. (Energy News Network)

CLIMATE:
• President Biden is expected today to announce new measures to address extreme heat, including investments in improved forecasting and grants to ensure access to clean drinking water. (E&E News)
• The White House is also working with the Labor Department on a first-ever heat “hazard alert” to reaffirm federal protections for outdoor workers. (Axios)
• Surface ocean temperatures around Florida’s southern end exceeded 100 degrees this week, marking what could be a global record. (Guardian)

INFRASTRUCTURE:
• Direct pay tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act can dramatically cut the cost of climate mitigation and resilience projects, putting them within reach for local governments, an analysis finds. (Utility Dive)
• The federal infrastructure law allocated billions of dollars to make the nation’s highway system more resilient to climate change, but states have used at least $755 million for general-purpose improvements instead. (Washington Post)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
• Environmental groups and legal experts raise concerns about what an expanded federal rural clean energy program will mean for environmental justice communities. (E&E News)
• Black and Hispanic residents of Lubbock, Texas, file a federal civil rights complaint to force the city to stop placing polluting industrial companies near their neighborhoods. (Texas Tribune)

EMISSIONS: The Biden administration announces it’s launching a Cabinet-level task force to tackle methane emissions. (The Hill)

POLITICS:
• A Republican and a Democratic U.S. senator call for establishing “common language” on permitting reform so legislators and the public know whether it involves transmission, pipelines, or all or none of the above. (The Hill)
• Ohio’s secretary of state has recently spoken out about the need to prevent legislative corruption but has also yet to produce any evidence that he pushed back against the HB 6 bribery scheme as it was unfolding. (Ohio Capital Journal)

EFFICIENCY: Improving energy efficiency performance in buildings can keep residents safer and prevent deaths during extreme heat and cold, a U.S. Energy Department study finds. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: Federal land managers propose banning oil and gas drilling on 28,500 acres in southern New Mexico to protect sensitive cave systems near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)

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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.