U.S. Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Kathryn Krawczyk.
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POLITICS: President Biden announces the U.S. will send more natural gas to Europe — a largely symbolic move, as the U.S. doesn’t have the capacity or supply to export much more gas. (New York Times, Quartz)
ALSO:
• The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to invoke the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of minerals needed for clean energy storage. (The Intercept)
• U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin sparks a new round of negotiations over federal climate and social spending by laying out what measures he would support. (Washington Post)
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OIL & GAS:
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rolls back its new rules governing oil and gas projects over industry and lawmakers’ complaints, opening the Democrat-supported rules for feedback instead. (E&E News)
• Industry leaders and analysts in Texas’ Permian Basin say there’s no quick way to increase oil and gas production due to supply chain issues, labor shortages and investor hesitancy, even though the area has vast untapped reserved and highly developed infrastructure. (Texas Tribune, New York Times, Bloomberg)
• A shale oil company plans to build 70 carbon capture facilities around the world by 2035, with the first set to begin construction in the Permian Basin this year. (Bloomberg)
CLIMATE: Financial institutions are increasingly announcing divestments from fossil fuels, but 30 of the largest have so far failed to take action in line with Paris Agreement goals. (Grist)
SOLAR:
• Scientists walk on, jump on, and otherwise abuse solar panels as part of federal research to better understand what makes them fail. (Inside Climate News)
• A Connecticut bill aims to address complaints about aggressive sales tactics by some solar companies, but industry leaders say the proposal is too broad and impractical. (Energy News Network)
AIR POLLUTION: Most of the U.S. has seen air pollution subside over the past 20 years, but tribal communities now face more than ever, with oil and gas facilities anecdotally attributed as one factor. (Bloomberg)
UTILITIES: A House committee investigates six utilities’ shutoff rates during the pandemic. (Utility Dive)
HYDROGEN: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York are organizing a joint bid for federal funding to develop a regional clean hydrogen hub. (Bloomberg)
NUCLEAR: Silicon Valley venture capitalists and tech giants tout nuclear power to cut carbon emissions and wean the world off Russian natural gas. (Bloomberg)
PIPELINES: A federal investigation and proposed $40 million fine against the owner of the Rover pipeline, which spilled about 2 million gallons of drilling fluid in an Ohio wetland during construction, highlights the shortfalls of federal oversight, critics say. (E&E News)
COMMENTARY:
• President Biden and Democrats are missing an opportunity to use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to call out fossil fuels’ geopolitical dangers and transition to clean energy, a columnist writes. (New York Times)
• Achieving ongoing reliable, affordable clean energy “is going to be impossible without significant expansions of energy storage,” says the head of an advanced energy group. (Energy News Network)
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