CLEAN ENERGY: An “unprecedented” federal provision that lets companies sell their tax credits is helping startups and small businesses with limited tax obligations fully benefit from clean energy projects, analysts say. (Grist)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The United Auto Workers launches a strike at a Ford, a General Motors, and a Stellantis plant amid a contract dispute with the Big 3 automakers, while questions over workers’ rights in the electric vehicle transition loom. (NPR)
• The U.S. EPA’s tailpipe emissions rule incentivizing a shift to electric vehicles seems likely to withstand a federal court’s review, but another regulation to boost fuel economy standards is having a tougher time in the courts. (E&E News)
• The Republican-dominated U.S. House passes a bill aimed at blocking states from banning the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles. (Washington Examiner)
• Nonprofit groups pushing for a Ford electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan are funded by dark money contributions and linked to Michigan Democrats and associates of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Detroit Free Press, subscription)
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PIPELINES: A new Biden administration rule gives states and tribes more power to block pipelines and other projects that could affect water quality. (The Hill)
EFFICIENCY: Consumer and efficiency advocates reach an agreement with appliance manufacturers on proposed energy efficiency standards, and will together lobby the U.S. Department of Energy to adopt them. (Utility Dive)
OFFSHORE WIND: Wind developer Ørsted’s financial woes and a lackluster Gulf of Mexico wind auction forecast trouble in the offshore wind industry, though bright spots remain. (Inside Climate News)
NUCLEAR: Minnesota emerges as a test case in the role of nuclear energy in decarbonization strategies, as the state sets out on a 2040 carbon-free power goal with a moratorium on new nuclear construction. (Project Optimist)
GRID:
• About 49 GW of planned capacity, mostly from renewables and storage, clears grid operator MISO’s interconnection queue, but the projects on average face two-year delays before operations start. (Utility Dive)
• A northern California county relied on generator-powered microgrids to provide electricity to residents for nearly a month after a wildfire knocked out a critical transmission line. (Los Angeles Times)
OIL & GAS:
• Four Massachusetts cities want to ban new gas hookups via a state pilot program, but only one more city is allowed to do so. (State House News Service)
• Ohio’s attorney general is investigating allegations of falsified public comments submitted to state regulators that were in favor of gas drilling in state parks. (Allegheny Front)
SOLAR: Florida outpaces California and Texas by adding 2,499 MW of solar power in the first half of 2023 despite the fact it doesn’t have a renewable portfolio standard and doesn’t allow power-purchase agreements. (Canary Media)
STORAGE: A Virginia Tech professor’s energy startup wants to build a new kind of electric vehicle battery with regionally sourced materials, including coal-derived material. (Cardinal News)
CLIMATE: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announces $1.13 billion for 385 tree-planting projects around the country. (Guardian)
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