Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

CLIMATE: Unmitigated climate change and continued burning of fossil fuels would cost the world an estimated $38 trillion in damages by 2050, six times the cost of transitioning to clean energy and curbing warming, according to a peer-reviewed study. (Axios)

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ALSO:

• The global plastics industry produces four times as many planet-warming emissions as the airline industry and could single handedly tip the world past a critical climate threshold if production remains consistent, scientists find. (The Hill)
• Sen. Joe Manchin and 32 Republicans push a resolution to overturn the Securities and Exchange Commission’s climate disclosure rule. (The Hill)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The U.S. now has a fast charging station for every 15 gas stations after adding 600 new stations so far this year, as Tesla continues to build out its network and federal funding helps patch charging deserts. (Bloomberg)
• Google Maps rolls out new features to help electric vehicle drivers more easily locate chargers, including those tucked away in parking lots and garages. (Verge)

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WIND: The offshore wind industry is recovering after a series of project cancellations and setbacks last year, but experts warn rising inflation, an insufficient supply chain, and other challenges remain. (CNN)

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MATERIALS: The United Nations estimates that 62 million tons of e-waste went to landfills in 2022, including hard-to-come-by metals essential to solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and other clean energy components. (Grist)

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SOLAR:

• The U.S. EPA prepares to announce $7 billion for its Solar for All program that funds solar installations in low-income areas. (E&E News)
• Critics charge that Duke Energy’s revised green tariff program in North Carolina will do little to accelerate new renewable development. (Energy News Network)

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GRID:

• Virtual power plants as well as advanced nuclear and upgraded transmission lines could help meet growing power demand, experts say. (Utility Dive)
• A Colorado think tank finds Western states are poised to generate billions of dollars by exporting clean energy to other regions, but only if they can significantly expand the power grid. (Inside Climate News)
• Six Northeast states file two joint applications with federal officials to receive up to $1 billion for transmission upgrades and battery storage projects. (Portland Press Herald)

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ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:

• Indigenous advocates say the U.S. is ignoring the United Nations’ Rights of Indigenous Peoples declaration, including through its refusal to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. (Global Indigenous Affairs Desk)
• Republican attorneys general from 23 other states petition the U.S. EPA to stop taking race into account when regulating pollution. (Floodlight)

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INDUSTRY: The U.S. Department of Energy announces $28 million in grants for research aimed at decarbonizing steel production. (Canary Media)  

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COAL: Democratic U.S. senators in Virginia and West Virginia applaud a new federal rule to more tightly regulate silica dust, which factors into black lung disease. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)

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COMMENTARY: Michigan regulators’ denial of a utility’s request to recoup expenses from uneconomic coal plants sets an example for other states, clean energy policy advocates write. (RMI)

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OIL & GAS: The Biden administration blocks new oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres of the 23-million-acre federal petroleum reserve in the Alaskan Arctic; the ban will not affect the controversial Willow project. (Associated Press)

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ALSO:

• The U.S. Forest Service rejects a decade-old proposal to drill eight oil and gas wells and build a pipeline on federal land in southern California. (KCBX)
• A Colorado petroleum refinery files a lawsuit accusing state regulators of unfairly requiring the facility to meet “unreasonable” standards in its water quality permit. (KDVR)

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PUBLIC LANDS:

• The Biden administration is poised to finalize a public lands rule aimed at putting conservation on a par with extractive uses by allowing entities to lease federal land for restoration or mitigation work. (Colorado Newsline)
• The Biden administration blocks new mining claims and oil and gas leases on 4,200 acres of federal land in central New Mexico for the next 50 years. (news release)

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COAL: California researchers find coal train dust significantly affects the health of people living near rail lines, with underserved communities bearing a disproportionate burden of the impacts. (news release)

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UTILITIES:

• An investigation finds Hawaiian Electric did not immediately respond to an alert of downed power lines prior to last year’s deadly Maui wildfires. (Washington Post)
• A Colorado utility proposes adding 400 MW of solar, wind and battery storage to its resource portfolio. (news release)
• PacifiCorp and NV Energy plan to add natural gas generation to their grids while also building out renewable power sources. (E&E News, subscription)

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GRID: California utilities and energy agencies seek $2 billion in federal funding to increase statewide transmission capacity and streamline clean energy interconnections. (Reuters)

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WIND: A Washington state energy siting council recommends approval of a scaled-back version of the proposed Horse Heaven Hills wind facility in endangered hawk habitat in the southern part of the state. (Crosscut)

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SOLAR:

• The federal Bureau of Land Management seeks public input on a proposed 600 MW solar-plus-battery storage installation in southwestern Arizona. (news release)
• Denver’s city council votes to spend $10.9 million to install solar carports and electric vehicle chargers at local high schools. (Center Square)
• A solar installation on University of Hawaii agricultural land begins commercial operations. (Hawaii Public Radio)

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STORAGE: A 300 MW battery energy storage system comes online on federal land in southern California. (Solar Industry)

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GEOTHERMAL: The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlights a geothermal exploratory drilling project in northern Nevada. (news release)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Disneyland plans to replace gasoline-powered cars with fully electric vehicles at its Autopia attraction by fall 2026. (Los Angeles Times)

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TRANSPORTATION: While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says there is “enormous potential” for high-speed rail connecting Dallas and Houston. (NBC DFW)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of funds to expand the Brightline high-speed rail line to Tampa. (WUSF)

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SOLAR:

• Solar generated more electricity than coal in Texas for the first time last month, providing more than 10% of the state’s electricity. (IEEFA)
• Duke Energy seeks regulatory approval for a 76 MW solar array adjacent to a South Carolina nuclear plant. (news release)

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HYDROGEN:

• A proposed hydrogen production facility in West Virginia is facing opposition from neighboring landowners. (Mountain State Spotlight)
• A study led by university researchers says Texas has the existing clean energy, infrastructure and workforce to make it a leader in clean hydrogen production. (news release)

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WIND: A 21-year-old Texas wind farm has been rebuilt, enabling it to generate more power with 38 turbines instead of the previous 160. (Electrek)

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UTILITIES:

• A fight over a 2021 Florida Power & Light rate increase will return to the state Supreme Court as advocates appeal a state commission’s ruling reaffirming the decision. (WUSF)
• A Virginia court backs Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s members in a lawsuit seeking to publicly disclose the salaries of board members. (Virginia Mercury)

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NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

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OIL & GAS: Developers of a pipeline to carry natural gas from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast are hoping to have it operational by 2028. (S&P Global)

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COMMENTARY: A Virginia advocate says lawmakers have ignored “the energy crisis that is hurtling towards us” by failing to regulate data center growth. (Power for the People VA)

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CLIMATE: NOAA released a report Friday showing levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere reached historic highs last year, with one scientist saying the methane spike in particular “should terrify us.” (Associated Press)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• The Department of Energy is racing to get billions of dollars in clean energy loans out the door to ensure financing is in place before the 2024 election. (E&E News, subscription)
• New York’s governor proposes a new policy that would speed up clean energy project siting by requiring approval within a year of proposal — but some legislators say there needs to be more guardrails to protect labor and farmlands. (NY Focus)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A new poll finds electric vehicle ownership has risen since last year, but the number of people seriously considering buying one has declined, and more people say they would not buy one at all. (Gallup)
• Finance companies and dealers are increasingly interested in the used EV market, which is complicated because of varying car values and incentives. (Canary Media)
• Auto analysts say the Biden administration’s formula for a new “petroleum equivalency factor” will significantly worsen the miles-per-gallon rating for electric vehicles and could be as impactful as new tailpipe emissions. (Detroit News, subscription)

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TRANSPORTATION:

• While North Carolina has required its power sector to zero out emissions, it has been reluctant to take on reducing dependence on cars, which experts say will be necessary to reach climate goals. (Energy News Network)
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says “it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train” in explaining his rejection of state funds to expand a high-speed rail line. (WUSF)

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SOLAR: Solar generated more electricity than coal in Texas for the first time last month, providing more than 10% of the state’s electricity. (IEEFA)

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WIND: Wyoming researchers paint turbine blades black in an experimental effort aimed at reducing bird collisions with wind power facilities. (Wyoming Public Radio)

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NUCLEAR: A Department of Energy official says despite Plant Vogtle’s delays and cost overruns, the lessons learned from the project could help propel nuclear energy forward. (Grist)

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CARBON CAPTURE: The CEO of a multi-state carbon pipeline project maintains that it would be crucial for ethanol producers who could market low-carbon products. (NWestIowa.com)

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MINING: Efforts to develop a lithium mining site in Nevada face a major obstacle: Finding enough water. (Inside Climate News)

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COMMENTARY: A climate journalist finds that traveling by train — at least, on America’s outdated diesel-powered ones — can in some cases be worse for the climate than flying. (New York Times)

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OIL & GAS: Federal officials approve the construction of a deepwater oil export facility off the Texas Gulf Coast that will be the largest oil export terminal in the U.S. (Houston Chronicle)

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ALSO:

• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott celebrates the groundbreaking of a 380 MW natural gas-fired “peaker” plant that intends to take advantage of new state incentives to spur such construction. (KXAN)
• U.S. House Republicans hold a field hearing in Texas to argue against the Biden administration’s pause on approval of new liquified natural gas export terminals. (E&E News, subscription)
• Executives of a Georgia oil company lobby for changes to a federal law that requires the use of American-made ships to transport goods between U.S. ports, which they say blocks the shipment of domestic oil and gas to the East Coast. (Savannah Morning News)

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STORAGE: Federal investigators cite an electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia for safety violations after a recent fire in which employees “suffered potentially permanent respiratory damage.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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NUCLEAR:

• Experts are divided on whether Georgia Power’s costly, long-delayed expansion of its nuclear Plant Vogtle heralds a new era for nuclear power development or will discourage future investment in the power source. (Grist)
• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin amends two bills to allow Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to seek cost recovery for development of small modular nuclear reactors. (Cardinal News)

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EMISSIONS:

• The U.S. EPA issues a new rule requiring more than 200 chemical plants, more than half of which are in Louisiana and Texas, to reduce toxic emissions that are likely to cause cancer. (Associated Press, Texas Tribune)
• Residents of Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” hail the new rule as a relief and the first time their complaints about risk from nearby facilities have been taken seriously. (WWNO)
• North Carolina regulators begin public hearings on Duke Energy’s long-term plans to reduce carbon emissions while keeping power bills affordable. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)

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SOLAR:

• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs bills to create and expand community solar programs by Appalachian Power and Dominion Energy. (Cardinal News)
• A Texas Congress member announces a $30 million federal grant to fund the installation of solar panels on rooftops, parking lots, and parking spaces across 42 city facilities in San Antonio. (KABB)
• The Southeast accounts for half of the top 10 U.S. states with the highest estimated savings from going solar, according to a study. (CleanTechnica)
• Oklahoma residents gather to oppose NextEra Energy’s plans to build a solar and battery storage facility. (KOKH)

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BIOMASS: Mississippi officials agreed to give more than $24 million in incentives to wood pellet producers in an effort to revitalize struggling rural areas, only to see a global debate erupt around the industry and its biggest company file for bankruptcy. (Mississippi Today)

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OVERSIGHT: South Carolina regulators move to pass sweeping legislation that overhauls how the state regulates utilities to help clear the way for a planned natural gas-fired power plant, while renewable energy companies lobby for changes to encourage more solar development. (Utility Dive)

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GRID: Texas solar and battery installations are growing so much that federal energy officials say there’s less need for natural gas generation during the day. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, PV Magazine)

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COAL ASH: Duke Energy announces a new rail yard and loading dock at a retired coal-fired power plant in North Carolina to assist with disposal of about 1.3 million tons of coal ash. (Greensboro News & Record)

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UTILITIES: The Tennessee Valley Authority names a new executive leader for its east region, which includes eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia, western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. (news release)

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GRID: Utilities in Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee want to build gigawatts of new natural gas-fired power plants to meet escalating power demand from data centers and factories, potentially jeopardizing state and federal climate goals. (Canary Media)

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ALSO:

• Oklahoma sues two natural gas producers, alleging they fraudulently reduced supplies to spike prices during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. (Associated Press)
• Severe storms and a tornado knock out power to about 140,000 Louisiana residents, while high winds cause outages for tens of thousands of people in Georgia and hundreds in North Carolina. (NOLA.com, WSB, WLOS)

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TRANSITION:

• West Virginia regulators approve a 100 MW solar farm and battery facility on the site of a former coal mine. (WTRF)
• A Kentucky Congress member’s efforts to attract a federal prison on the site of a former coal mine is opposed by locals and a growing national coalition. (Louisville Public Media)

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SOLAR:

• Virginia customers of Appalachia Power will soon be able to access a community solar program approved by state lawmakers and the governor, although it’s unclear whether the program will make financial sense for many customers. (Roanoke Times)
• A Virginia county board amends its solar ordinance to require all projects be located within a 1-mile radius of two electrical substations. (Virginia Business)
• A Virginia school installs a 74.2 kW rooftop solar array. (news release)

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WIND: Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities begin using a single wind turbine to study its capabilities, along with a lithium-ion battery and 44,500 solar panels. (Spectrum News)

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POLITICS:

• South Carolina lawmakers advance sweeping legislation to overhaul energy and utility regulation with the end goal of accelerating permitting for a planned natural gas-fired power plant, but critics warn the process is moving too fast and risks taxpayer money. (Charleston City Paper)
• West Virginia’s treasurer adds four financial institutions to a list of firms blocked from doing business with the state for failing to show they’re “not engaged in a boycott of fossil fuels.” (WV Metro News)

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OIL & GAS:

• The Tennessee Valley Authority announces completion of a three-unit, 750 MW expansion of a natural gas-fired power plant in Kentucky. (WBKO)
• Residents of a Texas port city testify to Congress about pollution and jobs amid the Biden administration’s pause on permitting new liquified natural gas export terminals. (Houston Chronicle)
• Kentucky researchers investigate the possibility of using coal ash to rejuvenate idled and abandoned oil and gas wells. (news release)

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HYDROGEN: A hydrogen company buys the last available water rights to Texas’ Nueces River, sparking concern about drinking water availability in the nearby city of Corpus Christi. (Inside Climate News)

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CRYPTOCURRENCY:

• Arkansas lawmakers file a number of bills to limit noise, restrict ownership and curb energy use by crypto-mining operations. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
• Federal officials try to get a better idea of just how much energy the fast-growing cryptocurrency mining sector uses, with Texas emerging as a focal point. (E&E News)

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WORKFORCE: Students at a Virginia technical high school follow line workers from a local electric cooperative to learn more about trade jobs. (WHSV)

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UTILITIES: West Virginia regulators launch an investigation of how utilities notify customers when there’s an outage or other service interruption. (WV Metro News)

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UTILITIES: Questions still abound about the Tennessee Valley Authority CEO’s decision to replace a Tennessee coal plant with a gas-fired plant and 122-mile pipeline without public approval by the TVA board, and despite warnings from the U.S. EPA that the environmental review underlying the project was inadequate. (WPLN)

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ALSO:

• An analysis of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s energy mix shows it still relies on fossil fuels for most of its power, while nuclear energy remains a sizable source and wind and solar together account for just 4% of its power use. (WPLN)
• Jacksonville, Florida’s municipal utility board sets an emergency meeting for next week as a television station reports that its CEO will resign. (WJXT)

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OVERSIGHT:

• Georgia regulators prepare to vote on Georgia Power’s plan to build new natural gas-fired plants, purchase out-of-state energy and add new solar to rapidly meet unexpected demand from large data centers and industrial facilities. (Georgia Recorder)
• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp considers signing a bill to delay elections for a five-member state regulatory board until at least next year, even though two members’ terms have already expired and a third ends later this year. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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SOLAR: An energy company completes construction of a 637 MW solar farm in Texas. (Renewables Now)

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POLITICS: A Florida Republican consultant admits to approving a plan by an ex-state lawmaker to recruit a third-party candidate to siphon votes and defeat a Democratic candidate targeted by Florida Power & Light. (Floodlight/Miami Herald)

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TRANSITION: Duke Energy experiments with microgrids and solar panel efficiency, and invests in grid improvements as it receives rate increases in North Carolina to transition from coal. (WRAL)

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GOVERNMENT: A new study reveals federal grant funding to assist low-income Virginians with paying their bills is shrinking and already falls far short of the need, while a separate report suggests participation in a regional carbon market could provide another funding source. (Virginia Mercury)

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OIL & GAS:

• Texas activists who want to stop the buildout of liquified natural gas export terminals are now lobbying in Europe to try to accelerate investment in renewables and slow gas demand. (Capital and Main)
• Community and conservation groups sue to overturn Louisiana’s approval of coastal use permits for a large liquified natural gas export facility and related pipeline. (E&E News, subscription)
• Environmentalists react in outrage to the Biden administration’s approval of a deepwater oil export terminal off the Texas coast, saying it contradicts his climate agenda. (Associated Press)
• A Georgia oil and gas company signs a tentative agreement to pay $2.8 million in civil penalties for alleged clean air violations, plus buy $12.2 million in greenhouse gas emission credits. (Georgia Current)

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PIPELINES: A West Virginia gas cooperative association receives $2.1 million in federal money to relocate a natural gas pipeline from a flood-prone creek. (Bluefield Daily Telegraph)

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COMMENTARY:

• A third of Virginia’s 95 counties have now enacted ordinances and other restrictions to block solar projects, threatening the state’s goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2050, write a professor and clean energy advocate. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
• Clean energy continues to make big gains in the U.S. energy mix despite lagging electric vehicle sales and naysaying by oil and gas industry leaders, writes a climate journalist. (Orlando Sentinel)

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CLIMATE: The U.S. EPA selects eight nonprofits to administer $20 billion for climate resilience and emissions-reducing projects in low-income communities, creating what it calls a “first-of-its-kind national network” of green lenders. (E&E News, New York Times)

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ALSO: The U.S. Federal Reserve reportedly thwarted a global effort to require lenders to share their climate plans and risks, saying a global banking oversight committee risked overstepping its authority. (Bloomberg, subscription)

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SOLAR: Installing solar arrays on the roofs of strip malls, factories, schools and other large non-residential buildings could bring low-cost power to surrounding communities, researchers find. (Grist)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Biden administration is largely looking to gas stations and truck stops to install electric vehicle chargers, which some observers call a natural fit while others say it is a lifeline to fossil fuel infrastructure. (E&E News)
• Ford will delay production of its electric pickup trucks and a new large electric SUV in favor of rolling out more hybrid vehicles. (Associated Press)
• A Black- and woman-owned electrical contracting company in Detroit embraces its identity, which has paid dividends with a flood of new work, including installing EV charging stations for DTE Energy. (Planet Detroit)

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NUCLEAR:

• The U.S. Energy Department finds converting coal plants to nuclear power could increase employment while driving new local tax revenue. (Utility Dive)
• California advocates sue the Biden administration for allocating $1 billion to the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to keep it operating, saying the award was based on a flawed analysis that doesn’t recognize some hazards. (Associated Press)
• The owner of New Jersey’s three nuclear plants says it will seek to extend the plants’ licenses for another 20 years, and says that new federal tax credits will enable the plants to run without state subsidies. (Associated Press, NJ Spotlight)

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CARBON CAPTURE: Local leaders in central Illinois say they are ill-equipped to respond to a potential emergency should a proposed six-mile carbon dioxide pipeline be brought into operation. (Energy News Network)

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OIL & GAS:

• The Biden administration finalizes a 20-year ban on new oil and gas drilling and mining on 222,000 acres of federal land in the Thompson Divide area of western Colorado. (Colorado Sun)
• A nearly nine-hour hearing in Chicago over Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposal to prohibit natural gas hookups in new homes and businesses brought fierce opposition from labor groups. (Chicago Sun-Times)

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COAL: Experts say the collapse of a Baltimore bridge will likely funnel more coal exports to Virginia’s ports, but an operator says they’re already operating at full capacity. (S&P Global)

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CLEAN ENERGY: Wind and solar are booming in Texas, with the state ranking first in the U.S. for wind energy and just behind California for solar, and renewables now accounting for a third of all power produced in the state. (Axios)

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BATTERIES: Developers plan to bring a 680 MW battery energy storage system online this summer on the site of a shuttered natural gas plant in southern California. (Canary Media)

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OIL & GAS: The Biden administration finalizes a 20-year ban on new oil and gas drilling and mining on 222,000 acres of federal land in the Thompson Divide area of western Colorado. (Colorado Sun)

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ALSO:

• Permian Basin petroleum companies plan to develop pipelines to Gulf Coast export terminals designed to meet increasing global demand for liquified natural gas. (Carlsbad Current-Argus, subscription)
• The U.S. EPA orders Colorado regulators to revise a natural gas processing plant’s air quality permit after finding it failed to ensure flaring at the facility reduces smog-forming emissions. (news release)

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BIOFUELS: Phillips 66 completes converting a California Bay Area oil refinery into a biodiesel production facility. (ESG Today)

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UTILITIES:

• At least four self-described clean energy candidates win seats on the board of the Salt River Project, an Arizona utility. (KJZZ)
• Victims of last year’s deadly Maui blazes balk at Hawaiian Electric’s proposed 5% fee on ratepayers’ bills to help the utility fund wildfire prevention efforts. (Honolulu Civil Beat)

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SOLAR: Hawaiian Electric streamlines its rooftop solar and battery storage incentive program, resulting in reduced benefits for some customers. (Utility Dive)

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BATTERIES:

• Developers plan to bring a 680 MW battery energy storage system online this summer on the site of a shuttered natural gas plant in southern California. (Canary Media)
• LG Energy Solution begins construction on an electric vehicle and grid-scale battery manufacturing facility in Arizona. (Energy Storage News)
• Idaho Power plans to build a grid-scale battery energy storage project as part of its bid to bolster clean energy on its grid. (news release)

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NUCLEAR: California advocates sue the Biden administration for allocating $1 billion to the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant to keep it operating, saying the award was based on a flawed analysis that doesn’t recognize some hazards. (Associated Press)

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CLIMATE:

• A nonprofit estimates Los Angeles County must invest at least $12.5 billion over the next 15 years to protect residents from climate change-exacerbated extreme weather, wildfires, rising sea levels and public health threats. (Los Angeles Times)
• Idaho lawmakers consider legislation drafted by conservative think tanks and fossil fuel industry groups that would block large banks from factoring climate and environmental concerns into investment decisions. (Idaho Statesman)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Washington state utility offers $50 credits to electric vehicle owners who agree not to charge when power demand peaks. (Center Square)

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CARBON CAPTURE:

• Montana advocates and residents push back on a proposed carbon sequestration project on federal land in the southeastern part of the state. (Montana Free Press)
• A California lawmaker withdraws legislation that would have increased safety regulations on carbon dioxide pipelines following pushback from labor and industry groups. (E&E News, subscription)

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POLICY: Connecticut lawmakers consider a 20-part climate omnibus bill in the last month of their session that would declare a climate crisis so it can access federal funds, update emission targets and incentivize sustainable or energy-efficient practices. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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ALSO: Two top Northeast energy executives express optimism but nonetheless question if Massachusetts can reach its 2030 cleaner power goals. (GBH)

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GRID:

• Roughly 400,000 electric customers are still dealing with power outages across New England and the Mid-Atlantic after snow and heavy winds swept the region, leading to some coastal flooding; more snow is expected today. (PowerOutage.US, Boston Globe, CNN)
• Maine lawmakers send a bill to the governor’s desk representing the biggest change to eminent domain law in half a century, which would restrict when power line and transmission tower projects can force land sales. (Portland Press Herald)

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UTILITIES:

• National Fuel is still undertaking anti-gas ban lobbying activities despite being reprimanded by New York regulators for doing so with funds from customer bills. (New York Focus)
• Massachusetts’ attorney general says the state’s electric suppliers missed “the perfect opportunity” to lower consumer costs during the volatile energy market swings between July 2022 and June 2023. (WBUR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Maryland lawmakers are expected to soon vote on a budget package that adds new weight-based surcharges to electric and plug-in hybrid car registrations, a change estimated to raise $20 million for the state’s transportation fund. (Maryland Matters)
• Climate advocates say it’s going to be much harder for Maine to reach its 2030 climate goals without stronger clean car standards similar to those recently rejected by state regulators. (Portland Press Herald)
• The greater Boston area is one of the country’s biggest electric vehicle markets but still falls far behind several other large American cities in purchases. (WBUR)

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TRANSIT: The judge hearing New Jersey’s legal challenge to a federal environmental assessment of the Manhattan congestion pricing plan — which could be resolved by June — questions where the National Environmental Policy Act supports New Jersey’s argument. (Streetsblog, Gothamist)

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MINES: The owner of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Mine idled operations last week due to heightened underground methane gas levels, not because it plans to close the mine, despite union claims that language in a company statement indicates that direction. (Herald-Standard)

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BUILDINGS:

• In New Jersey, a new PSE&G report suggests customers participating in the utility’s energy efficiency program are saving $445 million annually on their bills. (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• Maine officials will soon start studying how to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state’s public schools. (Maine Wire)

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FINANCE: The Efficiency Maine Green Bank is set to receive $15 million in federal funds for loans supporting clean energy and renewable tech improvements. (news release)

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SOLAR: A Maine town will decide this weekend whether to approve a new solar ordinance with a new definition of where solar farms can be located, as well as visual and physical buffering restrictions. (Sun Journal)

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COMMENTARY:

• A Cayuga County, New York, economic analyst says the area’s limited electrical capacity is threatening numerous development projects and the county’s overall economic development. (The Citizen)
• Climate and offshore wind advocates in Delaware write it’s “not an option” for the state not to pass legislation to solicit offshore wind power given the state’s known climate impacts. (Delaware Online)

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