FERC chair says winter storms show need for more transmission

GRID: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips says recent winter storms highlight the need for “equitable and forward-thinking transmission solutions” to ensure long-term reliability. (Utility Dive)

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ALSO: Texas’ power grid broke records for winter demand but withstood last week’s polar vortex, while a largely partisan debate continues over whether added renewables or natural gas facilities deserve more credit for avoiding outages. (Utility Dive, Inside Climate News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• The Biden administration releases guidance making most of the country eligible for incentives to install electric vehicle chargers. (New York Times)
• A University of Delaware research team is working on new standards to help vehicle manufacturers adopt Tesla’s charging standard and make it easier to integrate vehicle-to-grid technologies. (Delaware News Journal)

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CLIMATE:

• Exxon Mobil filed a lawsuit on Sunday seeking to block a shareholder proposal to set emissions reduction targets, saying it is “driven by an extreme agenda.” (Reuters)
• The Biden administration filed a motion Friday to block a climate lawsuit led by Oregon youth. (E&E News, subscription)

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WIND:

• As Kansas City utility Evergy’s coal supplies froze during last week’s winter storms, wind turbines provided thousands of megawatts of power to keep the utility’s grid stable. (Capital-Journal)
• A New Jersey Republican representative claims credit for the cancellation of two Ørsted offshore wind farms at an unsanctioned public “hearing,” telling observers to “keep up the fight” and “sue these people.” (E&E News)

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OIL & GAS:

• European leaders are concerned about U.S. plans to reassess natural gas exports as the region still struggles to reduce dependence on supplies from Russia. (Politico)
• In Maine, a proposal to curtail future gas line expansions has drawn criticism from Republican lawmakers, gas utilities and trade groups over consumer affordability and investment concerns. (Portland Press Herald)
• Hilcorp agrees to pay $34.6 million to resolve claims it knowingly underpaid royalties on oil and gas it extracted from federal lands in New Mexico’s San Juan Basin. (Reuters)

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SOLAR: Tribal nations say Washington state’s solar permitting and siting process threatens cultural resources and Indigenous foodways by relying on often-inadequate developer-sponsored archaeological surveys. (High Country News)

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UTILITIES: Xcel Energy wants time-of-use rates to be the default billing system for its Minnesota residential customers, proposing to double prices for power during peak late afternoon and early evening hours. (Energy News Network)

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MINING: Advocates worry that a flurry of lithium, copper and other critical material mining proposals will further strain drought-stressed Southwestern water supplies. (Inside Climate News)

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CLEAN ENERGY: A Michigan lawmaker says the timing of the federal Inflation Reduction Act was a significant reason why the state passed sweeping clean energy reforms last year. (Volts)

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