Manchin says permitting reform bill to be unveiled soon

GRID: Sens. Joe Manchin and John Barrasso say they will soon release a draft bill to reform permitting for transmission lines and other energy infrastructure, with Manchin saying a recent FERC rule is “a Band-Aid on Congress’s inaction.” (Utility Dive)

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ALSO: A key question in FERC’s proposal to accelerate transmission line construction is how much utilities will profit, with outcomes expected to vary by state. (E&E News)

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CLIMATE:

• Republican attorneys general from 19 states petition the Supreme Court to halt lawsuits aiming to hold oil companies accountable for climate impacts, saying the cases threaten “our basic way of life.” (E&E News, subscription)
• Congressional Democrats ask the Department of Justice to investigate oil companies’ role in spreading misinformation on climate change. (The Guardian)
• Florida state agencies begin repealing renewable energy goals, saying they are “no longer necessary” after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law last week dismantling state climate policies. (News Service of Florida)
• Virginia Democrats say Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s withdrawal from a regional greenhouse gas partnership is costing the state about $150 million a year in funds that could be used to address flooding, sea level rise and other climate impacts. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Auto industry analysts warn that a U.S. retrenchment on electric vehicles, including if a Republican takes the White House in November, would give up significant market share to China. (CQ Roll Call)

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LITHIUM: Some residents of California’s Imperial Valley are skeptical the growing lithium extraction industry will bring economic development, saying previous clean energy booms failed to deliver permanent jobs or prosperity. (KPBS)

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COAL:

• House Republicans introduce a bill to repeal an EPA rule that limits wastewater pollution from coal plants. (E&E News, subscription)
• A U.S. Senate hearing yesterday discussed mine safety and helping workers who have black lung disease, as lawmakers consider bills to improve benefits for miners. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• Residents in northwestern Indiana were potentially exposed to cancer-causing chemicals from coal ash, despite being told otherwise, for nearly a decade after a utility consultant included misleading soil samples that should have been dismissed from studies. (Indianapolis Star)

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UTILITIES: Duke Energy’s plan to build five large natural gas plants in the Carolinas is on a collision course with new Biden administration rules that would throttle the plants’ use in just eight years. (Energy News Network)

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WIND: The developers of two Northeast offshore wind farms say they’ve canceled an agreement to use Dominion Energy’s new installation ship, saying only that “we have secured an alternative installation vessel.” (CT Examiner)

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