Biden pauses new LNG exports for climate review

NATURAL GAS: The U.S. Department of Energy pauses all approvals of new liquefied natural gas export facilities to further review their climate and other impacts, in a process expected to last up to 15 months. (E&E News, Politico)

ALSO: An Arizona judge clears the way for Salt River Project to expand a natural gas power plant near a historically Black community following a two-year legal fight and charges of environmental racism. (Arizona Republic)

GRID:

• More utilities are pursuing new grid technologies and power flow tools meant to ensure reliability as a growing amount of wind and solar comes online. (Utility Dive)
• Some Missouri landowners still hold strong opposition to plans for the Grain Belt Express transmission line, a key project needed to improve grid reliability and transport renewable power. (New Yorker)

SOLAR: While most state and local regulations are clear that developers or owners of utility-scale solar projects must pay to decommission them, some rule complexities can fuel local opposition to projects. (Inside Climate News)

EMISSIONS:

• While a federal proposal would mandate companies report their greenhouse gas emissions, including indirectly produced Scope 3 emissions, experts say the final rules are likely to be less strict. (ESG Dive)
• Virginia Democrats want to rejoin a regional carbon market but don’t have the numbers to overcome a likely veto from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who previously pushed a state board to withdraw from the group. (Virginian-Pilot)

OFFSHORE WIND: Federal agencies publish plans to protect a critically endangered whale species amid East Coast offshore wind development, a strategy that includes artificial intelligence and passive acoustic monitoring. (Associated Press)

CLIMATE:

• U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will step down not long after the departure of his Chinese counterpart, marking the end of a partnership that thrived despite the two countries’ often chilly relationship. (Associated Press)
• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators push to reform federal flood insurance, saying participants have seen their premiums skyrocket even after FEMA promised price cuts. (The Hill)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm believes drivers will warm to electric vehicle adoption as costs come down and convenience benefits are realized. (ABC News)

NUCLEAR: An Ohio nuclear plant owner and federal regulatory staff oppose two citizen groups’ attempts to formally intervene in a request to extend the plant’s life through 2046. (Energy News Network)

BUILDINGS: National Grid picks a Boston public housing complex, the Dorchester neighborhood’s Franklin Fields Apartments, for the city’s first networked geothermal heating system. (Mass Live)