Climate at heart of new national security plan

CLIMATE: The Biden administration releases a national security strategy that centers climate risks in policymaking decisions related to foreign affairs and domestic defense. (Axios)

ALSO: As New Orleans sinks, buildings in a predominantly Black and Vietnamese area see particularly bad shifts due largely to groundwater use at a now-shuttered Entergy power plant. (Louisiana Illuminator/​Floodlight)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• New federal guidance for building offshore wind farms should help speed the regulatory process while still expanding safety measures, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s head offshore wind researcher says. (Utility Dive)
• While plans are coming together for a floating offshore wind turbine demonstration in the Gulf of Maine, a developer says expanding the pilot to a utility-scale project would face numerous challenges. (News Center Maine)

EMISSIONS: Republican lawmakers and other stakeholders challenge a proposed Biden administration rule that would require cities and states to create and implement transportation emissions reduction targets. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR: Six years late and $16 billion over budget, Georgia Power finally begins fuel loading at the first of two long-delayed reactors at Plant Vogtle — the first U.S. nuclear plant expansion in three decades. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, subscription; news release)

COAL:
• Climate envoy John Kerry says the U.S. is negotiating deals with other countries to phase out coal ahead of next month’s COP27 conference. (Bloomberg, subscription)
• Ohio ratepayers remain on the hook for potentially rising costs related to coal plant subsidies approved under Ohio’s House Bill 6 as state regulators fail to take action in multiple cases. (Energy News Network/​Eye on Ohio)
• West Virginia residents complain that a promised federal study on the connection between cancer and mountaintop mining hasn’t been completed despite President Biden’s focus on environmental justice. (Mountain State Spotlight)

SOLAR:
• A study predicts that annual rooftop solar installations would more than double if homeowners could expect to net $1,000 in energy cost savings over 20 years. (PV Magazine)
• Detroit-area nonprofit Soulardarity is building a ​“blueprint for energy democracy” as it backs more local solar generation and advocates for more favorable, community-based policies. (Canary Media)

LITHIUM: The promise of direct lithium extraction from geothermal brine sparks a rush in the Salton Sea region in southern California, but the technology has yet to be proven on a commercial scale. (KPBS)

COMMENTARY: Nearly every case the U.S. Supreme Court will see this session — with topics ranging from voting rights to tribal sovereignty — has a climate implication, climate journalist Amy Westervelt writes. (Guardian)