Democrats take on oil companies’ hidden climate denial

OVERSIGHT: After oil industry leaders fail to show up for a hearing, Congressional Democrats use research and expert testimony to expose oil companies’ alleged efforts to derail climate action and spread misinformation. (E&E News, Inside Climate News)

FINANCE: The Department of Energy’s loan office looks to publicize its new $250 billion program to help communities repurpose or replace energy infrastructure, like by converting a coal plant to a nuclear or storage facility. (S&P Global)

CLIMATE:
• The U.S. Senate is poised to ratify its first climate treaty in decades with an international agreement focused on phasing out hydrofluorocarbons used in refrigeration appliances and air conditioners. (E&E News)
• Most of the U.S. experienced temperatures that were several degrees above average this summer, making it the third hottest summer in the past 128 years. (Axios)
• Pennsylvania climate groups warn that a bill ending the right to abortion could also be used to stop environmental regulations passed by the executive branch. (Capital & Main)

GRID:
• In Massachusetts, the Electric Power Research Institute’s outdoor laboratory pushes grid equipment to its limits to observe its weaknesses in the face of more extreme weather. (E&E News)
• Louisiana regulators approve $39 million for a New Orleans power plant after previously blocking it because city officials said they would not enforce the state’s abortion ban. (NOLA.com)

STORAGE: Supply chain issues and grid interconnection delays may hold back the full potential of the Inflation Reduction Act’s incentives for energy storage. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS:
• The Biden administration reinstates $190 million of exploration leases to oil and gas companies looking to drill in the Gulf of Mexico. (Washington Post)
• California regulators prohibit utilities from billing customers to pay for natural gas line extensions to residences or businesses. (Bloomberg)

UTILITIES: FirstEnergy CEO Steven Strah abruptly retires effective today as the utility completes a required management review as part of an HB 6 settlement, though it is unclear whether the departure is related. (Cleveland.com)

SOLAR: The use of power purchase agreements has enabled Virginia’s K-12 schools to double their solar capacity over the last two years, a new report says. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

COAL:
• The coal mine that supplies the San Juan power plant in northwest New Mexico shuts down and lays off most of its workforce, suggesting that a plan to keep the coal plant running is defunct. (World Coal)
• Alabama coal miners have been on strike for 18 months in a grinding impasse over wages and benefits that points to wider struggles in the coal industry. (Christian Science Monitor)