Federal disaster aid is getting a revamp

CLIMATE: The Biden administration launches an overhaul of federal disaster assistance programs, with a goal of making aid easier for renters and low-income people to access as extreme weather intensifies. (Grist)

ALSO: Children and adolescents are especially susceptible for mental health struggles in the wake of natural disasters, researchers find. (Grist)

EMISSIONS: An EPA rule limiting particulate matter pollution could save thousands of lives annually, but industry groups say it could erase jobs and hurt President Biden’s re-election chances. (Washington Post)

CLEAN ENERGY:

• A new report challenges assumptions that the global cost of the clean energy transition will be astronomical, saying many of those estimates ignore the projected decrease in fossil fuel spending. (Inside Climate News)
• Virginia lawmakers consider legislation to spur clean energy production by requiring utilities to buy more from customers and third-party developers. (Energy News Network)

GRID: The U.S. Department of Energy offers $30 million for cybersecurity research and projects that would protect clean energy resources. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Ford is cutting back production of its F-150 Lightning electric truck upon lower-than-forecasted electric vehicle sales. (Associated Press)
• Experts say electric vehicle drivers can take simple measures to prepare their homes for chargers and reduce reliance on public stations. (Star Tribune)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Vineyard Wind’s success or failure in the face of multiple lawsuits could signal whether developers will be able to build more offshore wind farms and satisfy federal goals. (E&E News)
• Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island officials push off the next offshore wind procurement by almost two months while waiting for federal tax credit guidance. (Rhode Island Current)

PIPELINES:

• Federal energy regulators greenlight two gas pipeline projects, kicking off a year in which climate advocates hoped regulators would be more critical of fossil fuels. (E&E News)
• Mountain Valley Pipeline developers adjust plans for its proposed Southgate spur into North Carolina, shortening the extension by more than half but widening its diameter and capacity. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR: U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri says the country should not expand nuclear power until it can address the health and environmental harms caused by existing nuclear waste, including in her predominantly Black St. Louis-area district. (Missouri Independent)

SOLAR: Hawaii advocates say recent changes to rooftop solar-plus-storage incentives threaten a program that kept the lights on following a coal plant closure. (Canary Media)

OIL & GAS:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes ending some longstanding tax breaks for oil and gas producers, saying it would save the state up to $22 million annually. (Politico)
• Dominion Energy plans to build out onsite natural gas storage at multiple sites in North Carolina and Virginia, and Duke Energy considers following suit as critics worry about costs and emissions. (States Newsroom)

COMMENTARY: A researcher says the U.S. corn belt would be better served by large solar installations to power electric vehicles than inefficient ethanol production to power internal combustion vehicles. (The New Republic)