GM: Electric vehicles ​“reaching an inflection point”

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors announces an $8 billion increase in its electric vehicle spending, to $35 billion by 2025, and plans to build two more batteries plants in the U.S. (New York Times)

ALSO: Volvo Cars will invest $118 million to boost production of electric cars at its South Carolina plant. (Associated Press)

POLITICS:
• Eleven more senators join a bipartisan group working on an infrastructure bill that doesn’t go as far as President Biden’s in promoting clean energy and climate action, while Democrats could propose a $6 trillion alternative if bipartisan talks fail. (Washington Post, Politico)
• Environmental groups threaten to oppose Biden’s infrastructure bill if he drops its climate provisions in an attempt to win Republican support. (Bloomberg)
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs legislation to ban state investment in businesses that cut ties with the oil and gas industry. (Bloomberg)
• Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says state lawmakers and interested parties remain ​“very, very close” to deal on a sweeping clean energy bill that failed to pass this week. (Herald & Review)

PUBLIC LANDS: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is reviewing a federal judge’s order to resume leasing federal land for oil and gas production, but offers no timeline for the process to restart. (Reuters)

CLIMATE: The Earth is trapping about twice as much heat as it did in 2005, NASA and NOAA data shows, speeding up global warming. (Washington Post)

GRID:
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott proclaims the grid ​“is better today than it’s ever been” as state residents are asked to conserve energy and grid officials can’t explain why power plants totalling 9,000 MW are still offline. (Texas Tribune)
• Thousands lose power in southeastern New Mexico due to heat-related strains on El Paso Electric’s grid, while California’s grid operator asks customers to conserve electricity today. (El Paso Matters, KGTV)
• The Nevada Public Utilities Commission urges Western utilities to form a regional grid to boost reliability. (Nevada Appeal)

OFFSHORE WIND: A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators introduce a bill to divert offshore wind revenues to a new fund for coastal protection and resiliency. (E&E News, subscription)

COAL: Democrats pledge to prioritize Appalachia and other fossil-fuel producing areas in climate policies during a House hearing. (E&E News, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY: A new Las Vegas casino and the state’s largest utility ask regulators to approve a market-based deal aimed at powering the casino with all renewable energy. (Nevada Independent)

EFFICIENCY: An expanded energy efficiency rebate program is helping some Minneapolis small businesses build back with more efficient equipment following last summer’s civil unrest. (Sahan Journal)

UTILITIES:
• Both chambers of the Maine legislature approve a bill forming a public power authority by seizing the assets of the state’s two investor-owned utilities, despite criticism and a likely veto from Gov. Janet Mills. (Maine Public Radio)
• Consolidated Edison’s chief executive says the utility can be a carbon-free power transition leader, discussing his thoughts on microgrids, battery storage, green hydrogen and renewable natural gas. (Forbes)

BIOFUELS: Democratic members of Congress urge the EPA to block measures that would allow oil refiners to skip out on biofuel blending requirements. (Reuters)