GOP targets methane fee once seen as fossil fuel compromise

OIL & GAS: House Republicans look to repeal the Biden administration’s methane emissions fee for oil and gas producers, even though it would also end a grant program meant to help producers cut their emissions. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• Utilities are increasingly shutting down coal plants as consumption of the fossil fuel plummets, but U.S. oil and gas drillers are setting new pumping records as demand spikes. (E&E News)
• Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s House delegation urge the Biden administration to permanently ban shipping liquefied natural gas by rail. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A study looking at 333 Atlanta-area drivers finds more than a third could’ve made all their trips over one year in a small EV with about a 140-mile range, without going out of their way to charge. (Inside Climate News)
• Two Midwest tribes plan an electric vehicle infrastructure build-out with help from $6.5 million in federal funding. (Native News Online)
• More than 70% of the participants in Denver’s electric bicycle incentive program report driving less since purchasing an e-bike. (Smart Cities Dive)
• Michigan lawmakers passed a $1.3 billion spending bill this week that includes $630 million to develop a site that Ford is eyeing for an electric vehicle battery plant. (Bridge Michigan)

CARBON CAPTURE: Pipeline safety advocates say the Biden administration’s rush to pursue carbon capture and storage projects ignores loopholes in federal regulations on carbon pipelines. (E&E News)

HYDROGEN:
• Major energy firms are lobbying the Biden administration to open green hydrogen tax credits to fossil fuel-produced hydrogen. (Washington Post)
• A hydrogen-powered aviation startup completes a 15-minute flight powered mainly by hydrogen. (Canary Media)

BUILDINGS:
• Elon Musk suggests Tesla may expand into producing home heat pumps. (Bloomberg)
• A Massachusetts program has exceeded its heat pump worker training projections in its first year, but will need to keep growing to help meet the state’s 2050 net-zero goal. (Energy News Network)
• A western Colorado nonprofit constructs its second net-zero energy affordable housing development with an eye toward mass production. (High Country News)

NUCLEAR: Federal regulators grant Pacific Gas & Electric an exemption allowing the utility to operate the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant after its licenses expire. (Associated Press)

LITHIUM: Construction begins at the controversial Thacker Pass mine in Nevada after environmentalists’ and tribes’ legal bids to halt work were denied. (Reuters)

GRID: Partially approving ISO New England’s aggregated distributed energy resources plan, federal energy regulators say the grid operator ​“needs to roll up its sleeves” to open markets to behind-the-meter DERs. (Utility Dive)