How fossil fuel companies co-opt university research

OIL & GAS: Major oil and gas companies have donated millions of dollars to universities for climate initiatives that often resulted in research affirming their policy positions, a congressional report finds. (Axios)

ALSO: California’s petroleum industry mounts a multi-pronged campaign to block legislation aimed at easing oil and gas pollution’s burden on underserved communities. (Inside Climate News)

TRANSPORTATION:

• New federal electric vehicle tax credit guidance includes a two-year exemption to a provision that barred models with battery materials from China, Russia, Iran or North Korea from incentives. (The Hill)
• Rivian receives $827 million in state incentives to build the company’s mid-sized electric SUV in Normal, Illinois, fueling concern in Georgia about the fate of the company’s paused $5 billion factory there. (WIFR, WAGA)
• Self-driving diesel tractor trailers could reduce emissions by operating at a lower speed — something currently limited by human drivers’ schedules, an industry-funded report finds. (E&E News)

SOLAR:

• Twenty states now have community solar laws that require utilities to credit the electricity bills of subscribers to third-party owned projects, while another 10 states are considering similar bills. (Stateline)
• Republican U.S. senators from Western states push back on the federal Bureau of Land Management’s proposed public lands solar plan, saying it could affect livestock grazing and other extractive uses. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE:

• A handful of House Republicans facing elections in competitive districts this November have joined the Conservative Climate Caucus. (E&E News)
• A public speaker, podcast host and environmental justice advocate discusses creating a bigger Black, Brown and Indigenous presence in the climate movement. (Energy News Network)
• Washington state advocates, businesses and lawmakers garner support for their campaign to defeat a ballot measure aimed at repealing the state’s carbon cap-and-invest program. (Crosscut)

PIPELINES: The rupture of a Louisiana pipeline that released 107,000 gallons of carbon dioxide raises concerns about similar issues among opponents of a proposed carbon pipeline in South Dakota. (Verite News, SDPB)

RENEWABLES:

• Microsoft will buy more than 10.5 GW of wind, solar and other clean power from renewables developer Brookfield. (Utility Dive)
• Climate advocates and policymakers say New York’s public power authority hasn’t been transparent enough as it prepares to meet state mandates to build out renewables. (Canary Media)

MANUFACTURING: The developer of a low-emissions aluminum plant receiving $500,000 in federal funding is considering sites in Kentucky and surrounding states, which could mean a huge influx of jobs and nearby renewable energy development. (Grist)

EFFICIENCY: New federal water heater efficiency regulations will generate more energy savings than any single previous appliance rule, the U.S. Energy Department says. (Utility Dive)