How the grid got political

GRID: Once an issue championed by George W. Bush, transmission line permitting reform faces growing political opposition from conservatives who see power grid development as a form of subsidy for clean energy. (E&E News)

STORAGE:

• The head of a global battery industry group pushes for battery ​“passports” that show where a battery’s components were sourced and assembled. (Quartz)
• A balloon-like facility coming online in Wisconsin when a coal plant closes in the next few years aims to demonstrate a new form of energy storage that can support more renewables on the grid. (Energy News Network)

BUILDINGS:

• Western cities find innovative ways to push building electrification — such as setting emissions targets and restricting indoor air pollution — that don’t violate a court order prohibiting natural gas hookup bans. (Grist)
• New York City building officials published a finalized set of municipal building emissions rules that will soon go into effect, but some local environmental organizations say the regulations are too loose. (Gothamist)

OIL & GAS: The Biden administration’s proposed National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska rules would further restrict oil and gas development by considering its cumulative impacts, but not ban drilling outright. (E&E News)

COAL: Miner advocates are frustrated that West Virginia’s Republican Congress members won’t back legislation to make it easier for coal miners and their families to access black lung benefits. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)

WORKFORCE: Inspired by her journey as a Black woman electrician, Tonya Hicks looks to diversify the field where just 2.2% of workers are women and 7.3% are Black. (Canary Media)

OVERSIGHT:

• The U.S. EPA ramped up enforcement this year, increasing inspections, civil enforcement actions, and criminal cases from the year before. (E&E News)
• Plaintiffs will likely appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a court ruling that could affect the racial makeup of utility commissions in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. (Georgia Recorder)

SOLAR: Six states will not seek federal funding from an Inflation Reduction Act program to support solar projects across the country. (South Dakota Searchlight)

NUCLEAR: The U.S. Energy Department’s changing use of a national laboratory and security complex in eastern Tennessee reflects an evolving approach to nuclear projects and the clean energy transition. (Knoxville News Sentinel)