Hydrogen is stuck in neutral. That’s not a bad thing, some say.

HYDROGEN: Uncertainty surrounding federal tax credit rules has left the clean hydrogen industry stuck in neutral, but experts say the delay is providing much-needed time to figure out the best uses for the fuel. (Canary Media)

ALSO: General Motors plans to partner with a large supplier to build a hydrogen fuel cell plant in Detroit, which could take a few years until production starts. (Crain’s Detroit, subscription)

OIL & GAS:

• Records reveal how fossil fuel lobbyists worked with state lawmakers to craft anti-protest laws that increase penalties for non-violent participants and aim to quiet opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure. (The Guardian)
• Drought conditions in Ohio this summer prompted a local watershed district to take the unprecedented step of limiting water use for fracking, and should cause state and local officials to be more proactive, environmental groups say. (Energy News Network)
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs into law three bills cracking down on the oil and gas industry, including one that allows local governments to block new drilling and one that ups cleanup requirements for idle wells. (Mercury News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Rideshare drivers are adopting electric vehicles at five times the rate of other drivers but say they’re struggling to find places to charge in major cities. (Axios)
• A new study finds electric vehicles are far less likely to be stolen than gas-powered cars, potentially because they’re usually parked in garages or near homes to charge. (Axios)
• A Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Michigan claims the transition to electric vehicles will decimate jobs, despite research suggesting that’s inaccurate. (Planet Detroit)

UTILITIES: Advocates sound the alarm over a lack of policies stopping utilities from shutting off customers’ power for nonpayment during deadly heat waves. (The Guardian)

GRID:

• A new analysis from PJM Interconnection’s market monitor says faulty market design added unnecessary billions to the latest capacity auction, although the grid operator took issue with several points made in the report. (Utility Dive)
• A study finds the Western grid will need about 15,600 miles of new high-voltage transmission lines at a cost of $75 billion to meet forecasted load growth. (RTO Insider, subscription)

NUCLEAR: The U.S. Energy Department greenlights California startup Oklo’s plan to begin developing an advanced nuclear reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory. (Newsweek)

POLITICS: Environmentalists push back against a bill that would weaken semiconductor industry oversight that President Biden is reportedly set to sign. (The Hill)

PIPELINES: A planned 645-mile pipeline across Texas from the Permian Basin to a Louisiana terminal creates landowner concerns about its effects on nearly 13,000 acres of land, including the possibility of eminent domain. (KOSA)

MINING: Arkansas sees a rush to mine lithium for batteries, triggering memories of unscrupulous and shady behavior during a previous oil boom and raising concerns about the ephemeral nature of extraction. (Grist)

COMMENTARY: Federal support for carbon capture and storage relies on the assumption that unproven and prohibitively expensive technologies will soon become viable, an energy analyst writes. (Utility Dive)