Keystone XL’s end puts fossil fuel developers ​‘on notice’

PIPELINES: The company behind the Keystone XL pipeline halts the project after years of protests and President Biden’s cancellation of its permit, with an environmental activist saying the news should ​“put polluters and their financiers on notice.” (Washington Post, New York Times)

ALSO:
• Democrats praise the Keystone XL outcome as a climate victory while GOP lawmakers call it a win for ​“environmental extremists.” (E&E News, subscription)
• Most of the 247 people arrested during Line 3 demonstrations in northern Minnesota this week were charged with misdemeanor trespassing on critical infrastructure or public nuisance and unlawful assembly. (MPR News)

INFRASTRUCTURE: After the Biden administration signals it may drop some climate priorities from its infrastructure bill to earn Republican support, Democratic senators warn a bill that lacks strong climate action will lose their vote. (Politico)

MINING:
• Mining companies are highlighting their minerals’ uses in batteries and other clean energy products and downplaying their negative environmental impacts in an attempt to secure investments. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• By damaging ceremonial sites, lithium mining in western Arizona threatens the Hualapai Tribe’s religious practices, tribal leaders say. (High Country News)
• Striking Alabama coal miners say they’re being targeted for violence as they hold picket lines around Warrior Met Coal. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An analysis finds electric vehicle adoption is rising but will need ​“aggressive action” from policymakers to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. (Axios)
• General Motors now says it would support vehicle emission limits that other automakers negotiated in California if they can be achieved mostly by promoting electric vehicle sales. (Associated Press)
• A California Energy Commission analysis estimates the state will need 1.2 million EV chargers by 2030 to meet the demands of an anticipated 7.5 million passenger EVs. (news release)

FINANCE:
• Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the department has streamlined its loan approval process and is working through a backlog of applications. (E&E News, subscription)
• Maine becomes the first state to pass legislation requiring state divestment from fossil fuel companies. (Grist)

OVERSIGHT: The Biden administration will soon replace outgoing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Neil Chatterjee, with current and former state utility regulators among the potential nominees. (E&E News, subscription)

PUBLIC LANDS: The Bureau of Land Management confirms only three of its employees relocated to Grand Junction, Colorado, as the agency’s new headquarters there sits mostly empty. (Colorado Newsline)

DEVELOPMENT:
• President Biden’s nominee to oversee numerous tribal programs wants to ensure tribal communities maintain control over energy development. (E&E News, subscription)
• Wind, solar and battery-storage projects totaling 15 GW and worth an estimated $20–25 billion move forward in Texas — a higher total than the next three states’ projected capacity combined. (Bloomberg)

UTILITIES: Southeastern utilities seeking approval of a centralized energy exchange market file an updated proposal with more details for federal regulators. (Utility Dive)

GRID: Bankrupt and now-outlawed Texas wholesale electricity provider Griddy demonstrates both the appeal and flaws of a deregulated energy market. (Texas Monthly)

EMISSIONS: Studies have long underestimated the agricultural industry’s emissions, research indicates, complicating countries’ Paris Agreement pledges. (Inside Climate News)

COMMENTARY:
• An ​“all of the above” federal energy policy has propped up outdated and wasteful energy resources while providing only tepid support for renewables, environmental advocates say. (Environmental Working Group)
• President Biden’s clean electricity pledge could unlock $1.5 trillion in investments over the next decade and avoid 93,000 premature deaths, analysts from a nonpartisan climate think tank say. (Forbes)
• The Line 3 pipeline is a ​“real test” for the Biden administration’s climate change commitments, says author and activist Bill McKibben. (New Yorker)
• A sustainability analyst outlines policy and financial steps needed to accelerate the efficient building retrofitting industry. (Canary Media)