‘Losing your electricity is now a life-threatening event’

EQUITY: Low-income households are increasingly vulnerable to extreme heat, highlighting the urgency of ensuring equitable access to electricity and energy efficiency measures, advocates say. (Associated Press)

ALSO: Massachusetts awards $53 million — with plans for additional funding — to allow affordable housing operators to execute energy efficiency retrofits. (Energy News Network)

GRID:

• The pending infrastructure permitting bill in the U.S. Senate would ensure a massive influx of liquified natural gas, while it’s unclear how much it would help clear the way for new electric transmission, experts say. (Grist)
• California lawmakers work to develop legislation aimed at modernizing the grid and streamlining clean energy project permitting but have not disclosed details. (CalMatters)

HYDROGEN:

• The upcoming election, pending guidance on a key tax credit, and the implications of a recent Supreme Court ruling fuel uncertainty in the hydrogen industry. (E&E News)
• Federal energy officials agree to provide $30 million to the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub for its first slate of work across Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia; the hub could receive up to $925 million. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Some environmental advocates say pay-to-enter hydrogen networking events help backers of the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub network get non-public facetime between involved businesses and officials. (WHYY)

CLIMATE:

• A new study finds four key systems that maintain the earth’s climate now have a roughly even chance of collapsing within the next 300 years. (The Hill)
• An analysis finds the state of Washington would lose $3.8 billion over the next four years if residents vote to revoke its carbon cap-and-invest program in November. (E&E News, subscription)

OIL & GAS: 

• Chevron says California’s regulatory regime pushed it to relocate its headquarters from the San Francisco Bay Area to Houston later this year. (New York Times)
• Environmental groups are hopeful that Vice President Kamala Harris will push the federal government to investigate oil company misinformation on climate change if she is elected president. (The Guardian)
• Republicans plan to use the budget reconciliation process to accelerate fossil fuel leases, among other measures, if they regain control of the federal government in November. (E&E News, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A U.S. Senate committee this week discussed ways to help the domestic electric vehicle industry be more competitive globally. (States Newsroom)

NUCLEAR: A company developing a nuclear fusion prototype at a Tennessee nuclear plant raises capital from enthusiastic investors who see potential for an alternative to creating nuclear power from fission. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

COMMENTARY: A utility-funded California program says smart panel technology can help homeowners convert to electric appliances without expensive upgrades. (CalNEXT, sponsored)