Manchin, Schumer make clean energy deal

POLITICS: Sen. Joe Manchin says he has reached an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on a reconciliation package that includes $369 billion for climate and energy measures aimed at slashing carbon emissions 40% by 2030. (New York Times, Politico)

ALSO:
• Some climate advocates are encouraged by Manchin and Schumer’s deal, which includes new fossil fuel royalties, while others lament that it still props up fossil fuels by funding carbon capture and prioritizing drilling rights. (The Hill, Grist)
• The deal would also impose a fee on oil and gas companies for excess methane leaks. (Bloomberg)
• The U.S. Senate approves an innovation spending bill that includes funding to bolster semiconductor manufacturing and energy research. (E&E News)

OIL & GAS: High domestic natural gas prices stemming from increased exports to Europe and heat waves boosting electricity demand are likely to have long-term, widespread economic effects, analysts say. (E&E News)

OFFSHORE WIND: New York issues its third offshore wind power solicitation, with officials looking to add at least another 2 GW of capacity to help reach its goal of 9 GW by 2035. (S&P Global)

EMISSIONS: Aerial surveys find hundreds of methane ​“super emitters” in the Permian Basin continue to spew unregulated greenhouse gas emissions year after year. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• Five states will pilot a federal program meant to link low-income households with community solar. (Nextgov)
• Increased state funding for community outreach will help raise awareness about an Illinois solar program for low-income residents and also help prepare households for installations. (Energy News Network)

UTILITIES:
• President Biden nominates an Alabama lawyer and former chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority board to serve as TVA director once again. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Demand response technologies like smart thermostats could help avoid grid strain and outages, but utilities are slow to adopt as they remain accustomed to cheap, readily available power. (Washington Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Volkswagen begins production of its first U.S.-made electric vehicles at its Tennessee plant. (Associated Press)
• A California school district’s electric bus fleet becomes the nation’s first vehicle-to-grid project to go online. (Los Angeles Times)

GRID: A clean energy advocate-commissioned report finds a Western regional transmission organization would add renewable energy to the grid, create hundreds of thousands of jobs and save ratepayers billions of dollars. (Utility Dive)

PIPELINES: How the U.S. decides to interpret conflicting treaties with Indigenous tribes and Canada could determine the fate of the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Michigan Radio)

CLIMATE: The U.S. Treasury Department announces a new research hub that aims to map climate change’s threats to the financial system. (E&E News)

NUCLEAR: The U.S. Energy Department selects a design for a proposed fast nuclear test reactor in Idaho that would be used to develop fuels for advanced reactors. (Reuters)