Midwest, Southeast dominate EV supply chain

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Midwest and Southern states are attracting electric vehicle manufacturers and federal EV funding even as Republican elected officials resist the transition from fossil fuels. (E&E News)

ALSO: A California poll finds waning support for a ballot initiative that would tax the wealthy to fund electric vehicle incentive programs after Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a campaign to defeat the measure. (KQED)

FINANCE: If they retake the U.S. House in next week’s midterms, Republicans pledge to investigate Wall Street firms that consider climate change as an economic risk. (Washington Post)

GRID:
• A transmission line fight in Maine reveals how hard it’ll be to build out the nationwide grid needed to expand clean energy and transition off fossil fuels. (Grist)
• Sunrun will develop a 17 MW virtual power plant in Puerto Rico that links solar panels and batteries to help keep the power on during extreme weather. (Canary Media)
• A report determines that a Texas proposal to pay generators to remain available during grid emergencies could increase wholesale electricity costs by $22.5 billion from 2025 to 2030. (Canary Media)

SOLAR:
• More Florida residents look to solar to lower bills and ensure their power stays on after hurricanes, but they feel targeted by utilities that impose fees on rooftop systems. (WPLG)
• A Michigan startup company launches a service that allows customers to rent solar-powered recreational boats. (Centered)

ELECTION:
• Nevada’s U.S. Senate race pits a pro-renewable energy incumbent against a Republican who blames Democrats for depriving the nation of ​“energy independence.” (Inside Climate News)
• U.S. Senate candidates in Wisconsin offer a stark contrast of views on climate change in a race with major implications for control of the Senate. (Inside Climate News)

HYDROGEN: Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority and other major utilities form a coalition to pursue a hydrogen hub for the Southeast. (Offshore Energy)

OIL & GAS: Nonprofits seek to plug abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells that state and federal land managers can’t address. (High Country News)

CLEAN ENERGY: The University of Connecticut announces an accelerated carbon neutrality target, pointing to plans to deploy clean energy technologies like hydrogen-powered fuel cells and geothermal heating and cooling. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND: After Commonwealth Wind tells Massachusetts regulators that its utility contracts need to be renegotiated, those utilities tell regulators the current draft contracts are good to go. (Commonwealth Magazine)

UTILITIES: Critics say a proposed rate hike by Wisconsin’s largest utility to pay for natural gas and solar generation pits low-income residents against clean energy advocates while taking too much profit for shareholders. (Energy News Network)

HYDROPOWER: Federal regulators give Xcel Energy the go-ahead to study a controversial proposed pumped hydropower storage project in western Colorado. (Colorado Sun)