Clean energy journalism for a cooler tomorrow

Mine-to-clean energy projects get $475 million

By Kathryn Krawczyk

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CLEAN ENERGY: The U.S. Energy Department announces $475 million for solar, storage and geothermal projects on current and former mine lands in five states: Arizona, Kentucky, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (Associated Press)

EMISSIONS:

  • The federal government is set to award more than $6 billion to projects meant to help decarbonize heavy industry, including producers of cement, chemicals, and metals. (Bloomberg)
  • The Biden administration says its decision to weaken tailpipe emissions rules won’t significantly harm its emissions reduction goals, though researchers contend the U.S. will need to scale up clean energy deployment to make up the difference. (Reuters)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

  • Republicans pounce on the U.S. EPA’s new tailpipe emission rule as a way to drive politically divided culture wars, accusing the Biden administration of taking away personal driving choices. (New York Times)
  • The Biden administration’s new tailpipe emissions rule wins praise from automakers, labor and environmental groups, though it still has to convince skeptical consumers that electric vehicles are a viable norm. (Politico)

OIL & GAS: Sixteen Republican-led states sue the federal government over its pause on new LNG export terminal approvals. (Axios)

GRID:

  • A utility’s acknowledgement that one of its power poles likely sparked this month’s historic Texas wildfires is the latest example of how climate change is stressing electric grids not built to withstand extreme heat and drought. (New York Times)
  • A study finds that linking offshore wind projects through offshore transmission networks could boost power reliability. (The Hill)
  • Federal energy regulators move to impose stricter deadlines for grid operators to respond to interconnection requests, hoping to clear a huge backlog keeping new clean energy offline. (E&E News, subscription)
  • A Minnesota electric cooperative plans to install 52 sensors on transmission lines across the state that help determine how much power lines can handle. (Inside Climate News)

GEOTHERMAL:

  • U.S. Energy Department officials and fossil fuel CEOs keep an eye on geothermal power, which utilizes existing drilling techniques to pull clean heat from the Earth. (The Hill)
  • Improved technology and federal incentives spur St. Paul, Minnesota’s school district to pursue geothermal heating and cooling as a way to cut emissions and building costs. (Energy News Network)

CARBON CAPTURE: A company breaks ground on a direct air carbon capture plant in Texas, part of the leading edge of new technology the oil and gas industry is relying on to reduce its emissions. (Yale360)

ELECTRIFICATION: Two climate reporters share how they moved their house off natural gas, installing an electric heat pump, water heater and appliances. (Grist)

COMMENTARY:

  • A growing number of localities are banning and restricting wind and solar even as businesses call for more energy development, indicating the need for performance-based standards over the dictates of politicians or central regulators, writes a professor. (Austin American-Statesman)
  • Rural opposition to solar development contrasts with growing power demand for data centers and artificial intelligence, creating a conundrum for policymakers, writes an editor. (Cardinal News)

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