New coal ash rules leave loopholes at nearly 100 toxic sites

COAL ASH: New U.S. EPA coal ash rules published today would address hundreds of ​“legacy” coal ash landfills and ponds that have gone unregulated for years, but environmental groups say they leave loopholes for dozens of other sites. (Energy News Network)

POLITICS:
• Democratic Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware introduces a green permitting overhaul that would speed approvals for renewables, transmission lines, and coastal erosion projects. (E&E News)
• Sen. Joe Manchin cancels a hearing and withdraws support for a Biden administration renewable energy nominee to protest the Energy Department’s proposed gas stove efficiency rules. (The Hill)

EMISSIONS: The U.S. EPA could significantly reduce landfill methane emissions with stronger regulations and monitoring, an environmental group’s research finds. (Inside Climate News)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Charts show how a grid interconnection backlog, slow construction of transmission lines, and community pushback are the biggest factors slowing the U.S.’s clean energy buildout. (Washington Post)
• A $27 billion federal fund is leading more states to create green banks to finance clean energy projects. (Bloomberg Law)

CARBON CAPTURE: The White House announces $251 million for carbon storage and transport projects in seven states. (Axios)

HYDROGEN:
• Gas utilities across the U.S. have announced more than three dozen hydrogen pilot projects, with most aiming to blend hydrogen with natural gas in existing pipeline networks. (S&P Global)
• Colorado lawmakers pass a bill that would incentivize clean hydrogen production and use, but producers say strict conditions could hurt rather than help the industry. (Utility Dive)

GRID:
• Most of the U.S. will face a high risk of blackouts this summer if temperatures reach anticipated extremes, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. predicts. (Utility Dive)
• Arguments over who can access solar incentives and whether officials are focusing too much on fossil fuels may potentially hold up $14 billion in federal funding to repair Puerto Rico’s troubled energy grid. (Politico)

OVERSIGHT: Court filings show how former top Ohio energy regulator Sam Randazzo spent part of a $4.3 million payment from FirstEnergy on personal expenses, including taxes, mortgages, and a loan to his daughter’s restaurant. (Energy News Network/​Eye on Ohio)

CLIMATE: A New York lawmaker introduces legislation to form a ​“Climate Change Superfund” — modeled after the federal Toxic Superfund — that would require polluting companies to fund adaptation and resiliency projects. (Spectrum News 1)

HYDROPOWER: A Republican and Democratic U.S. senator introduce legislation to reform and speed up hydropower permitting and relicensing. (Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS: National laboratory researchers develop methods to identify and characterize orphaned wells in a mostly defunct northwest New Mexico oil and gas field. (NM Political Report)