States move to address solar worker shortfall

SOLAR: Multiple states are developing plans to address workforce shortages ahead of billions of dollars of federal investment in solar power. (Bloomberg)

ALSO: Puerto Rico’s rooftop solar boom is in jeopardy as a territorial agency weighs repeal of a new law extending net metering policies. (Canary Media)

CLIMATE:

• Even if President Biden is re-elected, many of the administration’s environmental and climate rules are still vulnerable to court challenges. (E&E News)
• A federal court Friday rejected a request by Republican-led states for an immediate halt to new EPA emissions rules for power plants. (Reuters)
• With Vermont poised to make major fossil fuel companies pay for climate disasters, officials and scientists will need to decide who pays and how much is owed. (Grist)

UTILITIES: Energy justice advocates say Minnesota regulators should reinstate a moratorium on utility shutoffs after researchers found racial disparities in disconnections by Xcel Energy, even after accounting for income and other factors. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A northern California school district becomes the nation’s first to transition to a fully electric bus fleet that is equipped with bidirectional chargers that can feed power back to the grid. (Los Angeles Times, Wired)
• As the number of electric vehicles surges in the U.S., public charging infrastructure isn’t keeping up. (Washington Post)
• Federal data suggests electricity consumption by light-duty vehicles likely surpassed rail in 2013. (Energy Information Administration)

GRID:

• A Senate hearing this week will focus on the ​“opportunities, risks, and challenges associated with growth in demand for electric power” and will likely address FERC’s recently announced transmission rule. (E&E News, subscription)
• A rapid buildout of transmission infrastructure to support clean energy will depend heavily on grid operators, with some regions of the country more prepared than others. (Canary Media)
• ISO New England’s recent energy demand forecasts show the pace of the energy transition is faster than expected, and is weighing several changes to address potential future shortfalls. (Concord Monitor, Utility Dive)

OIL & GAS:

• A Louisiana think tank last week sued the Department of Energy over a pause in liquified natural gas export approvals, arguing the move is unconstitutional. (E&E News, subscription)
• Federal officials add a lizard found only in the Permian Basin to the endangered species list, specifically citing oil and gas development as a threat. (Associated Press)
• The Biden administration awards New Mexico and California a total of $60 million to plug and remediate 323 high-risk orphaned oil and gas wells and associated infrastructure (news release)

WIND: Eight New Jersey towns have filed lawsuits in the past week to stop offshore wind development along the state’s coast. (Asbury Park Press)