States not waiting around for Congress to clean up their grids

POLICY: States have been making aggressive moves toward decarbonizing their electricity sectors this year rather than waiting for action at the federal level. (E&E News)

ALSO: Utility trade group Edison Electric Institute is lobbying for a federal clean energy standard that would include nuclear and hydro and provide partial credits for natural gas. (Morning Consult)

OVERSIGHT: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Neil Chatterjee says next week’s commission meeting will ​“likely” be his last. (E&E News, subscription)

CLIMATE:
• U.S. climate envoy John Kerry will meet with Russian officials next week to discuss collaboration on cutting emissions. (The Hill)
• Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte pulls out of a multi-state coalition dedicated to fighting climate change. (Montana Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY:
• The sprawling Quantico Marine Corps Base plans to save a projected $1.6 million annually on utility payments by refurbishing systems connected to 35 buildings and installing a microgrid. (Energy News Network)
• A new Minnesota law incentivizes utilities to help cover ​“pre-weatherization” costs, such as removing asbestos or lead paint, that have been barriers to energy efficiency upgrades for low-income property owners. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• With Tropical Storm Elsa looming, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont tells utilities to avoid a repeat of the much-derided clean-up and recovery effort that followed a tropical storm last summer. (Patch.com)
• Texas power companies respond to a new law requiring they winterize their facilities by filing with state regulators to request that ratepayers cover the costs. (Houston Chronicle)
• Grid operator PJM advances plans to update its capacity market rules that could empower states to adopt energy policies to meet climate goals. (E&E News)
• Texas becomes a hotbed for cryptocurrency mining in part because power companies will pay them to curtail energy use during times of peak demand, meaning they ​“get power for next to nothing.” (Washington Post)

OIL & GAS: Even as New Mexico oil and gas production and revenues reach record levels, the industry’s employment numbers remain depressed, with no uptick in sight. (Los Alamos Daily Post, Capital & Main)

PIPELINES: The EPA recommends the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not grant a critical permit for the long-delayed and over-budget Mountain Valley Pipeline to cross waterways in Virginia and West Virginia. (Virginia Mercury)

COAL:
• Wyoming lawmakers consider a new approach to coal mine reclamation bonding that has support from industry and environmentalists. (WyoFile)
• An Alabama miners’ strike against Warrior Met Coal for better benefits enters its fourth month. (WBUR)

TRANSPORTATION:
• In a panel discussion, executives from Amazon and UPS say electric trucks are advancing faster than hydrogen. (Utility Dive)
• Federal law puts Colorado’s highway rest areas off-limits to electric vehicle chargers, but the transportation bill making its way through Congress could change that. (Colorado Public Radio)

ACTIVISM: Climate activists say an 8-year prison sentence for an Iowa woman who damaged a pipeline represents a double standard compared to the treatment of rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol. (Salon)

COMMENTARY:
• Twenty state legislatures have now passed laws to preempt municipalities from passing local bans on natural gas hookups in new construction, ​“a brazen move to use state law to invalidate local government ordinances,” write clean energy and ratepayer advocates. (Canary Media)
• An editorial board says Republican efforts to be taken seriously on climate change ​“are far too little, coming this late in the game.” (Los Angeles Times)