White House promises to cut emissions in half

CLIMATE: The White House makes a long-awaited pledge to cut emissions by as much as 52% from 2005 levels in the next decade, though an ​“emissions gap” remains between promised cuts and what’s needed to combat global temperature rise. (Politico, Inside Climate News)

ALSO:
• Government, business, defense, and conservation leaders from around the world virtually gather today for a White House-led climate summit. (Axios)
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the ​“bulk” of net-zero investments need to come from the private sector as the U.S. and U.K. announce a program to encourage these investments worldwide. (Bloomberg, Reuters)

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CLEAN ENERGY:
• Senate Democrats introduce a bill that proposes tax credits for energy producers with carbon-neutral facilities and also expanding incentives for electrified transportation. (The Hill)
• More than 100 Nobel laureates urge world leaders to embrace a ​“transformational plan” to ensure everyone around the world has access to clean energy. (Guardian)
• Experts break down why President Biden’s pledge to purchase 24/7 clean power for federal buildings will be difficult but ​“doable.” (Grist)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: More than 135 million Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, with people of color most likely to be affected. (CNN)

OIL & GAS:
• Several oil and gas companies debut plans to reduce emissions, including by investing in hydrogen and renewable natural gas. (E&E News, subscription)
• The Bureau of Land Management suspends oil and gas lease sales from public lands through June. (Associated Press)

PIPELINES:
• The proposed Byhalia Connection pipeline and its disproportionate effects on majority-Black neighborhoods in southwest Memphis become a flashpoint in a national conversation about environmental justice and eminent domain. (Southerly/​MLK50/​Guardian)
• Conservation groups want President Biden to cancel permits for the Mountain Valley pipeline, saying the natural gas project is ​“inconsistent” with his order to review projects approved under the Trump administration that disregard science or clash with climate goals. (E&E News, subscription)
• Environmental groups praise a Michigan regulator’s ruling saying it will consider climate impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel proposal. (Bridge Michigan)

TRANSPORTATION:
• The Department of Transportation names its first chief science officer in 40 years and will reestablish a climate change program focused on cutting the sector’s carbon emissions. (The Hill)
• The Biden administration is expected as early as tomorrow to announce steps to end the federal government’s challenge to California’s emissions authority. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Twelve governors sign a letter asking President Biden to ban the sale of gas-powered cars and light trucks by 2035. (NPR)
• Amazon tests electric vehicle maker Rivian’s delivery vans in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as its third national market after Los Angeles and San Francisco. (Orange County Business Journal)

SOLAR: Grid congestion caused by a flurry of community solar proposals south of the Twin Cities is hampering rooftop solar development in a southern Minnesota college town. (Energy News Network)

COAL: A New Hampshire coal plant is pouring millions of gallons of hot water into the Merrimack River, which environmental groups say hurts local aquatic species and gives a boost to invasive ones. (Boston Herald)

COMMENTARY:
• President Biden’s emissions reduction promises are harder to achieve than to make, an editorial board argues, but ​“the planet depends” on him and Congress ​“getting this right.” (Washington Post)
• The United Mine Workers’ endorsement of President Joe Biden’s clean-energy transition marks a first step toward talks to help coal-producing regions, but marks only the latest fight for the union’s longtime leader, write an editorial board and state commentator. (Herald-Dispatch, WV Metro News)