With time running out, Senate remains stalled on energy bill

CLIMATE: Despite growing urgency, a bipartisan group led by Sen. Joe Manchin has made little progress on developing a climate and energy plan. (E&E News)

ALSO:
• An attorney representing youth activists in a high-profile climate lawsuit says Biden Justice Department officials have indicated they will follow the Obama and Trump administrations in opposing the case. (The Lever)
• President Biden’s nominee to lead the EPA’s air office faces opposition from coal-state senators, while one Democrat says the agency has not moved quickly enough to address climate change. (Inside Climate News)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Fiat Chrysler reaches a $300 million settlement with the federal government over charges that it used software in diesel vehicles to evade emissions tests. (Bloomberg)
• At an event in Colorado, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says rising gasoline prices are an ​“exclamation point” for the need to transition to clean energy. (The Hill)
• Electric vehicle makers increasingly invest in Southeast states and the U.S. generally to exert more control over their supply chains. (Marketplace)

OIL & GAS:
• The Interior Department announces plans to spend $33 million to clean up orphan oil and gas wells on public land in nine states. (CNN)
• While oil prices are back above $100 a barrel, Permian Basin producers are slow to increase production, in part due to pressure to reimburse shareholders. (Bloomberg)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Texas leads the nation with nearly 22 GW in clean power installations in the first quarter of 2022, and a 998 MW wind farm in Oklahoma is the nation’s single largest project during that time. (S&P Global)
• A new consortium will try to attract federal money to Vermont for clean energy, decarbonization and resiliency projects, hoping the state’s small size and collaborative culture are seen as assets. (Energy News Network)

SOLAR: A growing number of Illinois coal industry workers are turning to solar and other clean energy industries for jobs as the state continues to phase out coal plants. (In These Times)

UTILITIES:
• New York utilities tell the state utility regulator that a 2021 customer outage compensation law burdens them with ​“potentially unlimited financial obligations” without a cost recovery mechanism. (Utility Dive)
• Duke Energy disputes advocates’ claims that the utility failed to provide adequate public comment opportunities for its long-term clean energy plan. (Indiana Environmental Reporter)

COMMENTARY:
• Texas should look to solar and other renewables to secure its grid as the state’s population continues to grow and even boom in some places, writes an editorial board. (Tyler Morning Telegraph)
• Keeping existing nuclear plants open is a ​“reasonable compromise” that would help maintain grid reliability and keep emissions from growing, an Illinois editorial board writes. (News-Gazette)