Happy Friday!
In the news today…
Grid:
- Maine Public Radio reports that a Maine jury unanimously decides that Central Maine Power has vested rights in the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect power line and can resume development.
- E&E News reports that the Energy Department offers a $3 billion loan to finance a nationwide virtual power plant that would link rooftop solar and battery storage installations to as many as 115,000 homes.
Environmental:
- The Associated Press reports that President Joe Biden will sign an executive order establishing a new Office of Environmental Justice within the White House to coordinate efforts across the government, effectively making “environmental justice” a mission of federal agencies. The order mandates executive branch agencies use data and scientific research to understand the impact of pollution on the public’s health, while also requiring the agencies to inform nearby communities of any toxic spills from federal facilities.
- The Hill reports that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) reintroduced the Green New Deal resolution, which includes the expansion of high-speed rail, a “social cost of carbon” rule and a state jobs program. The reintroduction of the resolution included a new measure, the Green New Deal for Health, that would provide $100 billion to hospitals for climate resilience in the form of construction grants and form a task force to create policies for emission and climate risk disclosures for Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs and devices.
- Grist reports that new legislation in Oregon could target environmental protesters as terrorists. The blue state could become the 20th in the U.S. to enact a so-called critical infrastructure law.
Energy:
- Politico reports that during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, Chairman Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) unleashed his latest attack on the Biden administration’s energy policies, accusing the administration of loosening the Inflation Reduction Act’s domestic battery sourcing requirements for electric vehicle batteries, which he said will result in increased eligibility for EVs with foreign-sourced parts to receive the $7,500 tax credit and a loss of American jobs.
Minerals:
- Washington Post reports Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) has a message for her Democratic colleagues: If they want to accelerate the nation’s shift to clean energy and electric vehicles, they should embrace mining for critical minerals instead of worrying about its environmental consequences.