Author Archives: Terry M. Jarrett

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that FERC gives PJM flexibility for handling member defaults as Winter Storm Elliott complaints pile up. At least six complaints are pending at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from generators that are seeking to avoid penalties for failing to run during the late-December freeze.

Coal:

• Bloomberg reports that the United States, European Union and Japan are pushing back on the United Kingdom’s proposal to phase out unabated domestic coal power generation by 2030, according to draft communique documents seen by Bloomberg, setting up a fight between the Group of Seven nations ahead of a summit slated for this weekend in Japan. While France has backed the United Kingdom’s plan, Germany proposed alternative language for the phaseout deadline such as “ideally by 2030” or “in the 2030s,” illustrating concerns that European countries lack the technical ability to meet the deadline while the United States could face political backlash for backing a coal phaseout.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration is poised this week to release what’s slated to be one of its biggest climate rules to date aimed at boosting electric vehicles, a move that’s riling the auto sector and Capitol Hill and triggering widespread questions about the availability of critical minerals.

EPA:

• Inside EPA reports states and industry groups that otherwise differ over EPA’s plan to tighten fine particulate matter (PM2.5) standards are agreeing on the need for the agency to ease serious implementation challenges that would accompany tighter limits, especially over issues like wildfires that are most pronounced in California and other Western states.

World News:

• Reuters reports global export restrictions on critical materials have grown more than five-fold over the last decade, the OECD said on Tuesday, potentially impeding governments’ efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
• Bloomberg reports a sharp increase in export restrictions by countries including China and India on raw materials critical for green technologies has a potentially sizable impact on the global economy and could make climate goals harder to meet, research by the OECD shows.

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Bloomberg reports that Texas’s plan to avoid deadly blackouts could cost $18 billion. A fleet of new natural gas-fired power plants in Texas may cost $18 billion, much more than an earlier estimate, as lawmakers attempt to improve the state’s electric grid after its deadly failure in 2021.

Climate:

• The Associated Press reports that climate change is adding 50 homers a year to MLB, study says. Climate change is making major league sluggers into even hotter hitters, sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences, a new study found.

Mining:

• Associated Press reports three Alaska Native tribes have sued to block what they say would be one of the largest gold mines in the world, arguing that federal agencies failed to properly analyze health and environmental concerns for the project in southwest Alaska.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Bureau of Land Management is delaying until next year a decision on a series of Trump-era orders that would open 28 million acres of federal lands in Alaska to energy development and mining.

Water:

• E&E Greenwire reports the fate of the Biden administration’s signature water rule remains unclear even after the president’s second-ever veto issued a stern rebuke to Congress this week.

In the news today…

Grid:

• CNBC reports that years-long lines and steep fees are hindering wind and solar developers’ ability to connect new projects to the U.S. power grid.
• Los Angeles Times reports that analysts say California must build out its power grid to reach clean energy targets, but new transmission is expensive and difficult to permit.

EPA:

• Roll Call reports the EPA’s recently finalized rule intended to help downwind states reach air quality standards has drawn the ire of Republican leaders who have questioned whether the agency has adequately considered its effects on industry and electric generation.

Clean Water Act:

• E&E News PM reports President Joe Biden on Thursday vetoed a Congressional Review Act resolution against the administration’s rule to define the Clean Water Act’s reach.
• Politico Pro reports President Joe Biden on Thursday vetoed a congressional resolution (H.J. Res. 27) that would overturn his administration’s rule cementing a broad definition of which streams and wetlands get federal protection.
• Inside EPA reports President Joe Biden is following through on his pledge to veto a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that sought to block EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers’ rule redefining “waters of the United States” (WOTUS), saying the regulation provides clear boundaries while the resolution would create increased uncertainty.

In the news today…

EPA:

• Washington Post reports from Associated Press that the Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago.
• Inside EPA reports EPA is proposing stricter air toxics requirements for power plants, including a lignite plant-specific mercury limit that would establish parity between that sector and other coal plants as well as tougher standards for all facilities regarding “filterable” particulate matter, though officials expect most plants to be able to comply with any new limits.
• Politico Pro reports EPA on Wednesday proposed strengthening an Obama-era rule limiting toxic pollutants from coal-fired power plants in a move the agency estimates will bring billions of dollars in public health benefits.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA would crack down on power plants that burn a notoriously dirty form of coal while more broadly curbing industry releases of arsenic and other hazardous metals, under a draft Clean Air Act rule rolled out Wednesday.

Mining:

• RealClearEnergy carries an op-ed which argues Congress should pair permitting reform with smart, long-range support for domestic reuse and recycling of advanced energy technologies.
• E&E News PM reports Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the House Natural Resources Committee’s top Democrat, is calling on the Biden administration to hold off on advancing a massive and controversial copper mine in his home state of Arizona, and warning a Chinese government-backed company would have a hand in the project.

Coal:

• Argus reports US thermal coal exports rose for a second month in February on extended gains to Europe and higher demand from India.
• E&E Energywire reports the nation’s largest grid operator is facing pushback over record-breaking fines imposed following a storm this winter, with several power plant owners warning that the charges could run them out of business.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that Texas Regulators should consider a combination of metrics to establish grid reliability standards, stakeholders urge. Following Winter Storm Uri in 2021 state lawmakers directed the commission to develop a reliability standard to improve performance of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.

Coal:

• E&E Climatewire reports in West Virginia, the price of saving one coal plant may come at the cost of closing another.
• E&E Greenwire reports a western Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant at the center of a high-stakes Supreme Court legal fight a decade ago will close by this summer, its owners announced Monday.
• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration is betting on a coal country renaissance that’s driven by renewable energy investments.

Energy:

• S&P Global reports the US is on track to shutter half of its peak coal-fired generation capacity by 2026, a key milestone in its energy transition, according to an April 3 report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
• E&E News PM reports roughly 100 environmental, public health and civil rights advocates gathered outside EPA headquarters Tuesday afternoon with a clear message: Do more — and do it faster — to rein in power plant pollution.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports environmental groups and a tribe fighting a massive copper mine in Arizona are pushing back against a bipartisan campaign on Capitol Hill to designate copper as a critical mineral, asserting that studies being used to promote that position are flawed.
• E&E News PM reports federal regulators have formally revoked a federal Clean Water Act permit for the Rosemont copper mine in Arizona, marking another chapter for a mining project mired in lawsuits and shifting regulations.

In the news today…

Grid:

• S&P Global reports that U.S. Senate Democrats may seek to negotiate for more aggressive transmission build-out measures under a broad energy permitting bill package the House passed last week.

WOTUS:

• Politico Pro reports a federal judge in Kentucky dismissed a challenge to the Biden administration’s new Waters of the U.S. rule brought by that state and industry groups, underscoring how differing legal rulings have begun to create a regulatory patchwork across the country that is only likely to worsen in the coming weeks.
• E&E Greenwire reports a federal judge on Friday declined to block the Biden administration’s new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act.

Coal:

• The Hill reports federal clean energy tax credits are accelerating a nationwide wave of coal plant closures, as those facilities can no longer economically compete. That’s driving a wave of state-level legislation and national rhetoric from the GOP aimed at keeping coal plants online.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA is poised to propose strengthening hazardous air emissions limits on coal-fired power plants, only a month after reinstating the legal basis for those standards.
• Washington Post reports President Joe Biden’s administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects across the country at the site of current or former coal mines, part of his ongoing efforts to combat climate change.
• E&E Energywire reports the Biden administration will provide additional bonus funding for clean energy projects that are located in communities where mines and coal-fired power plants have closed.

Happy Monday!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration on Friday released guidance that it hopes will alter the landscape for electric vehicles by pivoting the nation from gas-guzzling cars and bolster its aggressive climate goals.
• E&E Greenwire reports Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin described as “horrific” the Biden administration’s proposed guidance for implementing the climate law’s electric vehicle incentives, but other Democrats cheered the release.
• E&E Energywire reports the Biden administration sought to provide firmer ground for electric vehicle buyers and manufacturers last week when it issued new tax rules, but unresolved questions could still scramble which cars qualify for breaks in the years ahead.

Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that as California grid interconnection requests triple, analysts assess CAISO’s moves to handle the influx. Bringing large amounts of clean energy to the grid over the next decade and beyond — resources that are critical to the state’s climate as well as power reliability goals — experts are increasingly pointing to the need to revamp its interconnection processes.

Energy:

• The Hill reports the House on Thursday passed an energy package that was the Republican conference’s top legislative priority, sending the measure to the Senate where the Democratic leader has said it is “dead-on-arrival.”
• Wall Street Journal carries an op-ed by Sen. Joe Manchin in which he calls on President Biden to implement the Inflation Reduction Act as intended.
• E&E Daily reports two Democrats are set to introduce an energy permitting overhaul, a response to Republicans’ sweeping energy package.
• E&E Daily reports the House Republican energy and permitting bill is poised to become a cudgel in congressional campaigns for both parties, as the GOP looks to defend its narrow majority in the chamber.

Coal:

• Argus reports coal exports from Hampton Roads, Virginia, reached their highest level in nearly four years in February as some rail shipments accelerated and European demand increased.
• E&E Climatewire reports two Washington state utilities have announced plans in recent months to transfer their ownership interests in a massive Montana coal plant to a pair of power companies that intend to operate the facility for years to come.

Minerals:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Biden administration unveiled a long-awaited proposed rule Friday that will make fewer electric vehicles eligible for $7,500 tax credits meant to encourage consumers to ditch gas-powered cars, an at least temporary crimp in the White House’s strategy to address climate change.

In the news today…

Congress:

• The Associated Press reports that the House is set to approve the GOP’s energy package in a vote today despite a veto threat from President Joe Biden and a guarantee that the slate of bills would be “dead on arrival” in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The Lower Energy Costs Act includes provisions that would boost domestic oil and gas production, expedite permitting for energy projects and repeal parts of the Inflation Reduction Act.
• E&E Daily reports Sen. Joe Manchin predicted Wednesday that the Biden administration will interpret new restrictions on electric vehicle tax credits in ways that are too permissive and don’t align with the climate change law he wrote last year.
• E&E Daily reports Senate committees intend to hold hearings as soon as next month on permitting for energy projects, leaders of two key committees confirmed Wednesday to E&E News.

WOTUS:

• Politico Pro reports the Senate voted 53-43 to repeal a contentious Biden administration water rule, with four Democrats joining Republicans in voting to overturn the regulation.
• E&E News PM reports the Senate on Wednesday afternoon approved a resolution against the Biden administration’s signature water policy, in a move all but guaranteed to spark the president’s second veto ever.

Coal:

• Argus reports US coal production has increased slightly this year from the same time in 2022 as export volumes have risen, US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates show.
• E&E Daily reports Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito insinuated Wednesday that President Joe Biden spared his home state of Delaware from EPA’s “good neighbor” smog plan.

Minerals:

• E&E Energywire reports the U.S. government needs to take on more capital risk to spur companies to invest in the critical mineral supply chain and counter Chinese dominance in the sector, top Biden administration officials said yesterday.
• E&E Energywire reports the Biden administration is preparing to announce its most pivotal action to date in carrying out the president’s climate law — setting the rules for determining which kinds of electric cars and trucks can qualify for its $7,500 tax credits.

In the news today…

Minerals:

• Washington Post reports House Republicans pressed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland yesterday on a central tension surrounding President Biden’s ambitious climate and clean-energy goals: his administration’s blocking of domestic mining for the minerals needed to achieve those targets.
• E&E Greenwire reports former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his fellow Republicans pointedly confronted current Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on energy production and critical minerals during a hearing Tuesday that showcased policy differences that could dominate the coming budget season.
• New York Times reports lawmakers on Tuesday issued a sharp rebuke of a limited trade deal the Biden administration reached with Japan, saying that it should have been made available to Congress and the public for review and that it lacked important protections for the environment and workers.
• Bloomberg reports the European Union and the US are nearing an agreement on critical minerals that would provide EU companies access to some of the massive green subsidies offered in President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Energy:

• E&E Energywire reports the nation’s largest power grid operator is facing pushback from environmental groups, which say the findings of a recent report paint an alarmist picture of the shift to cleaner energy.
• E&E Energywire reports New Mexico’s largest electric provider wants the state’s highest court to overturn a 2021 decision by regulators who rejected a proposal to transfer its shares in a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo energy company.

Permitting:

• E&E Greenwire reports the Bureau of Land Management says it is set to significantly advance commercial-scale renewable energy development on federal lands across the West over the next three years.

In the news today…

Coal:

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch carries an editorial which argues the Environmental Protection Agency issued a “good neighbor” rule last week that probably should have been implemented decades ago.
• Prescott News reports from Inside Sources that modern economies like the U.S. and Europe aren’t ready to walk away from coal quite yet.
• Argus reports the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) awarded $126.5mn to 24 states and two Native American tribes for abandoned mine cleanup projects.
• Argus reports a Kentucky bill to make it harder to retire coal- and natural gas-fired power plants became law without governor Andy Beshear’s (D) signature and despite utility objections.

Minerals:

• Roll Call reports lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrutinizing how the Biden administration handles new incentives for buying electric vehicles with the first formal guidance on which cars qualify for subsidies expected this week.
• Reuters reports the United States and Japan on Tuesday announced a trade deal on electric vehicle battery minerals that is key to strengthening their battery supply chains and granting Japanese automakers wider access to a new $7,500 U.S. EV tax credit.
• Axios reports the U.S. and Japan have struck a deal on critical battery minerals that could enable Japanese companies to capture some benefits of EV subsidies in the U.S. climate law.

WOTUS:

• E&E Daily reports the Senate is poised to vote this week on a resolution against President Joe Biden’s Clean Water Act rule.

Good Monday morning!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Portland Press Herald reports that in a trial scheduled to begin next month, the developers of the New England Clean Energy Connect power line will argue they have vested rights to continue building it, despite a 2021 voter referendum in Maine to block the project.
• Reuters reports that the Iowa Supreme Court temporarily blocks a state law that had given incumbent utilities first rights to build new transmission projects, a case that could have high stakes amid plans for a major transmission buildout.

Minerals:

• Politico Pro reports Canada has the minerals required for electric vehicles, solar panels and other clean-energy technologies. The United States wants them.
• E&E Greenwire reports President Joe Biden’s long-awaited trip to Canada this week is poised to highlight the administration’s openness to using a Cold War-era law to fund Canadian mining and mineral processing sectors — part of a broader effort to secure electric vehicle battery materials that China currently dominates.
• Politico Pro reports President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged a joint effort Friday to develop critical mineral resources that are needed to reduce reliance on China for a key raw material used in electric vehicles and other clean technology products.
• Bloomberg reports US labor unions are pushing back on White House efforts to allow European Union and Japanese firms mining and processing critical minerals to tap some of the lucrative subsidies available in the Biden administration’s massive climate law, fearing the move will sap American jobs.
• Politico Pro reports a major U.S. battery manufacturer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are making an eleventh-hour push to persuade the Treasury Department to reverse its interpretation of Inflation Reduction Act domestic content provisions that could boost foreign components used in electric vehicles that qualify for federal incentives.

Coal:

• Argus reports US exports of coking coal rose by 37.5pc on the year in January to nearly 3.7mn t, with the increase driven by sharp increases in shipments to China, the EU and India.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Reuters reports that tens of thousands of storm-weary Californians were without power and under evacuation warnings on Wednesday as the latest storm packing wind-blown rain and snow threatened to bring more flooding to the rain-soaked state.
• APPA reports that the PJM Interconnection recently presented stakeholders with an early outline of its initial proposal aimed at improving key aspects of the PJM capacity market construct.
• PV Magazine reports Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy is funding a Minnesota organization that advocates for building new transmission lines along infrastructure corridors, such as highways and existing transmission rights of way.
• KNSI reports that Xcel Energy is proposing a 160-180 mile transmission line that would move clean energy from the site of a coal plant that’s scheduled to close in the coming years and be replaced by solar.

Energy:

• Wall Street Journal reports companies pursuing subsidies for green energy are trying to shape the Treasury Department’s definition of ‘made in America’.
• Washington Examiner reports NERC CEO and President Jim Robb said yesterday that reliability problems for U.S. power grids are continuing to increase due to to an increasingly diverse resource mix, retirements of traditional power generation sources, and an increase in extreme weather events across the country.
• E&E Energywire reports for the first time, no coal-burning power plants in New England qualified for payments in the region’s annual electricity auction.

Lands:

• Washington Post reports a Native American group that’s trying to stop an effort to build one of the largest copper mines in the United States told a full federal appeals court panel Tuesday that the project would prevent Apaches from exercising their religion by destroying land they consider sacred.
• E&E Greenwire reports a lawyer for the Biden administration on Tuesday signaled that a controversial land swap in Arizona is likely to move forward in the coming months, paving the way for an Apache holy site to be developed into one of the nation’s largest copper mines.

Permitting:

• Washington Examiner reports Sen. Ed Markey is staking out progressives’ position on how Congress should go about speeding up environmental permitting with new suggestions that would explicitly exclude fossil fuel projects from special project designations and enable local communities to be included in project planning itself.

In the news today…

Lands:

• The Hill reports President Biden on Tuesday designated two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas.
• E&E Greenwire reports the White House announcement that President Joe Biden on Tuesday will designate two long-sought-after national monuments in Nevada and Texas drew widespread praise from Native American tribal leaders, residents and conservation groups.

Coal:

• Argus reports Indiana lawmakers are on the cusp of passing legislation that could slow or halt retirements of coal-fired power plants in the state.

Energy:

• E&E Daily reports as they put the finishing touches on their massive energy package, House Republicans plan to pressure Democrats on a core kitchen table issue: energy costs.
• Politico Pro reports Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) on Tuesday laid out what he framed as the progressive alternative to changing U.S. permitting laws — an approach he said will speed clean energy projects while bolstering community participation and preserving their rights to weigh in on projects.

Minerals:

• Axios reports lithium prices are plunging, making EVs more affordable.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Kansas Reflector reports that Ameren Missouri supports state legislation giving it first rights to build transmission lines after opposing a similar bill in Kansas that would have prevented it from competing for projects with local utilities in that state.
• Utility Dive reports that a transmission link between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland would not trigger FERC jurisdiction, the agency declares. The clarification could affect Alternative Transmission’s proposed undersea cable project that aims to bolster Puerto Rico’s grid.

Coal:

• Washington Examiner reports coal and natural gas interests are locked in an existential cage match over which fuel source is best positioned to stop the bleeding as regulators at FERC and NERC warn about diminishing grid reliability.
• Argus reports a coal miner died and others were injured in two separate incidents at Alliance Resource Partners’ Hamilton coal mine in southern Illinois on 18 March.

Minerals:

• E&E Climatewire reports lithium is critical to the production of batteries for electric vehicles, but the United States mines very little of the mineral compared to countries such as China or Chile. California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to change that.
• Casper Star Tribune reports the company digging for critical minerals in southeastern Wyoming is becoming more and more confident that it’s found the biggest known deposit of rare earth elements in North America.

Happy first day of Spring!

In the news today and from the weekend…

Grid:

• Floodlight reports that electric utilities spent billions after 2014’s polar vortex to ensure power plants and the grid could handle extreme cold, but this winter it still wasn’t enough.
• Bloomberg reports that a Texas appeals court has reignited a fight over soaring power prices during the deadly 2021 winter storm that crippled the state’s electric grid.

Mining:

• E&E News PM reports the Biden administration is considering barring mining and geothermal leasing in a critical South Dakota watershed for two decades, a move that would block a controversial bid to explore for gold there.
• Indiana Capital Chronicle reports how quickly can — or should — Indiana transition away from coal? That’s a key question in the state legislature as lawmakers debate a bill that seeks to slow down the retirement of certain coal-fired power plants.

WOTUS:

• Politico Pro reports a federal judge in Texas has blocked the Biden administration’s new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, but only within Texas and Idaho.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy Friday!

In the news today…

Grid:

• Utility Dive reports that FERC, governors, state regulators and utilities should focus their efforts on interregional transmission development by encouraging investments that will yield significant long-term benefits.

EPA:

• The New American reports the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Wednesday its Good Neighbor Plan, which limits nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources that cause downwind smog pollution in other states.

Permitting:

• E&E Greenwire reports a proposal the European Union unveiled Thursday calling for the creation of a “critical minerals club” and truncated permitting reviews for specific mining, recycling and processing projects is fueling a partisan clash over the scale and pace of mining regulation changes needed in the U.S.

Coal:

• RealClearEnergy carries an op-ed which argues that we must stop the push to remove coal-fired capacity.
• Argus reports coal may continue to be a part of the US energy mix through 2050, but at a significantly reduced level, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its latest long-term outlook.

Minerals:

• Foreign Policy carries an op-ed which argues for our national defense, we must build a robust domestic supply chain for minerals.

In the news today…

EPA:

• NPR reports a new “good neighbor” rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency will restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can’t control. Nearly two-dozen states will have to cut harmful industrial emissions of nitrogen oxide and other pollutants to improve air quality for millions of people living in downwind communities.
• Washington Post reports the Biden administration announced tougher limits Wednesday on smog-forming pollutants from power plants and other industrial facilities, a move that officials said would reduce air pollution in downwind communities and help Americans suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems.
• E&E Greenwire reports EPA is significantly bolstering regulation of smog-forming emissions from power plants and more than a half-dozen other industries in the latest milestone of the Biden administration’s quest to prod the United States away from coal.
• Inside EPA reports EPA has unveiled its expanded and strengthened Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) to curb interstate ozone, imposing emissions reduction obligations on a host of new states, ratcheting down power plants’ allowances for ozone-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and regulating a series of manufacturing and energy sectors for the first time.

Mining:

• Elko Daily Free Press reports on the progress of mining projects in the U.S.
• E&E Greenwire reports a proposal to ban future mining near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge received a hearing Tuesday before a panel of Georgia lawmakers, who asked no questions of testifying experts and advocates before adjourning without a vote.

Coal:

• Argus reports West Virginia governor Jim Justice (R) received multiple coal bills seeking his approval last week, and he signed one into a law.
• Bloomberg carries an op-ed which discusses how for the first time ever last week, Britain had to call on emergency coal generation to keep the lights on, after keeping plants in reserve all winter.

The Ides of March are upon us!!

In the news today…

EPA:

• E&E Greenwire reports only days before EPA is set to issue its latest crackdown on interstate smog pollution, advocacy groups are making last-ditch closing arguments to White House officials reviewing the final version.

Mining:

• Associated Press reports a proposal to ban future mining near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge received a hearing Tuesday before a panel of Georgia lawmakers, who asked no questions of testifying experts and advocates before adjourning without a vote.

Congress:

• The Hill reports that House Republicans unveiled their nearly 200-page energy package that aims to boost fossil fuel production, limit environmental reviews for infrastructure projects and speed up their approvals, although the measure serves more as a way to outline GOP goals as the bill is unlikely to pass through a divided Congress. The bill would also repeal climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that target methane emissions in the oil and gas industry and raise fees for drilling on public lands and waters.

In the news today…

Grid:

• Washington Post reports that a new iPhone feature is transforming the 118 million devices into a U.S. grid management resource, automatically turning charging on and off as clean electricity supplies peak and fall.
• West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports that U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin cites grid reliability concerns as he requests the U.S. EPA delay its proposed “Good Neighbor Rule” to require a reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Mining:

• Axios reports permitting overhaul efforts have veered left into an unexpected conversation: how to hold mining companies accountable for their environmental and human rights problems.
• E&E Energywire reports Europe needs minerals like lithium for batteries to power its clean energy future. Beijing is decades ahead.

World News:

• E&E Energywire reports Volkswagen AG has chosen Canada to build its first battery plant outside Europe in a bid to fast-track an expansion in the key U.S. market.