US Energy News 6-23-23

 

U.S. Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Kathryn Krawczyk.

 

POLITICS: Congress members, Biden administration officials and other insiders wonder why Sen. Joe Manchin continues to fight the Inflation Reduction Act he helped write, with some negotiators saying he could’ve shaped the bill more narrowly to his goals but didn’t. (E&E News)

 

ALSO: Federal prosecutors recommend a 16-20 year prison sentence for former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder based on his role in a $61 million corruption scheme that caused “immeasurable damage to the institution of democracy in Ohio.” (Columbus Dispatch)

 

CLIMATE:
• Heads of state meet in Paris to lay the groundwork for this year’s United Nations climate summit, focusing on a loss and damage fund for climate-vulnerable countries. (Guardian)
• An Oregon county files a lawsuit seeking nearly $52 billion from 17 oil and gas companies for allegedly contributing to the 2021 heat dome event that killed 97 people in the state. (OPB)

 

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The U.S. and Europe diverge on their handling of Chinese electric vehicles, with the U.S. reserving incentives for domestic- and allied-made cars while the EU offers low tariffs and big subsidies for EV imports. (E&E News)
• A Korean company announces it will build a $72 million factory in suburban Atlanta to make electric vehicle battery parts, and is the 10th supplier to announce a regional factory near Hyundai’s planned EV plant. (Associated Press)

 

OIL & GAS:
A California oil and gas industry lobbyist reveals tactics to “misadvertise” legislation that would expedite carbon dioxide pipeline approvals to sneak it past environmentalists and lawmakers. (Capital & Main)
A rising wave of companies are selling carbon offset credits for plugging abandoned oil and gas wells to companies trying to meet emissions reduction goals. (Inside Climate News)

 

GRID:
• Virtual power plants are poised to deliver a real grid impact this summer as states build networks of small battery storage systems. (Inside Climate News)
• Community-level support will be key to building transmission projects essential to the clean energy transition, and educating affected communities on projects’ benefits can aid in their success, experts say. (Utility Dive)
• An expert says Texas wind and solar farms are “bailing us out” as the state power grid is strained by summer heat, storms and a nuclear plant failure. (CNN, Austin American-Statesman)

 

CLEAN ENERGY: Economists find that the renewable energy transition will result in financial losses for the wealthiest citizens in high-income countries, but only have a small impact on most people. (Guardian)

 

HYDROGEN: As Pennsylvania vies for federal hydrogen funding and works to reroute some oversight from federal to state hands, some lawmakers and environmentalists fear the state couldn’t properly oversee a hydrogen hub. (Spotlight PA)

 

COAL: Environmental advocates in communities with legacy coal ash pits along Lake Michigan hope new federal cleanup rules will help prevent an environmental catastrophe. (Grist)

 

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