Last week, Morning Consult and Politico polled on the broad strokes of the Biden infrastructure plan, before we had the specifics. Now, we have been able to ask voters their thoughts about the price tags of several major components of the plan, including both physical and social infrastructure. Some of what we found: 

• The proposals aimed specifically at facilitating the country’s energy transition — such as developing the electric vehicle charging network — elicited the most dramatic partisan split, of nearly 50 percentage points in certain cases;

• 60 percent of voters said they support the White House’s American Jobs Plan as a whole, including 84 percent of Democrats, 51 percent of independents and 35 percent of Republicans;

• Even Republicans were largely behind a number of its provisions, especially those relating to modernizing hospitals, highways and roads.

Do you think the plan has a shot of getting through Congress? What do you think of the specific proposals? Reach out with these or any other thoughts via email or Twitter. — Lisa

• The United States is expected to see a 30 percent increase in summer gasoline prices compared to a year earlier as a result of anticipated rises in both crude oil prices and travel, according to the Energy Information Administration. The EIA forecast an average retail price of $2.78 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline for the 2021 summer driving season between April and September, compared to $2.07 per gallon during the summer of 2020. (MarketWatch)

• The EIA also forecast that U.S. oil production will hit 11.04 million barrels per day in 2021, a decrease from the agency’s March forecast of 11.15 million bpd for the year. The agency also lowered its production forecast for next year by 100,000 bpd, a move that comes as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have pledged to boost output in the coming months. (Bloomberg) 

• The district attorney of Sonoma County, Calif., filed five felony and 28 misdemeanor criminal charges against PG&E Corp. in connection with the 2019 Kincade Fire that burned 120 square miles, damaged or destroyed over 400 buildings and seriously injured six firefighters. PG&E said in a statement that it accepts California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s conclusion that PG&E equipment started the Kincade fire, but that the utility does not believe it is criminally liable in the case. (The New York Times)

• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said by the end of July the EPA will issue its changes to a Trump administration rule that eased limits on emissions from vehicles through the 2026 model year. (Bloomberg)

‘This is environmental racism’: How a protest in a North Carolina farming town sparked a national movement
Darryl Fears and Brady Dennis, The Washington Post

Given little support by White philanthropists, environmental justice groups run by Black, Latino, Native American and Alaskan Native advocates historically have been as impoverished as the communities they represent. While White environmental groups tended to focus on wilderness and wildlife, activists fighting everything from toxic dumps in Alabama to massive oil and gas refineries in California have largely worked in the shadows.

Oil Fluctuates Around $63 a Barrel Ahead of U.S. Stockpile Data
Sharon Cho and Alex Longley, Bloomberg

Oil traded near $63 a barrel in London as traders awaited weekly U.S. inventory data for the latest steer on the demand recovery.

Aramco Weighs Selling Stake in Oil Pipelines for More Than $10 Billion
Ben Dummett and Summer Said, The Wall Street Journal

Saudi Arabia’s energy giant is in advanced talks to sell up to a 49% stake in its oil pipelines to a consortium of U.S., Chinese and local investors for between $10 billion and $15 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Groups petition EPA to remove ethane and methane from list of compounds exempt from emissions limits
Zack Budryk, The Hill

Hundreds of environmental groups on Tuesday submitted a petition calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to curtail ethane and methane emissions responsible for smog.

Shell to Make First Profit From Oil Output Since Pandemic
Laura Hurst, Bloomberg

Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it expects to make the first profit from pumping oil since the start of the pandemic.

Occidental CEO Rejects U.S. Carbon Tax in Break With Big Oil
Kevin Crowley, Bloomberg

Occidental Petroleum Corp. has split from some of its larger rivals by rejecting a potential U.S. carbon tax, saying that it prefers the existing system of tax credits designed to encourage oil companies to store carbon dioxide and reduce emissions.

Cold snap caused most Texas outages during storm, grid operator says
Rebecca Falconer, Axios

Weather-related problems were the leading cause of Texas power plants going offline during February’s record cold snap that left millions of Texans in the dark, a preliminary report published Tuesday states.

Progressives fear infrastructure’s climate plans won’t survive Senate
Zack Budryk, The Hill

The White House infrastructure package released last week contains a number of environmental agenda items high on progressive wish lists, but some advocates are concerned those same items could be sacrificed to ensure passage in the 50-50 Senate.

How Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could boost California’s energy transition
Kavya Balaraman, Utility Dive

Transmission investments could help California address reliability challenges and utility wildfire risk, experts say.

Florida Residents Threatened by Reservoir Leak Are Allowed to Return Home
Jesus Jiménez, The New York Times

A Manatee County official said that additional pumps and the rerouting of water from an uncontrolled breach had “successfully mitigated” the risk of collapse.

World’s Biggest Wealth Fund Strikes $1.6 Billion Debut Wind Deal
Lars Erik Taraldsen and Ott Ummelas, Bloomberg

Norway’s $1.3 trillion wealth fund has made its first investment in unlisted renewable-energy infrastructure since being given the go-ahead to move into the asset class over a year ago.

Local governments set record for new renewable energy procurement in 2020, groups report
Chris Teale, Utility Dive

Ninety-five local governments across 33 states procured 3,683 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy generation capacity in 2020 through 143 deals, the largest amount of capacity ever added in one year, according to the latest update from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and World Resources Institute (WRI) in their Local Government Renewables Action Tracker.

GM to Make Electric Version of Chevy Silverado Pickup
Kimberly Chin, The Wall Street Journal

General Motors Co. plans to roll out an electric version of its Chevy Silverado pickup truck, the latest in its efforts to convert its global lineup to electric vehicles.

Analysis: High stakes at sea in global rush for wind power
Susanna Twidale and Nora Buli, Reuters

Global competition for offshore wind power is so hot that licence auctions now resemble the oil and gas competitions of just a few years ago, and some of the names are familiar too as global oil majors move aggressively into renewable energy.

EIA US coal production, export, consumption forecasts rise for 2021
Olivia Kalb, S&P Global Platts

The US Energy Information Administration forecast coal production of 585 million st in 2021, up 8.6% from 2020 output of almost 540 million st, the EIA said April 6.

Nuclear, coal, oil jobs pay more than those in wind, solar: report
Nichola Groom, Reuters

Workers in nuclear energy and fossil fuel industries earn higher wages than those in renewable energy sectors like wind and solar that are the focus of President Joe Biden’s plan to stimulate the U.S. economy and combat climate change, according to an analysis published on Tuesday.

Putin Plans to Attend Biden Climate Summit Despite ‘Killer’ Jibe
Ilya Arkhipov and Evgenia Pismennaya, Bloomberg

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to take part in a climate summit organized by U.S. counterpart Joe Biden, according to two officials with knowledge of the preparations in Moscow.

Did climate change cause societies to collapse? New research upends the old story.
Kate Yoder, Grist

If you’re under the impression that climate change drove ancient civilizations to their demise, you probably haven’t heard the full story. 

Third-driest year reported in California
Celine Castronuovo, The Hill

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has marked 2021 as the third-driest water year, a period marked from October to March, on record for the Golden State, potentially setting up another deadly wildfire season after last year’s record setting blazes. 

Wisconsin governor declares state of emergency over wildfires
Olafimihan Oshin, The Hill

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) has declared a state of emergency due to wildfires in the state.

How Debt and Climate Change Pose a ‘Systemic Risk to the Global Economy’
Somini Sengupta, The New York Times

How does a country deal with climate disasters when it’s drowning in debt? Not very well, it turns out. Especially not when a global pandemic clobbers its economy.

Tech Companies Are Setting the Most Ambitious Net-Zero Goals
Tim Quinson, Bloomberg

Of the 10 largest U.S. companies by market value, only four have announced plans to reduce their emissions to net zero by 2050. As it turns out, they all happen to be technology companies: Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Facebook Inc.

Federal Tax Credit Should Not Subsidize Electric Vehicles Made in China
Michael Stumo, Morning Consult

President Joe Biden continues to release plans for his “Build Back Better” agenda. The president has already issued both an executive order expanding “Buy American” policies and a new “American Jobs Plan.” These efforts, along with his proposal to convert the federal vehicle fleet to American-made electric vehicles, could help to boost domestic U.S. manufacturing, particularly in the automotive sector.

Biden’s infrastructure plan is big, but should be even bigger
Julian Brave NoiseCat, National Observer

Last week, United States President Joe Biden travelled to Pittsburgh, Pa. — “Steel City,” where he launched his campaign two years ago — to unveil his infrastructure plan. 

Assessment of Technologies for Improving Light-Duty Vehicle Fuel Economy—2025-2035
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

From daily commutes to cross-country road trips, millions of light-duty vehicles are on the road every day. The transportation sector is one of the United States’ largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and fuel is an important cost for drivers. The period from 2025-2035 could bring the most fundamental transformation in the 100-plus year history of the automobile. Battery electric vehicle costs are likely to fall and reach parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.