• The Environmental Protection Agency released a finalized “good neighbor” rule with tougher nitrogen oxide limits in an effort to reduce air pollution from coal and natural gas power plants and other industrial facilities that release pollution that drifts across state lines. The rule, which spans 23 states, also includes California, Nevada and Utah for the first time. (The Washington Post) 
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted the House GOP’s “Lower Energy Costs Act” energy package, saying it was “as bad and partisan as it gets” and calling it a “wish list for Big Oil” in Senate floor remarks. The bill, which includes measures to streamline permitting reviews and repeal major programs in the Inflation Reduction Act, is expected to receive a floor vote in the last week of March, but many provisions are unlikely to make it past the Senate. (Politico)
• House lawmakers are forming the Congressional Colorado River Caucus, a bipartisan coalition aimed at working together to mitigate the impacts of worsening drought conditions across the seven-state basin. The coalition includes members from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, but does not include Wyoming, which is part of a similar Senate caucus led by Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). (The Hill) 
• U.S. crude oil exports reached a record peak of 3.6 million barrels per day in 2022, as a combination of releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and an increase in domestic production aimed at boosting U.S. supply to countries replacing Russian crude led to a 22% increase in exports compared with 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Reuters) 

Happening today:

• Resources for the Future will host a webinar titled “Looking Ahead: Unpacking the EIA 2023 Annual Energy Outlook.”

Is your city an ‘allergy capital’? Here’s where pollen was the worst last year.

The Washington Post

Senate hope for permit deal alive after DOA House energy bill

Jeremy Dillon, E&E News

Senate Democrats are still holding out hope for a deal on permitting reform, but a House Republican energy bill is not going to do the trick.

Where Biden’s Arctic oil strategy may succeed — or fail

Heather Richards, E&E News

The Biden administration promised this week to ink new protections against oil drilling in the Arctic in an apparent counter to approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil project.

Klobuchar, Fischer introduce bill to make higher-ethanol fuel available year round

Zack Budryk, The Hill

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) on Tuesday introduced legislation that would make higher-ethanol fuel blends available year-round, a top priority among midwestern lawmakers in particular.

Murkowski won big time with Biden’s oil project. She knows it, too.

Emma Dumain, Politico

The Alaska Republican details her years-long campaign to win over the president’s team.

Texas officials target climate science in textbooks

Scott Waldman, E&E News

The Texas State Board of Education altered its internal guidance to schools last month to emphasize the “positive” aspects of fossil fuels in science textbooks.

Louisiana’s request to oversee carbon storage projects moving ahead, EPA says

Liz Hampton, Reuters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by May should complete a review of Louisiana’s request to take on oversight of carbon capture projects, according to a letter to the state, which wants to speed up approvals.

PFAS rule sets up sprawling legal war

Pamela King and E.A. Crunden, E&E News

EPA’s historic move to regulate “forever chemicals” in drinking water has set the stage for a multi-pronged courtroom slugfest among the agency, water utilities that must comply with the rule and multinational conglomerates that have flooded the environment with the toxicants linked to a long list of health problems, including cancer.

Texans sued Exxon over pollution 13 years ago. A big decision now looms.

Anna Phillips, The Washington Post

Baytown residents have long sought relief from the oil giant’s toxic pollution. Despite legal victories, they are still waiting for cleaner air.

Is 1.5C still realistic? The crumbling consensus over key climate target

Attracta Mooney, Financial Times

As the Paris Agreement goal for limiting global warming appears increasingly unachievable, some are calling for a rethink of priorities

Extreme Storms Will Punish Cities That Aren’t Prepared

Patrick Sisson, Bloomberg

Hurricane-strength winds and intense rainfall will target the US Northeast in coming decades, a new report warns, redrawing the US flood risk map. 

Allergy season starts earlier now thanks to climate change

Ben Adler, Yahoo News

Spring seemed to come early in much of the United States this year, and nearly everyone with seasonal allergies noticed.

Arctic ice has seen an ‘irreversible’ thinning since 2007, study says

Scott Dance, The Washington Post

New research suggests the decline was a fundamental change unlikely to be reversed this century — perhaps proof that the planet has passed an alarming climactic tipping point.

Rural America gets $315 million for cleaner, more affordable energy

Katie Myers, Grist

One-sixth of U.S. households are in rural communities. The Biden administration wants to help modernize their grids, invest in renewables, and improve the efficiency of their homes.

This Conservative Group Is Advocating for Renewable Energy

Saijel Kishan, Bloomberg

While Republican politicians castigate Wall Street over ESG, some are trying to win over red states on the shift to clean energy.

Puerto Rico town celebrates ‘first-of-its-kind’ solar microgrid

Joseph Winters, Grist

In the event of an outage, the battery system can power 14 downtown businesses for up to 10 days.

Exxon’s Texas Plant Is Likely the Last Major US Refinery Project

Barbara J. Powell and Chunzi Xu, Bloomberg

When Exxon Mobil Corp.’s newest addition to its southeast Texas refinery ramps up to full production in the next few weeks, it’ll be the first major expansion of US fuel-making capacity in at least a decade. And probably the last.

Major oil project approval intensifies Alaska Natives’ rift

Mark Thiessen and Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

The Biden administration’s approval this week of the biggest oil drilling project in Alaska in decades promises to widen a rift among Alaska Natives, with some saying that oil money can’t counter the damages caused by climate change and others defending the project as economically vital.

G-7 Opposes Lowering Russian Crude Price Cap From $60 a Barrel

Laurence Norman and Andrew Duehren, The Wall Street Journal

European Commission says President Biden warned the EU that Washington has no appetite to cut the price cap.

California regulators could decide oil profits penalty

Adam Beam, The Associated Press

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he wants state regulators to decide whether to impose the nation’s first penalty on oil companies for price gouging, pivoting after months of negotiations with legislative leaders failed to reach an agreement on a bill aimed at reining in the state’s notoriously high gas prices.

Why Gas Bills Are Going Crazy—With No End in Sight

David Uberti and Ryan Dezember, The Wall Street Journal

Supply challenges contributed to the most volatile year on record for natural gas.

U.S. Crude Slips Below $70 a Barrel

David Uberti, The Wall Street Journal

Economic fears and investors’ flight to bonds push oil prices to 15-month lows.

EVs Finally Land at North America’s Biggest Machinery Conference

Joe Deaux, Bloomberg

The move to electric has been incredibly slow for equipment producers in the US but that’s changing.

The Commodities Billionaire Betting on Power Lines for the Energy Transition

Naureen S. Malik and Rachel Adams-Heard, Bloomberg

Building more long-distance transmission lines will be key to the US clean-energy transition.

Texas solar boom turns to battery dash as grid pain looms

Eduardo Garcia, Reuters

Texas will continue to lead U.S. solar growth in the coming years as tax incentives in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act accelerate activity nationwide.

Lawmakers propose energy bill relief for Texans with $4 billion legislation

Emily Foxhall, The Texas Tribune

The allocation is part of a plan to add $12 billion to the current budget. It hasn’t been approved yet by the House.

San Francisco Region Set to Ban Gas Appliances — But Not Stoves

David R. Baker, Bloomberg

Air pollution from gas home furnaces and water heaters is at the heart of the latest fight over fossil fuels.

Texas Says NRG, Vistra Used Size to Raise Power Prices

Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg

Texas power regulators say the state’s three largest generators used their size to boost power costs for consumers by as much as $380 million after the deadly 2021 winter storm.

Scientists: Largest US reservoirs moving in right direction

Susan Montoya Bryan, The Associated Press

Parts of California are under water, the Rocky Mountains are bracing for more snow, flood warnings are in place in Nevada, and water is being released from some Arizona reservoirs to make room for an expected bountiful spring runoff.

Where Is the Fast Fashion Backlash?

Zahra Hirji, Bloomberg

Some apparel retailers are gearing up for climate-conscious consumers to drive a shift in shopping patterns. It just hasn’t happened yet. 

Audubon keeps name tied to enslaver, roils staff

Robin Bravender, E&E News

The National Audubon Society announced Wednesday that it’s keeping its name, following a lengthy internal debate and pressure from staff to sever ties to its namesake, bird artist and enslaver John James Audubon.