• A federal judge in North Dakota temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s “waters of the United States” rule, known as WOTUS, in 24 states, pending the outcome of a lawsuit that claims the regulations constitute federal overreach and unfairly burden farmers and ranchers. The rule, which was finalized in December and defines which waters are protected under the Clean Water Act, was blocked earlier in Texas and Idaho as part of another injunction. (The Associated Press)
• The United States could begin purchasing oil to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve later this year “if it is advantageous to taxpayers,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at an energy conference. Oil purchases for the SPR could start in the second half of the year after congressionally mandated sales slated for June and July are completed. (Financial Times) 
• Up to 2,000 people in Richmond, Ind., were forced to evacuate after multiple fires broke out at a 14-acre industrial property site where various types of plastics are stored for recycling or resale. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and state and federal regulators are monitoring the air quality at the site as 1,000 people remain under the evacuation order. (The Associated Press) 

Taking the Temperature: Interest in EV Purchases Rises Slightly

Morning Consult

Regan plugs in EPA plan to accelerate move to EVs

Sean Reilly, E&E News

The Biden administration sought to jolt U.S. automakers Wednesday into a historic turn away from fossil fuels with a pair of draft tailpipe rules aimed at spurring a massive move toward electric cars, buses and heavy-duty trucks during the next decade.

High Energy Costs Threaten Climate Goals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm Warns

David Uberti, The Wall Street Journal

Price jumps could spur backlash to green-energy transition, she says.

Green Tax Credits Are Likely to Be More Popular—and Expensive—Than Expected

Richard Rubin, The Wall Street Journal

Trend could undermine a Biden administration claim that the climate law reduces deficits

EPA used the climate law on cars. Power plants are next.

Jean Chemnick, E&E News

The tailpipe emissions rules EPA proposed Wednesday are the sticks to Congress’ carrots, providing the clearest view yet of how the agency plans to leverage the hundreds of billions of dollars lawmakers have pumped into clean energy and infrastructure.

Twitter’s new limits may block your next tornado warning

Scott Dance, The Washington Post

Among the recent changes to Elon Musk-helmed Twitter is a policy meteorologists say could limit their ability to quickly alert the public to extreme weather dangers.

JPMorgan and H&M join tech giants in buying $1 billion of carbon dioxide removal

Catherine Clifford, CNBC

Autodesk, H&M Group, JPMorgan Chase, and Workday announced on Wednesday $100 million in the collective advanced purchase of carbon removal through Frontier, a public benefit company owned by payment processing company Stripe.

Trucks are still taking tainted waste out of East Palestine. One spilled this week.

Justine McDaniel, The Washington Post

For weeks, contaminated waste from the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has been traveling along highways and roads, headed to facilities in Ohio and across state lines. Trucks come in and out using the still-closed road along the derailment site, get loaded up with tainted soil or water and ship off.

Historic dry season rainfall slams South Florida, flooding key airport

Andrew Freedman and Rebecca Falconer, Axios

Heavy rain has slammed South Florida, flooding cars and buildings including Fort Lauderdale Airport, which closed for several hours as well over a foot of rainfall was recorded in some areas overnight.

Big flames, raining embers in New Jersey Pine Barrens fire

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

The 200-foot wall of flames, the burning embers landing miles away and the carloads of evacuees fleeing to shelter at a high school — it all took place in New Jersey but could happen in almost every part of the country this week due to dry conditions and strong winds that have raised the danger of forest fires.

Hundreds rally against proposed large Idaho wind farm

The Associated Press

Several hundred people rallied against plans for a large-scale wind energy project in southern Idaho, hoping to convince federal agencies to reject the proposal by Magic Valley Energy.

Solar, Wind and Battery Projects Throng US Grid Connection Queue

Nathaniel Bullard, Bloomberg

Renewables’ predominance on the current waiting list looks ahead to a cleaner power grid. 

Maryland set to adopt one of the biggest offshore wind goals in US

Maria Gallucci, Canary Media

Governor Wes Moore is poised to sign the POWER Act, which calls for building 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2031 to meet the state’s clean energy targets.

BLM clears way for $3B TransWest Express transmission project to start construction this year

Ethan Howland, Utility Dive

The 732-mile project is designed to deliver 3,000 MW of wind generation from Wyoming to California and the Southwest.

Biden’s Car Pollution Crackdown to Stamp Out Billions of Barrels of Oil Demand

Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Chunzi Xu, Bloomberg

The Biden administration’s plan to stifle auto pollution and spur electric vehicles is expected to shrink US oil demand by an estimated 17 billion barrels through 2055. 

Chevron CEO pay rose 4% to $23.6 million in 2022, employee compensation fell

Sabrina Valle, Reuters

Chevron Corp. CEO Michael Wirth was paid $23.6 million in 2022, a 4% increase from the prior year while the median annual compensation for the oil giant’s employees fell 12%, a securities filing showed on Wednesday.

Natural gas exporters skirt Washington’s scrutiny of China

Ben Lefebvre and Zack Colman, Politico

Lawmakers are eying links between the U.S. and China, but there’s little desire to curb U.S. gas shipments that are expected to help drive the industry’s domestic growth.

Biden’s subdued reaction to OPEC+ cuts foreshadows economic slowdown, carries risk

Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal, Reuters

When OPEC+ made a surprise decision earlier this month to cut oil production, President Joe Biden responded with the political equivalent of a shrug – a far cry from his declaration that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of the oil cartel, when it lowered output in October.

Use of ‘forever chemicals’ is widespread in New Mexico drilling operations, report finds

Sharon Udasin, The Hill

Oil and gas companies drilling in New Mexico have been using toxic “forever chemicals” in their extraction processes for the past decade, a new report has found.

The EPA says Americans could save $1 trillion on gas under its auto emissions plan

Camilla Domonoske, NPR News

Americans could stand to save up to $1.1 trillion on gasoline prices should the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to impose the toughest-ever auto emissions standards be adopted, the agency projected on Wednesday.

The cap on Russian oil is unlikely to change soon — despite opposing views on whether it’s working

Silvia Amaro, CNBC

The G-7, alongside the European Union and Australia, decided late last year to impose a cap of $60 a barrel on Russian oil in an effort to ratchet up the pressure on Moscow.

The Next EV Push Is an Overhaul of the Iconic American School Bus

Zahra Hirji and Denise Lu, Bloomberg

US school districts are eager to electrify their bus fleets, and billions of dollars in new funding is getting them started.

Exxon and Toyota Test Low-Carbon Fuels in Gasoline Engines

Kevin Crowley, Bloomberg

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. formed a partnership to test out low-carbon fuels in gasoline engines, potentially offering a way for drivers to reduce emissions without upgrading to an electric vehicle.

Why America’s EV chargers keep breaking

David Ferris, Politico

Many electric vehicle chargers across the U.S. do not work properly, creating a significant challenge for the Biden administration’s agenda and a shift away from gasoline-powered cars.

‘Grid-friendly’ standards for EV supply equipment could help ensure power system reliability: NERC

Robert Walton, Utility Dive

A new report warns of the potential for grid disruptions if electric vehicle charging equipment does not play well with the bulk power system.

Biden’s EV Plan Needs Transmission Lines That Haven’t Been Built

Will Wade, Bloomberg

President Joe Biden unveiled an ambitious plan to boost US sales of electric vehicles in the bid to fight climate change. But the infrastructure needed to charge all those cars doesn’t yet exist and would require a massive buildout of the nation’s transmission lines. 

Texas Grid Proposals Spur Calpine to Build New Gas Plants

Mark Chediak and Naureen S. Malik, Bloomberg

Calpine Corp. is planning new natural gas power plants in Texas as state officials move to bolster the grid with fossil-fuel generation.

Biden releases $1B for urban trees

Marc Heller, E&E News

The Biden administration said Wednesday it’s making $1 billion available to help plant and care for trees in cities and towns, a potent means to soften the impacts of a warming climate.

Judge affirms stricter interpretation of federal mining law

Scott Sonner, The Associated Press

Another judge has adopted a U.S. appellate court’s stricter interpretation of a century-and-a-half-old mining law in a new ruling that blocks a metals mine in Nevada. The ruling could have ramifications for a huge lithium mine near the Nevada-Oregon line and other future mines on public lands across the West.

Scientists challenge US wildlife director’s qualifications

Susan Montoya Bryan and Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

Dozens of scientists from universities and environmental groups are pushing for the removal of the head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming she lacks the educational background required to run the agency despite securing Senate confirmation last year.