• The Senate voted mostly along party lines to overturn two Biden administration rules related to the Endangered Species Act through Congressional Review Act resolutions, although President Joe Biden has vowed to veto both measures if they reach his desk. The Senate voted 51-49 in both instances to revoke the ESA’s definition of a critical habitat and to overturn federal protections for the northern long-eared bat. (The Hill) 
• Expediting permits for energy projects could potentially be included in a debt-ceiling deal, according to lawmakers and officials familiar with the talks, as Republican Rep. Garret Graves (La.) said chances are “better than 50/50” that a deal could feature a permitting overhaul. Democrats and Republicans have agreed that there is a need to reduce the overall time for clearing bureaucratic hurdles like environmental reviews, but the White House is so far not willing to repeal any clean energy tax breaks from the Inflation Reduction Act as part of a deal, and Republicans have a list of objections to Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) proposal, according to a person familiar with the debt talks. (Bloomberg) 
• The nation’s coal-fired power plant fleet is projected to decline by more than half by 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, as aging fleets are replaced by new plants powered by natural gas and renewable energy and as environmental regulations make it more costly to operate the facilities. Meanwhile, the combined capacity from solar and wind power generation is expected to more than triple by 2050. (Reuters) 
• The Clean Air Council is suing a subsidiary of Shell PLC, claiming that the company’s new petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania is persistently violating state and federal air quality standards, putting the health of nearby residents at risk. The group is asking a judge to order the company to bring the facility into compliance and impose fines of up to $140,000 per day. (The Associated Press) 

Wind turbine prices surged to decade high in 2022

Canary Media

EPA chief touts Biden’s climate rule as opponents circle

Zack Colman and Alex Guillen, Politico

“It’s not about party affiliation. It’s not about politics,” said Administrator Michael Regan.

Democrats defend the unknown in EPA power plan

Emma Dumain, E&E News

Many congressional Democrats are defending the EPA’s latest move to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions at power plants around the country — despite ferocious pushback from Republicans and skepticism from industry allies.

A Swaggering Clean-Energy Pioneer, With $400 Billion to Hand Out

Brad Plumer and Lisa Friedman, The New York Times

Jigar Shah runs a federal program that suddenly has a gusher of money to lend before the next election.

Little-Noticed Part of G.O.P. Bill Could ‘Make It Impossible to Regulate’

Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times

House Republicans want every major rule to come up for a vote. That could be a recipe for no regulations at all.

Legal war brews over EPA power plant rule

Niina H. Farah and Lesley Clark, E&E News

EPA has rolled out its strongest-ever proposal to slash planet-warming emissions from power plants — but before the agency can tackle one of the nation’s leading sources of climate pollution, the strategy must first survive the courts. Legal observers say that will be no easy feat.

Challenge for Biden power rule: Keeping the lights on

Catherine Morehouse, Politico

Power producers say squeezing fossil fuels will worsen the strains on the grid, though EPA’s backers say those risks are manageable.

Biden, congressional leaders postpone debt ceiling meeting

Brett Samuels, The Hill

President Biden and congressional leaders postponed a meeting on debt ceiling negotiations that was scheduled for Friday to allow staff-level talks to continue.

Biden’s Power-Plant Crackdown Shows His 2035 Grid Goals May Be Out of Grasp

Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg

President Joe Biden campaigned on a goal of decarbonizing the US power grid by 2035. But his EPA just proposed limits on power plant pollution that signal that target could be out of reach.

Germany sets stage for G7 clash with push to endorse gas

Attracta Mooney et al., Financial Times

Berlin at odds with UK and France over support for public investment in fossil fuel despite climate impact.

Manchin attacked EPA’s new rules. They could cost him millions.

Scott Waldman, Politico

The West Virginia senator accused the Biden administration of killing coal plants. One, in particular, has helped enrich him.

What does climate change have to do with the debt ceiling crisis?

Jake Bittle, Grist

A barrage of climate disasters has slowed down federal tax collection just when it’s needed most.

How Shocking the Ocean Could Turn It Into a Carbon Removal Powerhouse

Todd Woody, Bloomberg

A startup has begun a unique experiment in the Port of Los Angeles to electrochemically treat seawater and safely store carbon.

Save Our Sequoias Act divides environmental groups

Christina Van Waasbergen, The Hill

The Save Our Sequoias Act is sponsored by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and has support from both sides of the aisle. But it is dividing environmental groups, some who think it would do more harm than good.

Oliver Stone makes the case for nuclear power amid climate crisis

Judy Kurtz, The Hill

Oliver Stone has the JFK assassination, 9/11, Edward Snowden and more in his controversy-strewn rearview mirror. Next in his sights: atomic energy.  

Environmental group sues to block oil wells near California homes

Adam Beam, The Associated Press

An environmental group sued Thursday to block nearly two dozen new permits for oil and gas wells in California, arguing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration did not properly consider how the drilling would affect the environment.

US permit crackdown poses new hurdles for proposed LNG projects -analysts

Curtis Williams, Reuters

The U.S. Department of Energy’s refusal to grant export permit extensions to liquefied natural gas developers that fail to meet a construction deadline poses a new hurdle for greenfield plants, analysts said on Thursday.

Export-Import Bank Defies Biden Climate Vow With Indonesian Oil Refinery Loan

Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg

US Export-Import Bank leaders voted Thursday to lend $99.7 million to expand an oil refinery in Indonesia, bucking President Joe Biden’s promise to stop steering public money to most foreign fossil fuel projects.

Record U.S. crude exports, rising shale output boosts oil flow to Houston

Arathy Somasekhar, Reuters

Oil pipelines from the top U.S. shale field to Houston that have run half empty are filling again as rising output has absorbed most of the space on lines to the main south Texas export hub in Corpus Christi.

OPEC holds global oil demand view steady, cites US debt ceiling risks

Alex Lawler, Reuters

OPEC’s global oil demand forecast for 2023 was held steady for a third month on Thursday, with the producer group citing the potential Chinese growth to be offset by downside economic risks elsewhere such as the U.S. debt ceiling.

Tesla raises US prices for all its vehicles except Model 3

Shivani Tanna and Shubham Kalia, Reuters

Tesla Inc. increased the U.S. prices of its Model S, X, and Y electric vehicles by low single-digit percentages on Thursday, though prices were still considerably lower than at the beginning of the year.

Five New EV Models Drive Up North American Factory Production

Kyle Stock, Bloomberg

Tesla still dominates EV manufacturing, but the growing number of electric cars on the US market led to a 39% surge in first-quarter output.

Electric vehicle maker Polestar cuts production guidance, jobs

Marie Mannes, Reuters

Swedish electric vehicle (EV) maker Polestar lowered its 2023 production guidance on Thursday and said it would cut headcount by 10%, citing a delayed production start for its Polestar 3 and a challenging environment for the industry.

NTSB investigating Norfolk Southern derailment in Pennsylvania

Ian Duncan, The Washington Post

The potential cause of the incident is said to show similarities to February’s derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

Vermont clean heat bill becomes law as Legislature overrides governor’s veto

The Associated Press

Vermont’s Legislature struck down a veto from Republican Gov. Phil Scott, meaning a new law that will push people to stop using fossil fuels to heat their homes took effect Thursday.

United States at risk of tight electric supplies this summer -NERC

Reuters

Several parts of North America are at elevated risk of energy shortfalls this summer during periods of extreme air conditioning demand, according to the organization responsible for the reliability of the North American power grids.

DOE directs $26M to PG&E, ConEd and other projects testing how clean energy can support a resilient grid

Diana DiGangi, Utility Dive

The Department of Energy also announced $50 million this week for clean energy projects to improve energy affordability and resilience in rural areas.

Environmentalists aim to block gold mine near Yellowstone — by buying it

Dino Grandoni, The Washington Post

The $6.25 million deal is meant to permanently protect land bordering the iconic national park from mining.

Youth climate lawsuit attorneys say Montana tried to scuttle trial by dropping energy policy

Amy Beth Hanson and Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

Attorneys for young people suing Montana over damages caused by climate change said officials repealed the state’s energy policy in a last-minute bid to avoid a trial sought by the plaintiffs to highlight the dangers of fossil fuels.