ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: House and Senate Democrats reintroduce the Environmental Justice for All Act, aimed at addressing how racist policies have left minority communities more vulnerable to environmental dangers. (Grist)

CLIMATE:
• The EPA relaunches a webpage devoted to climate change after the Trump administration took it and other global warming-related resources down. (Washington Post)
• Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee encouraged federal regulators to increase their oversight of climate risks to the financial system in a hearing, while Republicans continued to reject more requirements. (The Hill)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission evaluates a natural gas pipeline project’s climate impact for the first time, after years of Republican board members limiting analysis to only direct emissions. (E&E News, subscription)

***SPONSORED LINK: 2021 IPF Registration is now open! This year, IPF will be both in-person and virtual. IPF Together will be held August 24-26 in Richmond, VA (space is limited due to COVID guidelines). IPF Virtual will be taking place April 22, May 13, and June 17. Learn more and register today!*** 

TRANSPORTATION:
• Progressive senators and House members introduce a $500 billion bill to electrify transportation systems, including major investments in public transit. (Bloomberg)
• Colorado lawmakers are set to introduce a $4 billion transportation plan that includes new gas and road-usage fees starting July 2022, aiming to improve air quality and fund infrastructure projects. (Colorado Sun, CRPR News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The U.S. Department of Commerce held a closed-door meeting yesterday with American miners and battery makers to discuss expanding Canadian production of materials needed for electric vehicles. (Reuters)
• Amazon has begun testing its Rivian electric delivery vans in San Francisco. (TechCrunch)
• A shareholder lawsuit claims Ohio EV startup Lordstown Motors defrauded investors by making claims about pre-orders and production progress. (Associated Press)

WIND:
• Northeastern states have enough wind potential to generate four times the amount of power they consumed in 2019, according to a new report, which found that the U.S. as a whole has enough offshore wind potential to power most of the country by 2050. (NJ Spotlight)
• Federal researchers study multiple scenarios for building out U.S. wind energy capacity showing potential constraints from local development restrictions. (Inside Climate News)
• Rhode Island regulators are set to review an application for an undersea cable and land-based infrastructure for the 704 MW Revolution wind offshore project. (Energy News Network)

GRID:
• Energy experts encouraged a House committee to take federal action to bolster the nation’s energy grid, revitalizing discussions about an $829 million grid security research and development bill introduced last year. (Dallas Morning News, E&E News, subscription)
• The scramble to keep the power on amid last month’s winter storms revealed a regulatory blind spot in Texas: utilities’ failure to keep up with paperwork. (Texas Tribune)
• An Iowa utility is “picking up the pace” on burying power lines to improve reliability and reduce customer costs. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)

COAL: Methane leaks from planned coal mines around the world could pose a bigger climate risk than current carbon emissions from U.S. coal plants, a report suggests. (Reuters)

NUCLEAR: Federal data shows nuclear power plants in the U.S. generated more electricity than coal in 2020 for the first time ever. (E&E News, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• “This Congress must go big on climate change,” implementing “market-based incentives” to get Republicans onboard with Democratic regulation and spending plans, an editorial board writes. (Washington Post)
• Former climate advisers to Democratic governors suggest three first steps for President Joe Biden to “better engage state, tribal and local governments” in climate action. (The Hill)
• Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s “ethics, her passion and her record of advocacy on behalf of Indigenous peoples” signal “a great new era in our history,” an Akwesasne Mohawk columnist writes. (Indian Country Today)
• President Biden needs to go beyond pausing new oil and gas leases to “reconsider and fix our broken system of leasing on public lands and federal waters,” an advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council writes. (NDRC)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy, and has led the project from its inception as Midwest Energy News in 2009. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he held a variety of editing, production, and leadership roles, and played a key role in the newspaper's transition to digital-first publishing. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon.

Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.