(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: America’s biggest jails are frontline environmental justice communities (Grist), Trump's border wall scarred sacred lands, displaced wildlife and drained water. Can it be taken down? (Arizona Republic), nearly 60 million Americans don’t drink their tap water, research suggests – here’s why that’s a public health problem (The Conversation), as Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot makes emotional call for peace after release of Adam Toledo video, other politicians lambaste police: ‘you did not have to shoot that kid’ (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, WGN, CNN, NPR, NBC, New York Times $), prosecutor who said Adam Toledo had gun in his hand ‘not fully informed’ (WGN), Derek Chauvin invoked fifth amendment during trial for killing of George Floyd (Blavity), white anti-mask driver flees, hits Minnesota cop ‘hanging’ from truck with hammer and isn’t killed (NewsOne)
(ENVIRONMENTAL) SEXISM: How Wall Street funds environmental injustice against women (Grist)
CLIMATE LITIGATION: Why Baltimore is suing big oil over climate change (NPR)
DENIAL: 'Disinformation ecosystem' - in broader context beyond climate (Yale Climate Connections)
LIES, DAMN LIES, AND STATISTICS: What happens when an oil giant walks away (Bloomberg $)
BUSINESS: Apple creates fund for 'working forests' as part of carbon-removal efforts (Reuters, The Verge, Axios), Facebook meets 100% renewable energy goal with over 6 GW of wind, solar (Utility Dive, The Verge), Facebook signs renewable energy deal in India; says it has reached net zero (Reuters)
AGENCIES: As Biden shifts infrastructure focus to climate and racial justice, cities and states alter pitches for federal money (Washington Post $), 200 groups to Interior: weigh climate, NEPA in oil review (E&E $), Haaland to lead re-created Council on Native American Affairs (E&E $), Regan says staff recommended science board firings (Politico Pro $), Vilsack briefs lawmakers on [USDA] equity, staffing efforts (E&E $), Trump EPA slow-walked cancer risk warnings (Politico Pro $, E&E $)
THE HILL: Senate Democrats float climate diplomacy plan ahead of White House summit (Axios), Biden ally [Sen. Chris Coons] open to splitting off physical infrastructure if GOP can agree on 'robust' package (Politico Pro $), key Democrat [Sen. Tom Carper] says traveler fees should fund infrastructure projects (The Hill), House Democrats, Republicans clash over environmental justice bills (Politico Pro $), in historic move, house panel advances reparations legislation to study impact of slavery and racism (The Root)
WHITE HOUSE: Biden’s global climate debut risks falling short on new goals (Bloomberg $), [Gina] McCarthy: Biden 'won’t accommodate' smaller infrastructure plan (Politico Pro $)
AMERICAN JOBS PLAN: Biden claims GOP voters support his infrastructure plan; poll shows they don't (NPR), Biden says his climate plan means jobs. Some union members are skeptical (NPR), here’s what a civilian climate corps could look like (HuffPost)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH: US trade representative [Katherine Tai] uses her first speech to call for action on climate change. (New York Times $, Politico Pro $, Reuters)
POLITICS: Mining groups weigh Biden's outreach to displaced workers (E&E $)
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: US seeks to polish tarnished reputation with new climate change pledges (Reuters), Biden readying new sanctions on Russia over Nord Stream 2 pipeline (Politico Pro $), world whiffs on Biden's pleas for bold climate pledges (Politico)
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY, CHINA: Kerry's test: ask China for more when US has done less (E&E $), seeking cooperation on climate, US faces friction with China (New York Times $)
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY, BRAZIL: In Amazon protection talks, US demands action from Bolsonaro (Climate Home), Brazil demand for US to pay upfront stalls deal to save Amazon forest (Reuters), Indigenous and environmental groups warn Biden not to trust Bolsonaro (Mother Jones)
CITIES AND STATES: Union-backed bill calls for prevailing wage for Illinois renewable projects (Energy News Network), New Mexico activists call for oil and gas reform amid Biden's review of federal policy (Carlsbad Current Argus, AP, Albuquerque Journal), Desantis recognizes the threat posed by climate change, but hasn’t embraced reducing carbon emissions (InsideClimate News), US reentry to Paris agreement adds momentum to cities' sustainability efforts (The Hill), elected officials, community advocates urge Cuomo to stop NRG’s Astoria peaker plant proposal (QNS)
CALIFORNIA: Amazon’s warehouse boom linked to health hazards in America’s most polluted region (The Guardian), Newsom defends commitment to California fracking ban after bill dies (Politico Pro $)
TEXAS: CenterPoint customers to pay higher natural gas bills next month (Houston Chronicle), Dallas Fed: winter storm blackout cost Texas up to $130B (Politico Pro $)
FERC: FERC fines dam operator $15M, proposes $42M penalty for PacifiCorp (Politico Pro $), FERC lays out new strategy for transmission incentives (Politico Pro $), FERC approves carbon pricing policy (Politico Pro $)
EMISSIONS: Carbon emissions could plummet. The atmosphere will lag behind (NPR)
IMPACTS: Texans with disabilities were left to fend for themselves during Winter Storm Uri (Texas Observer), Google Earth’s historical 3D time-lapses show the ravages of climate change (The Verge, AP, Bloomberg $, Axios, CNN), managers of Assateague Island prepare for more sea-level rise, worsening storms (Yale Climate Connections), global warming’s extreme rains threaten Hawaii’s coral reefs (AP), India’s monsoon rains to get 5% heavier for every 1C of global warming, study finds (The Independent)
WILDFIRES: As extreme fires transform Alaska’s boreal forest, more aspen and birch are coming in – that can slow fires and their climate impact (The Conversation)
(MENTAL) HEALTH: Therapists are reckoning with eco-anxiety (Earther), how health care is making the climate sicker (E&E $)
RENEWABLES: The rooftop solar income gap is (slowly) shrinking (InsideClimate News), Biden mid-Atlantic offshore wind plan sparks uproar (E&E $), China human rights scandal threatens US solar (E&E $)
EFFICIENCY: Researchers say cool white paint could combat urban heat (Washington Post $, The Guardian, Earther)
OIL & GAS: Shell to let shareholders vote on shift to cleaner energy (Wall Street Journal $, The Guardian), death of shale 'exaggerated': US oil patch springs to life (Washington Examiner), the Delaware River Basin paradox: Why fracking is so hard to quit (Grist), judge finds BP refinery repeatedly violated soot limits (E&E $, AP)
ORPHANED WELLS: How Texas’s zombie oil wells are creating an environmental disaster zone (The Guardian)
PIPELINES: Tenn. environmental justice fight overlooks existing pipeline (E&E $)
COAL: CEO of Poland's PGE says coal clearly has to end as power source (Reuters), China ‘must shut 600 coal-fired plants’ to hit climate target (The Guardian), mining giant with CO2 goal says it will keep digging coal (E&E $)
HYDROGEN: It was an old apple orchard. Now it could be the future of clean hydrogen energy in Washington state (InsideClimate News), India to spend $200 million in next 5-7 years to promote hydrogen use (Reuters)
UTILITIES: Duke, Dominion, other utility executives lay out critical steps to achieve decarbonization targets (Utility Dive), NERC finding 25% of utilities exposed to SolarWinds hack indicates growing ICS vulnerabilities, analysts say (Utility Dive), New York City, utilities report on pathways to decarbonization (Politico Pro $), utilities mobilize as clean energy standards get traction (E&E $)
EVs: As auto industry goes electric, can it avoid a battery bottleneck? (NPR), the US can get to all electric vehicles by 2035 (Earther), Biden wants to buy EVs. Are there enough cars? (E&E $)
ACTIVISM: Advocacy groups say tech giants need to 'step it up' on sustainability (The Hill)
ALL ABOARD: Could 'Amtrak Joe' give high-speed rail its long-awaited glow up? (Newsy)
FINANCE: Climate scientists swap fieldwork for finance (Reuters)
INTERNATIONAL: Armed with phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging (Thomson Reuters Foundation), businesses urge EU and Britain to link their carbon markets (Reuters), Canada's main opposition party changes climate change tack, backs carbon pricing (Reuters)