** U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia could play a key role in the success or failure of President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which may benefit his coal-reliant state but relies on raising the corporate tax rate, which Manchin opposes.
** Xcel Energy has unveiled plans for the largest solar energy plant in Minnesota by far, a $575 million project in Becker adjacent to the company’s Sherco coal power complex. The solar plant would create 900 union construction jobs and provide enough electricity to power 100,000 Upper Midwest homes, the company said.
** New York’s state pension fund said Monday that it will restrict investment in six Canadian oil sands companies “that have not demonstrated that they are prepared for the transition to a low-carbon economy.”
** Texas’ grid manager issued an electricity conservation watch despite normal spring weather, blaming a combination of capacity taken offline for maintenance and a stalled weather front and sparking larger concerns about energy demand through the summer.
** Whiskey maker Jack Daniel’s announces a 20 MW solar farm that will supply three-quarters of the power for its Tennessee distillery.
** Cactus, Inc. announced that it will issue its first quarter 2021 earnings release after market close on Wednesday, May 5, 2021.
** EIA forecasts U.S. crude oil production in the U.S. Federal Gulf of Mexico to increase in the next two years, according to the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). By the end of 2022, 13 new projects could account for about 12% of total GOM crude oil production, or about 200,000 barrels per day (b/d).
** Canadian officials tell the Biden administration that the Line 5 pipeline in Michigan is “nonnegotiable” as tensions mount over the project’s future.
** U.S. House Republicans warn that the Biden administration’s opposition to Keystone XL could have negative implications for other pipeline projects under scrutiny, including Line 5.
** State and federal regulators aim to fine Exxon Mobil $1.5 million for alleged environmental violations at a Joliet, Illinois, refinery.
** Exxon Mobil will pay a $1.5 million penalty and spend around $10 million on work and equipment to reduce air pollution from its Joliet, Ill., refinery after the federal government alleged the company violated the terms of a 2005 consent decree.