** Besides subsidizing the electric vehicle (EV) industry with a staggering $15.5 billion, the Biden administration is investing an additional $100 million in federal funding to prioritize the repair and replacement of EV charging stations throughout the U.S.
** President Biden on Wednesday approved an emergency declaration for the state of Louisiana after Gulf of Mexico saltwater entered the drinking water supply.
** NewsNation host Chris Cuomo criticized President Biden on Tuesday for not visiting East Palestine, Ohio, in the wake of a February train derailment, contrasting it with the president’s appearance on the picket lines with striking autoworkers in Michigan this week.
** ExxonMobil lost a court bid Wednesday to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through central California — a crucial part of its efforts to restart offshore oil wells that were shut in 2015 after a pipeline leak caused the worst coastal spill in 25 years.
** A pending law in California that would require companies to make climate-related disclosures could affect how federal regulators consider the costs of their own forthcoming climate regulations, Wall Street’s top regulator told lawmakers on Wednesday.
** The United Auto Workers union says it will announce on Friday how it plans to expand its strike against Detroit’s three automakers. The union says President Shawn Fain will make the announcement at 10 a.m. Eastern time in a video appearance addressing union members.
** The chairs of three U.S. House of Representatives committees demanded Ford Motor turn over documents tied to its partnership with Chinese battery company CATL and threatened to call CEO Jim Farley to testify before Congress.
** Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee are probing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over her recent electric vehicle (EV) road trip where police were called on her and her team.
World
** Shell CEO Wael Sawan has come under pressure over his strategy from within the energy company after two employees issued a rare open letter urging him not to scale back investments in renewable energy, sparking an internal debate.
** Governments must work to reduce global fossil fuel demand by 25% by the start of the next decade to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, according to the International Energy Agency’s updated outlook, Net Zero Roadmap, published Tuesday.
** Polish and U.S. officials signed an agreement Wednesday in Warsaw to move forward with the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant as part of an effort by the Central European nation to move away from polluting fossil fuels.
** German Chancellor told business weekly Wirtschaftswoche that he was not convinced about the need to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EV).
** Last week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak caused outrage by watering down British net zero commitments. This week his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron, has taken similar steps. The EU is considering back-pedalling on emissions rules for cars.