** The Biden administration is already facing a potential legal roadblock to newly finalized regulations cracking down on the chemical industry, which critics say will have a devastating impact on the economy. Synthetics manufacturer Denka Performance Elastomer (DPE) warned Tuesday that it is planning to sue the Environmental Protection Agency over the rules targeting hundreds of chemical plants over their emissions.
** The Biden administration has stepped into Enbridge Inc.’s fight over an oil pipeline in Wisconsin, arguing an earlier ruling did not consider the impact on US policy and did not adequately compensate indigenous landowners.
** As utilities race to keep ahead of rising electricity demand, developers have proposed a surge of new power plants across the US — and very few of them would run on fossil fuels. The generating capacity of proposed plants seeking to connect to the power grid jumped nearly 90% in the last three years, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
** U.S. electric utilities predict a tidal wave of new demand from data centers powering technology like generative AI, with some power companies projecting electricity sales growth several times higher than estimates just months earlier.
** Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation announced Tuesday they will soon introduce a bill that will make clear the federal government will fully cover the cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
** During the initial stages of a federal probe into the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course.
** The Biden administration is putting $830 million toward helping protect bridges, roads, ports and other infrastructure from extreme weather disasters fueled by climate change. The $830 million in grants from the Transportation Department will support 80 projects in 37 states, Washington, D.C. and the Virgin Islands.
World
** Russian missiles and drones destroyed a large electricity plant near Kyiv and hit power facilities in several regions on Thursday, officials said, ramping up pressure on the embattled energy system as Ukraine runs low on air defences.
** A renewable energy company has delivered another boost for clean power in Portugal thanks to a new solar project. EDP Renovaveis has flicked the switch on at Cerca, a solar farm located across Azambuja and Alenquer that has the potential to provide enough pollution-free power to supply 100,000 homes, Reuters reported.
** – The European Union will investigate subsidies received by Chinese suppliers of wind turbines destined for Europe, the bloc’s anti-trust commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, has said.