** On Tuesday the U.S. House passed bipartisan ‘Good Samaritan’ abandoned mine cleanup legislation by voice vote. The bill passed the U.S. Senate unanimously in July, and President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.
** Texas researchers investigate a spike in seismic activity in the Permian Basin and its connection to the injection of roughly 50 billion barrels of produced water from oil and gas operations over the last 15 years.
** Duke Energy, which owns coal plants that are subsidized by ratepayers under a 2019 Ohio law, knew for 40 years about coal’s contributions to climate change yet tried to misinform the public, according to a utility watchdog’s new report.
** Greenpeace seeks a court’s permission to collect evidence on the source of a pro-fossil fuel mailer that criticizes Dakota Access pipeline protesters and was sent to North Dakota residents amid an ongoing lawsuit against the environmental group.
** A North Dakota commission is scheduled to vote this week on a carbon pipeline owner’s request for three CO2 injection wells, though an attorney representing landowners is already preparing a court appeal.
** Google partners with a climate investor and a clean energy developer to build renewable power and storage projects co-located with data centers, with a goal of reducing the centers’ anticipated demand on the grid.
World
** The tumult in Syria poses little immediate threat to oil or gasoline prices in the U.S., since Syria plays no meaningful role in global oil supply. Further unrest in the region, however, could disrupt oil output and send prices higher, according to experts.
** Indian clean energy firms will only be allowed to use locally made solar cells supplied by an approved list of companies in government projects from June 2026, the country’s renewable energy ministry said, in a move aimed at curbing Chinese imports.
