1. BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL + RECONCILIATION CAN TAKE BOLD STEPS FORWARD ON CLIMATE AND CLEAN ENERGY

 As the Pacific Northwest is scorched by eye-popping record heat, there’s a lot of hot air being produced on the East Coast in Washington over a national infrastructure plan. In the end, what’s going to matter to the public is what gets done, not the process. 

• President Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure framework should be celebrated for the progress it will make toward cutting carbon pollution, investing in clean energy technologies, upgrading our grid, and making transportation cleaner.
• But let’s be clear: Democrats must follow up with a bold and ambitious reconciliation package to tackle our remaining climate and clean energy priorities. 

We’ve put together a handy memo that lists the most impactful energy items in the bipartisan deal and highlights areas that’ll still need significant investments through reconciliation. 

Read our full memo here.

Our Take:

As we saw in the 2020 election, anyone who underestimates Joe Biden does so at their own peril. He’s repeatedly proven his tenacity--first through passage of the American Rescue Plan, then through vaccinations, and now with the bipartisan deal on infrastructure. Biden and this infrastructure framework are not getting the credit they deserve: the bipartisan package + additional climate and clean energy provisions in reconciliation will put the US on track to leading the global shift to clean energy, rebuilding our economy, and putting the America on the fastest, fairest path to net-zero by mid-century. - Josh Freed, Senior Vice President for Third Way’s Climate and Energy Program (@jsfreed on Twitter)

2. OREGON PASSES NEW CLEAN ENERGY STANDARD

Earlier this week, Oregon’s state legislature passed a new clean energy bill that, once signed, would require the state to reach 100% clean electricity by 2040. It’s one of the most ambitious state clean energy targets set to date. Combined with similar commitments from California and Washington, it even positions the Pacific Coast to reach 100% clean energy before 2050.

As the White House continues to push for a national clean electricity standard, our recently updated target maps show how cities, states, and utilities across the country are already taking the lead. See for yourself how these commitments have grown in scope and ambition.

3. TOYOTA AND HONDA JOIN THE EV RACE

Our colleague Ellen Hughes-Cromwick (@ellenhughescrom on Twitter) wrote in November 2019 that gas-powered vehicles have peaked and we are entering the electric age. The latest evidence? Recently both Toyota and Honda announced they were embracing electric vehicles, abandoning previous plans to lean into hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The move comes as the Biden Administration and Congress craft plans to invest in electric vehicle infrastructure, battery manufacturing, and retooling auto manufacturing plants. 

4. WHAT WE’RE READING

Exclusive: White House signals "clean" standard push in budget reconciliation via Axios

An Expert Watches Biden’s Clean-Energy Dream Walk a Tightrope via Bloomberg

Retaking the lead in electric vehicle exports and recharging manufacturing jobs requires the full American Jobs Plan, via Forbes 

Has the Carbontech Revolution Begun? via The New York Times

Building to Net-Zero: A U.S. Policy Blueprint for Gigaton-Scale CO2 Transport and Storage Infrastructure, via Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) & AFL-CIO