A three-day weekend generally means a short news week, but NetZero Insider reporters found plenty of policy and impact stories to cover in the four days we did have. 

Our James Downing was on the spot when the White House and Department of Energy announced a new Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, enlisting 21 Democrat-led states to increase their efforts to deploy grid-enhancing technologies to increase regional grid capacity. 

Not to be outdone, EPA rolled out the third round of funding for its Clean School Bus Program: $900 million that will take dirty diesel-fueled buses off the street in 532 school districts across the country, K Kaufmann writes. 

Staying on the transportation electrification beat, Kaufmann also dug into a new DOE report, looking at how managed charging could cut costs and the equipment needed to build out a national EV charging network. The story also details public-private efforts to improve the charging experience for consumers. 

Our Jon Lamson ventured to Carroll, N.H., to cover the 76th annual NECPUC Symposium, where regulators debated how to advance a clean energy transition that maintains reliability and affordability and what kind of new regulatory models will be needed to get there. 

Moving to our curated content, the beginning of the summer season sparked a number of stories on the growing dangers of extreme heat. An article in Barron’s noted that the number of extreme heat days worldwide rose by 26 days over the past year, while The New York Times reported on the Biden administration’s work on a new rule aimed at curbing deaths from extreme heat in the U.S., which hit 2,300 in 2023. 

State lawmakers have been hashing out energy legislation. In Vermont, the VTDigger reports that Gov. Phil Scott vetoed a bill that would have accelerated the state’s clean energy goals, from 75% in 2032 to 100% by 2030. Scott’s reason for the veto was its impact on consumer electric bills. 

In South Carolina, the legislature adjourned without passing a much debated bill, the South Carolina Energy Security Act, which could clear the way for new natural gas plants and pipelines in the state, which, supporters say, are needed to ensure reliability, according to coverage in DailyEnergyInsider. 

Heading into the November election, The New York Times has two articles tracking the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act. The first looks at why the millions in IRA funding going to states have not translated into better approval ratings for the president, while the second digs into how Reno, Nev., is using IRA funds to put solar panels on the roofs of low-income houses, boost urban tree-planting and reduce air pollution. 

And MSNBC has an interesting piece on a culture war going on in the U.K. over the term “net zero.” Opponents are arguing it’s jargon and confusing, but supporters, including officials at the country’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, cite polls showing it is well understood and just needs better enforcement to ensure it’s not used for greenwashing.   

All that and more in this week’s Intelligence Report: