President Biden

The US-China trade war heats up as the Biden administration has signaled a warning that electric vehicles from China could pose a “significant national security risk” in that the huge amount of data they collect could be sent to China.

Two US environmental agencies say they will start using AI to better monitor the impact of offshore wind farms on marine animals, particularly endangered North American right whales, of which there are only about 360 left in the world.

Republicans, and a couple of Democrats, have been pushing back on President Biden’s $7.5 billion plan to extensively build out EV infrastructure in the US by focusing on a short-term waiver that allows federally subsidized EV chargers to include materials from China. Republicans aiming to block the waiver don’t like this – but Biden exercised his veto power, for now at least.

In a significant move, the White House will delay a decision on whether to approve what would be the US’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal, according to the New York Times.

The US Department of Defense will install rooftop solar on the Pentagon as part of the Biden administration’s plan to “reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader.”

The US Transportation Department is investing $148.8 million for repairing or updating nearly 4,500 electric vehicle charging ports in some 20 states.

As part of President Biden’s massive $7.5 billion plan to extensively build out EV infrastructure in the US – much to the chagrin of some Republican lawmakers –  the government has announced that it is investing $623 million in grants to put 7,500 more EV charging stations on the roads.

North Carolina has published a map that shows where its first 11 National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program EV charging stations will be sited – have a look.

Biden’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program awarded Kansas $39.5 million to open EV charging stations – and the state just funded its first six.

The Biden administration has issued a new directive to all government employees to travel by train or electric car, or electric Uber or Lyft, when traveling on official business. As the country’s largest employer, with an annual business travel purchasing budget of $2.8 billion, that could have a serious impact on carbon emissions.

At the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, the Biden administration has announced a historic plan to sharply cut methane emissions from the oil and gas industry in the next 15 years as part of new rules to put limits on the “super pollutant.” 

The Biden administration is expected to announce on Friday what will disqualify EVs from eligibility for the $7,500 subsidy. However, the government is reportedly discussing granting automakers a temporary reprieve from the proposed restrictions on EVs containing battery parts or materials coming from China. 

Hot on the heels of the United Auto Workers’ strike victory against the “Big Three” US automakers, President Joe Biden said he would support UAW’s push to unionize Tesla and Toyota ahead of a planned meeting with UAW president Shawn Fain.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced an additional $100 million in federal funding to repair and replace any and all existing but nonoperational EV chargers in the US. The new accelerator program is accepting applications now and aims to expedite EV adoption while creating thousands more new jobs in the industry.

The Biden Administration and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland have canceled seven oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, along with protecting 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve.

Tritium makes DC fast chargers in Tennessee, and it’s now accepting orders for its first EV charging system for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

The Biden administration said on Monday that it’s approving the Willow oil drilling project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

China’s CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, is reportedly offering significantly lower battery costs to some Chinese EV makers, according to CnEVPost today.

The Biden administration today announced that the US government is going to set standards for federally funded EV chargers – a US first. In other words, if an EV charger is installed using federal dollars, then it has to actually work, and to a high standard.

The Biden administration, through the US Department of Energy (DOE), today announced that applications are now open to states, tribes, and utilities to tap into $13 billion in new financing opportunities for the expansion and modernization of the US power grid.

Later today, the Biden administration is expected to announce $2.8 billion that will be awarded in grants around the US in support of EV battery manufacturing and mineral production domestically. The White House is also launching what is being called the “American Battery Material Initiative” to bolster mineral supply chains for automakers operating in the US.