Pioneer Public Affairs

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The?Supreme Court?on Friday curtailed the executive branch's ability to interpret laws it's charged with implementing, giving the judiciary more say in what federal agencies can do. Why it matters:?The?landmark 6-3 ruling?along ideological lines overturns?the court's 40-year-old "Chevron deference" doctrine. It could make it harder for executive agencies to tackle?a wide array of policy areas, including?environmental?and?health?regulations and?labor and employment laws. via Jacob Knutson in Axios

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released prevailing wage and apprenticeship guidance last Tuesday, finalizing rules?proposed last August,?and announced that the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor are working on a memorandum of understanding to “facilitate joint and cooperative education and public outreach” about the requirements. Developers who meet the Inflation Reduction Act’s PWA requirements for “construction, alteration or repair of certain clean energy facilities or properties, projects or equipment” can “generally increase the base amount of [each] credit or deduction by five times,”?Treasury said in a release. “We’ve seen pretty consistently with Treasury that they really pay attention to public comments and have tried to answer the comments that they get, and I think this was no exception — they listened to what taxpayers needed and tried to respond,” said Hilary Lefko, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.?“Maybe we didn’t get the answer we were hoping for, but at least they tried to address all of our issues. And I’d much rather have an unfavorable rule than an unclear rule.” via Diana DiGangi in Utility Dive ??

The Supreme Court has yet to issue opinions this term in about a dozen major cases that could rock the country’s politics and reshape the law on issues such as abortion, government regulation of speech online and the reach of the administrative state. Those could all come this week, the court’s traditional last week before its summer break, when it often delivers decisions in the most closely watched cases. The next scheduled opinion days are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but the court on occasion has in the past issued rulings in July. via Michael Macagnone in CQ and Roll Call

As much of the nation faces sweltering heat, government agencies are updating their climate adaptation plans.?Two dozen government agencies are unveiling updated plans for adapting to the changing climate from 2024 through 2027.?The agencies releasing plans include the military, which has installations around the nation, as well as a number of civilian agencies.? Broadly, these updated plans seek to expand the agencies’ focus on climate risks to their facilities and supply chains and the risks to federal employees, according to a White House fact sheet, which was first shared with The Hill. via Rachel Frazin

Just last week, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's?Geothermal Technologies Office?announced a?new funding opportunity of up to $7 million?to assist the development of regional grid models. This opportunity will help better define the value of firm, flexible geothermal energy, which has the potential to power the equivalent of 65 million homes across the United States! Send?your letter of intent by July 24?and?submit?your application by September 9 to get involved! https://lnkd.in/gYRCUhTk

The Biden administration has either reached, or is fast approaching, the date after which Congress can vacate rules across the federal government under the Congressional Review Act should President Joe Biden lose his reelection bid in November. While more than 80 CRA resolutions have been introduced this Congress in an attempt to repeal executive branch actions, the few to actually make it to Biden’s desk have faced vetoes, and none of those has been overridden. However, rules finalized this summer will likely be subject to the provision, allowing Donald Trump to quickly overturn them if he’s elected president again, as his administration did numerous times in 2017. via David Jordan in CQ and Roll Call

Argonne National Laboratory projects that battery cell production in North America will exceed 1,200 GWh of capacity by 2030. That is enough to supply 12 to 15 million new EVs annually assuming average battery capacities of 80 to 100 kWh per vehicle. In the United States, much of the battery production is expected to take place near vehicle assembly locations, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast. The close proximity of battery production and vehicle assembly is critical for minimizing shipping time and transport costs for EV manufacturers. via U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ??

The U.S. Senate confirmed three nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—one on Thursday and two on Wednesday—a move that will restore the agency to its full complement of five commissioners. FERC has been operating with three commissioners since former Commissioner James Danly left in January. The agency had an empty seat in the year before that after former Chairman Rich Glick left in January 2023. via Ethan Howland in Utility Dive

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed David R., a Democrat, and Lindsay See, a Republican, as members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) In May, FERC approved the first major?electric transmission policy update?in more than a decade that aims to speed up new interregional lines to move more power from wind and solar farms to meet growing demand amid the boom in electric vehicles, data centers and artificial intelligence. via Timothy Gardner in Reuters News Agency