“Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting reports earlier this week that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline,” Bloomberg reports.

“The company paid the hefty ransom in untraceable cryptocurrency within hours after the attack, underscoring the immense pressure faced by the Georgia-based operator to get gasoline and jet fuel flowing again to major cities along the Eastern Seaboard.”

Bloomberg: “From Virginia to Louisiana, convenience stores and corner gas stations are turning away customers as tanks tap out amid panic buying. An extended pipeline disruption could have far-reaching implications for East Coast states dependent on the pipeline, prompting bigger government interventions.”

The Hill: 71% of gas stations in Charlotte area out of fuel.

New York Times: “The Biden administration on Tuesday will announce its final approval of the nation’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, a major step toward President Biden’s goal of expanding renewable energy production across the United States, according to two people familiar with the matter.

“The Vineyard Wind project calls for up to 84 turbines to be installed in the Atlantic Ocean about 12 nautical miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Together, they could generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 400,000 homes.”

Reuters: “Supplies of gasoline tightened further in parts of the United States today as the shutdown of the nation’s biggest fuel pipeline by hackers entered its fifth day, raising concern about price spikes at the pumps heading into the summer driving season.”

Wired has a must-read profile of the hackers behind the pipeline attack.

“The ransomware attack that forced the closure of the largest U.S. fuel pipeline this weekend showed how cybercriminals pose a far-reaching threat to the aging, vulnerable infrastructure that keeps the nation’s energy moving,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

The Guardian reports the Biden administration has invoked emergency powers over the ransomware attack.

Bloomberg Businessweek: “In 2020, Americans used 447 million short tons (to distinguish from metric tons) of coal. That’s enough to fill 4 million railroad cars, which sounds like a lot. But it’s also the country’s lowest annual coal consumption since 1965, and even that barely hints at the historical territory coal may soon explore. A few more years at the downward pace of the past decade, and U.S. coal use will reach levels last seen in the 19th century.”

Texas Tribune: “Texas lawmakers have been advancing sweeping legislation to address some of the major issues stemming from February’s deadly winter storm and catastrophic power outages.”

“But some of the legislative moves are targeting renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, which experts and some lawmakers say seems more like a way to protect oil and gas interests than fix problems with the state’s beleaguered power grid.”

“The deaths of nearly 200 people are linked to February’s cold snap and blackouts, making the natural disaster one of the worst in Texas this past century,” the Houston Chronicle reports.

“The tally, which is nearly double the state’s official count, comes from an investigation of reports from medical examiners, justices of the peace and Department of State Health Services, as well as lawsuits and news stories.”

Associated Press: “Attorneys general from 21 states on Wednesday sued to overturn President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the contentious Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.”

“Led by Ken Paxton of Texas and Austin Knudsen of Montana, the states said Biden had overstepped his authority when he revoked the permit for the Keystone pipeline on his first day in office.”

“While many Texans last week were worried about sky-high electric bills from February’s winter storms, the state’s sole utility commissioner was privately reassuring out-of-state investors who profited from the crisis that he was working to keep their windfall safe,” the Texas Monthly reports.

The news came in a recording of a 48-minute call in which Texas Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea discussed the fallout from the February power crisis with investors.

The Houston Chronicle reports D’Andrea resigned last night after the audio was released.

“The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Friday signaled it didn’t intend to reverse $16 billion in electric overcharges that an independent market monitor had flagged as stemming from the state’s weeklong blackouts,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Commission Chairman Arthur D’Andrea: “It is impossible to unscramble this sort of egg.”

Minnesota Public Radio: “North Dakota has lots of coal. It also has strong and consistent winds. It might be the perfect spot to showcase the long-awaited ‘energy transition’ from climate-warming fossil fuels to climate-saving renewables.”

“Yet that transition has hit a snag. Two counties in the state have enacted drastic restrictions on new wind projects in an attempt to save coal mining jobs, despite protests from landowners who’d like to rent their land to wind energy companies. It’s a sign of how difficult that transition can be for communities that depend on coal for jobs and tax revenue.”

The Senate confirmed Gov. Jennifer Granholm to lead the Energy Department, 64 to 35.

“Texas’s deregulated electricity market, which was supposed to provide reliable power at a lower price, left millions in the dark last week. For two decades, its customers have paid more for electricity than state residents who are served by traditional utilities,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, will resign on Wednesday, the Texas Tribune reports.

Here’s the kicker: “All four of the members who are resigning live out of state.”