U.S. Energy News

Study: Methane from buildings could surpass drilling leaks

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OIL & GAS: A new study suggestions fugitive natural gas leaks from homes and businesses could represent a far bigger problem than methane leaks from drilling. (Science)

ALSO:
• Federal energy regulators are divided about how climate change should factor into decisions about pipelines and other gas infrastructure. (Axios)
• Industry watchers say the Trump administration’s policies on liquified natural gas overlook the risk of catastrophic explosions. (E&E News)
• Clean energy groups will protest a Florida utility’s plan to transition a coal-fired power plant to natural gas. (WMNF)

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Western Energy News

Developers defend New Mexico carbon capture plan

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COAL: Developers defend their plan to retrofit a New Mexico coal plant with carbon capture technology amid criticism the proposal is unrealistic. (E&E News) 

ALSO:
• New Mexico’s largest utility is seeking feedback on proposals for the power to be lost from its coal plant closure in 2022. (Associated Press)
• A federal judge approved short-term funding for bankrupt Wyoming coal operator Blackjewel until today during an emergency hearing Friday. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Another recent ruling means a Wyoming county could be out more than $30 million in property taxes. (Gillette News Record via AP)

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Midwest Energy News

Advocates want Duke Energy to expedite Indiana coal plant closures

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COAL: Clean energy advocates want Duke Energy to expedite the timetable for closing its Indiana coal plants. (Associated Press)

ALSO: Local officials in Springfield, Illinois, prepare a transition plan as they scale back production at the state’s only city-owned coal plant. (NPR Illinois)

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WIND:
• A Google-backed, 200 MW wind project in northwestern Iowa is bringing several local economic benefits, including 150 new construction jobs and eventually $1.5 million in annual property tax revenue. (Sioux City Journal)
• DTE Energy plans to buy three wind farms in Michigan to help meet the utility’s renewable energy goals.

Southeast Energy News

What would a deregulated electricity market in Florida look like?

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RENEWABLES: Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to deregulate Florida’s electricity market hope it will lower prices and boost renewables similar to what’s happened in Texas since 2002. (Sun Sentinel)

ALSO: The headquarters of a Little Rock, Arkansas, renewable energy company becomes LEED certified. (KATV)

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SOLAR: An Arkansas water utility partners with a renewable energy company to install a solar project to power its operations. (Talk Business & Politics) 

PIPELINES: Landowners near an Appalachian natural gas pipeline project ask a federal court of appeals to reconsider FERC’s role in analyzing greenhouse gas emission impacts.

Northeast Energy News

New Hampshire Supreme Court rejects Northern Pass

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TRANSMISSION: A unanimous New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld a state siting board’s rejection of the Northern Pass transmission line from Canada, effectively killing the project. (Union Leader)

ALSO: Opponents along the proposed route expressed relief that the project was thwarted but are concerned it could be revived in a different form. (Union Leader)

BIOMASS: Public Citizen is asking federal regulators to force disclosure of the identities of members of a nonprofit that has thwarted state subsidies for struggling biomass plant in New Hampshire. (Energy News Network) 

OIL & GAS:
• The owner of the Philadelphia oil refinery that was closed by an explosion in June has filed for bankruptcy protection, its second filing in less than two years. (Bloomberg)
• A Massachusetts town has hired an attorney to represent it in proceedings for the proposed construction of an LNG terminal in a neighboring community.