PIPELINES: Climate advocates hope to use the “necessity defense” in efforts around the U.S. to close oil and gas pipelines. (Wired)
ALSO:
• Tribes in the path of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline say they will continue to fight the project after a favorable court ruling last week. (NPR)
• Virginia regulators unexpectedly delay voting on an Atlantic Coast Pipeline permit affecting a historic African American community. (Washington Post)
• A Michigan lawmaker introduces legislation to secure a plan to build a tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline, though the project is opposed by the incoming governor and attorney general. (Detroit News)
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COAL: President Trump promised to put coal miners back to work, but Kentucky has fewer coal jobs now than when he took office. (Lexington Herald Leader)
NUCLEAR:
• SCANA’s CEO pleads ignorance as the possibility of criminal charges looms for management of the utility’s failed nuclear project. (The State)
• A New Jersey town asks federal regulators for a public hearing on plans for radioactive waste from a shuttered nuclear plant. (Associated Press)
GRID:
• Michigan’s two largest utilities plan a $7 billion upgrade over the next five years to modernize the state’s power grid. (Energy News Network)
• Resilience is becoming more important to year-round planning and operations for utilities like Duke Energy. (Greentech Media)
• Federal energy regulators approve a plan that could reduce capacity prices in New England. (RTO Insider)
RENEWABLES:
• A report says Nevada could use former mines and industrial sites for wind and solar to meet a new clean energy requirement. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
• Energy experts wonder if California will see rising prices and ratepayer backlash from clean energy as Germany has. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
MICROGRIDS:
• An official from one of the largest U.S. microgrid companies explains the emerging technology. (Energy News Network)
• A new report highlights how clean energy and microgrids are supporting military bases across the country. (Greentech Media)
SOLAR: A planned community just north of Ft. Myers, Florida, hopes to operate almost entirely on solar power. (PBS NewsHour)
UTILITIES: Nebraska clean energy advocates gain two allies on Omaha’s public utility board, with a third race too close to call. (Energy News Network)
CARBON: Several states look to introduce cap-and-trade legislation, a slight variation on what voters rejected in Washington state last week. (ThinkProgress)
CLIMATE: A survey finds half of Latinos in Florida say it’s “extremely important” for Congress to pass climate change legislation. (Orlando Sentinel)
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POLITICS:
• Arizona and Nevada had nearly identical clean energy initiatives but only one faced major opposition from the state’s largest utility and failed. (Grist)
• A Democrat who won a congressional race in a conservative Illinois district made climate change and clean energy the centerpiece of his campaign. (New Republic)
• Opposition to offshore drilling drove a Democratic upset in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. (HuffPost)
COMMENTARY:
• The people sickened by America’s largest coal ash spill may finally get some justice, writes a columnist. (Esquire)
• An expert in tracking renewable energy generation says using blockchain to solve the energy industry’s problems may be overhyped. (Utility Dive)