RENEWABLES: The last time Americans used as much renewable energy as they do now was in the 1930s, when wood burning was widespread, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. (CNBC)

SAGE GROUSE: The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will more closely regulate miners, energy developers and ranchers who hold federal leases in 10 states to ensure the survival of the greater sage grouse. (The Washington Post)

ETHANOL: The U.S. Department of Agriculture will inject $100 million in funding to get more ethanol at the gas pump, according to two industry sources. (Reuters)

DEMAND: The hypothesis that oil production is about to peak is being swiftly replaced by the idea that the world’s thirst for crude oil is about to hit a ceiling, posing challenges for firms that face investor pressure to grow. (EnergyWire)

EPA: The EPA remains deficient in how it oversees states’ enforcement of federal environmental laws, its watchdog the Office of Inspector General said in a report released Thursday. (The Hill)

CLEAN POWER PLAN: Wisconsin’s Republican governor has told President Obama that the EPA emissions rule for power plants is “unworkable” for the Badger State. (The Hill)

ARCTIC DRILLING:
• The oil industry has come out swinging against a federal plan to require they have the rigs and time to drill relief wells in case of emergencies at their operations in U.S. Arctic waters. (FuelFix)
• Washington’s King County denied a waste disposal permit for Shell’s drilling fleet on Wednesday, the latest attempt by government officials to keep the company from basing its Arctic oil drilling operations in Seattle. (The Hill)
• The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday blamed the 2012 grounding of a Shell drilling rig in the Arctic on the company’s failure to adequately assess the risks of towing the vessel across stormy Alaskan seas. (FuelFix)

STORAGE: Large U.S. utilities are investing tens of millions of dollars in the development and deployment of commercial-scale energy storage facilities. (ClimateWire)

FRACKING: A small town in North Carolina is fighting back after it was named one of the state’s first testing grounds for fracking. (ThinkProgress)

TAR SANDS: Oil companies have frozen dozens of projects in Canada’s tar sands due to falling prices and a rising tide of protests against extraction, according to a new analysis. (Guardian)

REAL ESTATE:
• When owners opt to sell a “green” home, it’s often unclear how energy-saving upgrades are valued by appraisers, lenders and purchasers. (The Washington Post)
• A new report from Minneapolis officials finds that large office buildings are among the city’s most energy efficient. (Midwest Energy News)

PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Hillary Clinton wants America to be the “clean energy super power” and is challenging her Republican opponents who back oil and gas subsidies while blocking investments in renewable energy. (Quad-City Times)

CALIFORNIA: Twenty-four companies with a substantial footprint in California announced their support Thursday for new state benchmarks for increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency by 2030. (Sustainable Brands)