SOLAR: Lawmakers and solar backers in Arizona agree to drop competing ballot measures and work on a compromise on solar incentives. (Arizona Republic)

ALSO:
• Maine lawmakers push to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a solar bill; the governor sought lower rates for net metering. (PV Magazine, Portland Press Herald)
• A Nevada panel, including utility and solar representatives, agree that existing solar customers should be grandfathered in to their existing rates. (Las Vegas Sun)
• A bipartisan group of Iowa lawmakers are pushing back against two utilities’ efforts to increase rates on solar customers. (Midwest Energy News) 
• SunEdison’s bankruptcy doesn’t have the same “symbolic value” that Solyndra’s bankruptcy did five years ago, experts say. (EnergyWire)
• A Texas utility lowers the price for community solar participation amid lower than expected interest. (San Antonio Business Journal)

***SPONSORED LINK: The 2016 Midwest Solar Expo, May 17-19 in Minnesota, is now co-located with the inaugural Midwest Energy Storage Symposium (May 19 only). Join the conversation on building robust energy storage markets across the Midwest and practical business applications for solar companies. Register today!***

CLIMATE: A new survey finds nearly half of conservative Republicans now consider global warming a threat, a figure that has doubled in the past two years. (Bloomberg)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Fourteen states seek formal guidance from the EPA on how to prepare for the Clean Power Plan despite the Supreme Court stay. (Bloomberg)
• A conservative energy advocacy group is pushing state legislatures to pass budget bills that block spending for Clean Power Plan compliance. (ClimateWire)

CONGRESS: The stalled energy funding bill in the Senate may be an early sign of even bigger budget battles to come. (E&E Daily)

NEW YORK: The New York Independent System Operator warns the state’s clean energy plan could increase costs for consumers. (Politico)

UTILITIES: 
• Amid further review by federal regulators of two income-guarantee deals for struggling plants, two Ohio utilities will likely turn to the state legislature to return to a fully regulated market. (Midwest Energy News)
Duke Energy says it will own or purchase 8,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2020, a 33% jump from its current goal. (Charlotte Observer)

RENEWABLES: Acknowledging “Montana’s energy economy is in crisis,” a new campaign pushes for clean energy in the state. (Montana Standard)

FRACKING:
• Pennsylvania officials are investigating whether a string of five small earthquakes is related to nearby drilling operations. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• How the word “fracking” entered our vocabulary. (Vox)

PIPELINES:
The financial interests of pipeline companies, natural gas producers and utilities is leading to the overbuilding of natural gas pipelines, according to a new report. (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis)
• New Hampshire lawmakers advance a bill that would require pipeline developers to buy entire properties in eminent domain cases, combining it with an efficiency measure. (Concord Monitor)

GRID:
• PJM’s capacity auction could face new challenges. (Platts)
• A White House climate policy official told a conference in Charlotte it will convene a national summit on storage and renewables this summer. (Charlotte Business Journal)

COAL: Coal deliveries by rail are down 34 percent compared to last year. (SNL)

COMMENTARY:
• A Harvard skeptic admits: “I was wrong” about solar. (Greentech Media)
• Warren Buffett is giving “mixed signals” on climate risks. (Ceres)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.

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