NOTE TO READERS: U.S. Energy News is taking a break for the holidays. The daily email digest will return on Tuesday, January 3. Thanks for reading!
SOLAR:
• Arizona utility regulators vote to end net metering for new solar customers in the state. (Arizona Republic)
• Solar was the top source of new capacity on the U.S. electric grid in 2016, according to a recent report. (Ars Technica)
• Maine’s utility regulators delay a decision on whether to change solar incentives for homeowners. (Portland Press Herald)
• An industry group outlines the top ten solar stories of 2016. (Greentech Media)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Las Vegas becomes the largest city in the country to power its municipal facilities completely with renewable energy. (Huffington Post)
***SPONSORED LINK: The Smart Cities International Symposium, January 24-25 in Chicago, examines the latest technology advances and business models for the 21st Century connected city. Explore implementation strategies, case studies, and the successful financing of key initiatives. Use discount code MWEN for 15% off. Register today! ***
BIOGAS: Colorado regulators suspend permits for a biogas plant, saying it violated air quality and permitting regulations. (Greeley Tribune)
OIL & GAS:
• President Obama bans offshore oil and gas drilling in parts of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, in a move that may prove permanent even after Donald Trump takes office. (New York Times)
• Advocates in the Southeast are disappointed that President Obama’s ban on oil and gas development in the Atlantic Ocean does not extend south of Norfolk, Virginia. (Southeast Energy News)
FRACKING:
• An amendment could prevent Ohio communities from banning fracking using citizen referendums. (Columbus Business First)
• As Maryland officials consider how to regulate fracking, a fight is looming over whether to completely ban the practice in the state. (Baltimore Sun)
• Oklahoma rolls out new fracking guidelines designed to reduce the risk of earthquakes. (Reuters)
COAL:
• A rule by the Obama administration to protect streams from coal mining waste is drawing criticism from politicians in coal country, but it could be killed quickly by the next Congress. (WV Public Broadcasting/Politico)
• President Obama signs a water infrastructure bill that establishes a state permit program for coal ash impoundments to be supervised by the EPA. (Southeast Energy News)
NUCLEAR:
• Georgia regulators approve a deal to address cost overruns for a nuclear plant expansion project that is three years behind schedule and more than $3 billion over budget. (Associated Press)
• The only nuclear plant in Washington state shuts down due to an equipment malfunction. (Seattle Times)
TECHNOLOGY: A new initiative embeds young entrepreneurs at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois to help bring innovation to commercial scale more quickly. (Midwest Energy News)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Colorado, Utah and Nevada are developing a plan to ensure the regular distribution of charging stations along 2,000 miles of highway between the states. (Denver Business Journal)
EMISSIONS: Volkswagen reaches a $1 billion settlement to fix or buy back over 80,000 vehicles with 3.0-liter diesel engines that cheat emissions, including $250 million to mitigate environmental damage and support the use of zero-emission vehicles. (Bloomberg)
CLIMATE:
• A passage in the official Republican Party platform is worrying climate scientists. (Washington Post)
• A judge in Washington will allow eight Seattle children to argue in court that the state isn’t protecting them from climate change. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• The auto industry needs to ramp up its advertising of electric vehicles. (Huffington Post)
• The clean energy industry in Illinois will be a model for other states, despite Donald Trump’s federal policies. (Crain’s Chicago Business)