CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• The two years added in the final plan to reach emissions targets will help utilities avoid added costs and ease reliability concerns, analysts say. (ClimateWire)
• The final plan reflects a more regional approach and how power grids operate across state lines. (InsideClimate News)
• States looking to halt the plan want their request before a federal circuit court that could be favorable to their goals. (Greenwire)
EFFICIENCY:
• Three years after it was approved by voters, a California energy efficiency program has created only one tenth of the jobs it promised. (Associated Press)
• Iowa’s largest utility is planning for a widespread shift to LEDs for its streetlights. (Radio Iowa)
COAL:
• Residents of Gillette, Wyoming use a hearing on leasing policy to air concerns about the future of the coal industry: “No matter what you do here, we’re scared.” (High Country News)
• A series of hearings will discuss proposed new federal rules to protect waterways from coal mining impacts. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
NUCLEAR:
• A report from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the proposed Yucca Mountain waste site could have a “small” impact on groundwater in the area. (The Hill)
• Operators of the first new U.S. nuclear reactor in nearly 20 years seek a license to begin operation. (Reuters)
SOLAR:
• Arizona’s utility regulatory board is “at a crossroads” as new members are set to decide a key solar case. (Arizona Republic)
• A major solar company is pulling out of Nevada amid a dispute over the state’s net metering cap. (Las Vegas Sun)
• Net metering limits are holding back solar growth in Massachusetts. (WCAI)
• A moderate Republican lawmaker from Kansas thinks the state should be doing more to grow rooftop solar in the state. (Lawrence Journal-World)
GRID:
• How a block of lead-acid batteries in a New York City apartment building could foretell the future of demand management. (Climate Progress)
• Officials in Midwest states say their regional grid operator is failing to look out for the interests of ratepayers. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
EMISSIONS: The EPA has announced tighter standards for the nation’s garbage landfills to reduce emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants. (Associated Press)
OIL AND GAS:
• “Everybody is waiting for doomsday” in Texas as low oil prices slow the fracking boom. (New York Times)
• The U.S. temporarily allows oil exports to Mexico. (New York Times)
• Operators of a Gulf Coast oil platform will face federal charges for a 2012 explosion that killed three workers. (Baton Rouge Advocate)
• The number and diversity of groups opposed to drilling off the southern Atlantic coast is growing. (The Institute for Southern Studies blog)
• The percentage of North Dakota oil shipped by rail has dipped below 50 percent for the first time in several years. (Associated Press)
PIPELINES: Ohio’s secretary of state has nixed a ballot initiative from citizens seeking to stop a proposed pipeline across northern Ohio and southeast Michigan, saying it violates Ohio’s constitution. (Toledo Blade)
HYDROPOWER: Arkansas officials consider expanding hydropower as a way to make up for lost coal capacity. (Arkansas News)
CLIMATE: A proposed new museum in New York would chronicle the impacts of climate change. (Climate Central)
COMMENTARY: Why nuclear power still faces an uncertain future in the U.S. (Greentech Media)