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)

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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