FRACKING: California farmers rely on oil wastewater to weather drought, with Chevron alone selling about 500,000 barrels of water per day, or 21 million gallons, back to one water district in farm country. (Newsweek)
EPA RULE: Industry leaders and regulators from several states are asking the EPA to borrow from the playbook used to cut acid rain pollution, making it easier for states to use regional markets to trade carbon credits. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
WIND:
• Beaverton, Oregon, start-up eWind Solutions hopes to replace farm-based wind turbines with smaller, quieter kites to generate enough electricity to run everything on the farm from irrigation pumps to kitchen lights. (The Oregonian)
• A California wind farm operator donated more than $25,000 to three Alameda County supervisors who voted to allow the company to continue operating turbines blamed for scores of bird deaths. (Contra Costa Times)
CAP-AND-TRADE: By linking revenues from a proposed cap-and-trade scheme to broadly popular bread-and-butter programs, Washington state’s governor hopes to build support for a climate policy that faces stiff opposition from Republicans and some industry groups. (The New York Times)
SOLAR: The White House announced a program Friday for the U.S. Department of Energy to train 75,000 people to work in the solar power industry by 2020, many of whom will be part of a military veterans jobs initiative called Solar Ready Vets. (Climate Central)
NUCLEAR: Proponents of nuclear power it offers the perfect way to fill a void as coal plants close under the weight of new environmental rules, but they acknowledge economics may prevent a nuclear renaissance. (Houston Chronicle)
OIL AND GAS:
• Demand for welders resurges in Texas and the Gulf Coast region as the energy boom continues to spawn petrochemical plants and miles of new pipeline. (The New York Times)
• Campaign records show utility companies have sunk $12 million into the campaigns of state lawmakers since 2010 to keep solar down in Florida. (Florida Center for Investigative Reporting)
INNOVATION: An electric bike that can go 70 mph, wind energy generated without a turbine and a way to make electricity from nuclear waste are among project finalists in the Clean Energy Challenge.
POLITICS:
• A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Friday found 59 percent if U.S, voters want a president who “favors government action to address climate change,” compared with 31 percent who want someone who opposes government action. (The Hill)
• Facing a loss of corporate sponsors, the American Legislative Exchange Council, best known for efforts to thwart states’ renewables standards, has threatened action against those who accuse it of denying climate change. (The Washington Post)
• Environmental and health groups have launched a television ad blitz calling on Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan to release an air pollution regulation that he blocked when he took office. (The Baltimore Sun)
COMMUNICATIONS: The war between the fossil fuel industry and Big Green may boil down to who can tell the best story. (High Country News)