CALIFORNIA: Lawmakers vote to increase the state’s renewable energy standard to 50 percent by 2030 after a controversial gasoline provision was dropped. (Los Angeles Times)

CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• Senators continue to pursue legislative delays to EPA carbon limits. (The Hill)
• Ohio’s EPA director tells Congress the Clean Power Plan is federal overreach and would be bad for the economy. (Columbus Dispatch)
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence’s defiance to implement the Clean Power Plan is pleasing some of his top political donors. (Fort Wayne Journal Gazette)

CLEAN ENERGY: How Vermont became a clean-energy leader. (Christian Science Monitor)

SOLAR:
• Backers of a solar choice amendment in Florida are being dramatically outspent by utilities pushing a competing measure. (WUSF)
• A Florida company plans to use PACE financing for solar leases. (Sun Sentinel)

COAL:
• An Ohio coal executive says a new clean water regulation is “the single greatest threat” to the industry. (The Hill)
• A Washington state utility tries to cut loose from a polluting Montana coal plant. (Seattle Times)
Could farming provide a way out for struggling Appalachian coal workers? (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)

OIL AND GAS:
• Some oil companies are selling off their wastewater disposal operations to stay afloat. (Reuters)
• An industry group plans to drop its lawsuit over a Texas town’s now-repealed fracking ban. (Texas Tribune)

OIL BY RAIL: Railroads are scrambling over what to do with unwanted oil cars amid new safety regulations and low prices. (National Public Radio)

NATURAL GAS: A proposed Nevada natural gas plant could cost ratepayers $1 billion. (Las Vegas Sun)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Los Angeles announces plans to purchase 160 electric and 128 plug-in hybrid vehicles. (Christian Science Monitor)
• A Nebraska city embraces the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy. (Sioux City Journal)

EFFICIENCY: A Philips plant in Mississippi is “leading by example” by installing its own LED bulbs, and is saving about $10,000 a month in the process. (Tupelo Daily Journal)

CLIMATE: New science standards will require Alabama schools to teach students about climate change.(Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: Three ways utilities can evolve for the 21st Century. (Vox)

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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