CLEAN POWER PLAN: Implementation of the plan would drive coal’s share of U.S. power generating sources to 18% by 2040, down from a peak of 50% in 2005. (Platts)
ALSO: Both proponents and opponents of the plan say a federal court’s decision to hold an “en banc” review gives them an advantage. (EnergyWire)
CLIMATE:
• Health care giant Kaiser Permanente plans to eliminate or offset 100 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• In a lawsuit brought by a youth activism group, a court rules Massachusetts must impose cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to comply with a 2008 state law. (InsideClimate News)
• Carbon emissions from power plants have fallen to their lowest level in decades. (Climate Central)
• A public hearing on New York’s climate goals focuses on nuclear and offshore wind. (Albany Times Union)
ACTIVISM: A homeless woman bids $2 and wins an oil and gas lease for 1,713 acres at a federal auction in Utah, with a benefactor picking up the thousands of dollars in associated fees. (Deseret News)
OIL AND GAS:
• A study finds drilling activity has been causing earthquakes in Texas since 1925. (InsideClimate News)
• Schools struggle for resources as Oklahoma maintains tax breaks for the oil and gas industry. (Reuters)
PIPELINES:
• A pipeline company is indicted in a spill off California’s coast last year, and could face $3 million in fines. (Los Angeles Times)
• A California natural gas utility is fined $2.25 million for pipeline safety violations. (Los Angeles Times)
SOLAR:
• Maine communities are putting solar projects on hold after policy reforms fail in the state legislature. (Portland Press Herald)
• A clean energy group in North Carolina says it will appeal the state’s rejection of its closely-watched third-party power sales agreement with a church. (Charlotte Observer)
• The Department of Energy expands training for veterans looking for solar industry jobs. (The Hill)
WILDFIRE: A financial analysis shows the wildfires around Alberta’s oil sands region has cost more than $750 million in lost output, or 1.2 million barrels a day over two weeks. (BBC)
WIND: How technology from deep-sea oil drilling can help keep offshore wind farms afloat. (Bloomberg)
COAL: A new report lists multiple coal companies that have increased CEO compensation while struggling through bankruptcy. (Grist)
NUCLEAR: Various groups join the city of Miami in opposing a Florida utility’s move to charge customers $22 million for two new reactors that may never be built. (Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald)
EFFICIENCY:
• A push to further increase efficiency standards for light bulbs is getting pushback from industry groups. (Greenwire)
• The U.S. Department of Energy announces a new series of efficiency programs emphasizing combined heat and power and improving the building stock in low-income communities. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY: Why climate change is a bigger threat to eagles than wind turbines. (The Hill)