POLITICS: In an unexpected exchange on climate change in last night’s chaotic presidential debate, President Trump made misleading statements on climate change and vehicle emission standards, including a false claim that he’s increased incentives for electric cars. (CNN, The Hill, New York Times)

ALSO:
• While Trump sought to divide Democrats after Joe Biden differentiated his energy plan from the Green New Deal, the latter policy’s architects say they plan to work with Biden on “aggressive” climate action. (Washington Post)
• Fact checkers review candidates’ statements on the falling costs of renewable energy, the Clean Power Plan, and Trump’s environmental record. (New York Times)

CLIMATE: The U.S. remains an outlier in its opposition to the Paris Agreement, and Trump administration rollbacks mean the country will fall far short of its initial commitment. (NPR)

UTILITIES:
• While Colorado’s wildfire risk isn’t as severe as California’s, utilities there are taking more aggressive steps to ensure they don’t repeat the missteps of PG&E. (Energy News Network)
• NextEra recently approached Duke Energy about a possible takeover, which was rejected but could still be pursued later, according to people familiar with the matter. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)
• As Florida Power and Light sought to buy Jacksonville’s municipal utility, executives discussed donating to charities associated with city council members. (Florida Times-Union)
• A former ComEd official pleads guilty to a corruption charge in the first conviction related to an ongoing federal investigation into an alleged utility bribery scheme. (Chicago Sun-Times)

COAL:
• Vistra Energy announces plans to retire its coal fleet totaling nearly 7,000 MW in Illinois and Ohio by 2027 as it invests in solar and storage projects. (S&P Global)
• A federal judge blocks a proposed joint venture between Peabody Energy and Arch Resources, saying it would “substantially impair competition” in the Powder River Basin coal market. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

SOLAR: A study of home prices over 15 years in Massachusetts and Rhode Island says solar arrays built on farms and forest land can lower values of nearby homes. (Providence Journal)

EFFICIENCY: New Hampshire utilities have ramped up energy efficiency spending in new three-year plans that significantly raise targets over current levels. (Energy News Network)

OIL & GAS: Tribal nations and archaeologists partner to identify Greater Chaco region culturally sensitive sites and resources to protect from oil and gas development. (New Mexico Political Report)

GRID: The House on Tuesday passed four bills with provisions to protect the grid and other infrastructure from cyberattacks. (The Hill)

NUCLEAR: Researchers at MIT say a nuclear fusion reactor they’re developing could be operational in a decade — though similar pledges throughout history have failed to materialize. (New York Times)

COMMENTARY:
• A South Carolina Republican says clean energy is one of the smartest ways to rebuild the state’s post-pandemic economy. (Greenville News)
• An electric vehicle car-sharing program set to launch next year in Minneapolis-St. Paul hopes to allow far more residents access to EVs without having to purchase them, a columnist writes. (MinnPost)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy, and has led the project from its inception as Midwest Energy News in 2009. 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 held a variety of editing, production, and leadership roles, and played a key role in the newspaper's transition to digital-first publishing. 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.