Coal to play ‘starring role’ at Republican National Convention

COAL: Coal will play a “starring role” at this week’s Republican National Convention. (Washington Examiner)

ALSO:
• North Carolina’s self-touted “leadership” on coal ash pales in comparison to efforts in South Carolina. (Southeast Energy News)
• An electric cooperative plans to retire a 189-megawatt coal plant in North Dakota by May 2017 because it has become too expensive to run. (Minnesota Public Radio)
• A Texas “clean coal” project is given more time to convince the Obama administration to keep backing it financially. (Bloomberg)
• Accessing coal reserves on federal property could be an “existential threat” to the industry’s long-term business model. (Oilprice.com)

EMISSIONS: An economics professor says adding a fuel fee could reduce airlines’ emissions, though the costs would likely be passed on to consumers. (Los Angeles Times)

EFFICIENCY: Energy use at U.S. data centers has “slimmed down dramatically.” (San Jose Mercury News)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Maine officials give final approval for a $69 million trash-to-energy project. (Associated Press)

GRID: An audit by federal regulators showed executives of the Southwest Power Pool had “inappropriate” involvement in the oversight of its market monitoring unit. (RTO Insider)

SMART METERS: Oklahoma regulators approve monthly opt-out fees for customers who don’t want smart meters. (The Oklahoman)

FINANCE: Missouri is set to become the second state with residential Property Assessed Clean Energy financing. (Midwest Energy News)

OIL AND GAS:
• California regulators reject plans for a $621 million, 65-mile natural gas pipeline. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
• Shale gas development in Ohio is leading to a “power-plant building boom.” (Columbus Dispatch)

NUCLEAR:
• Plans to ship thousands of gallons of radioactive water from the closed Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to a Tennessee processing facility is raising concerns. (Associated Press)
• The Tennessee Valley Authority completes a key test at its Watts Bar 2 reactor and aims for full-power operations by summer’s end. (EnergyWire)

SOLAR:
• For the first time, solar is on pace this year to contribute more new electricity to the U.S. grid than any other form of energy, driven mostly by large installations. (Reuters)
• Solar production in California reaches a record high. (Sacramento Business Journal)

UTILITIES:
• The proposed acquisition by Florida-based NextEra of Hawaiian Electric is rejected by regulators. (Greentech Media)
• Utilities across the country are warning people not to play Pokemon Go at electric substations. (ClimateWire)
• Damages from a fire earlier this month at an Oklahoma coal plant could reach $200 million. (Tulsa World)
• Berkshire Hathaway reportedly submits a bid for Oncor, Texas’ largest transmission operator. (Bloomberg)