OIL & GAS: Over 3,000 oil and gas wells are shut down in Colorado while investigators determine whether a well caused a house explosion that killed two people. (Denver Business Journal)
ALSO:
• Exxon Mobil is ordered to pay nearly $20 million for releasing 10 million pounds of pollutants into the air in Texas, resulting in 16,386 Clean Air Act violations. (FuelFix)
• Oil and gas industry leaders are backing a decarbonization roadmap that calls for cutting down on fossil fuels and switching to cleaner sources of energy. (Greentech Media)
• Sources say President Trump will sign an order to review locations for offshore oil and gas exploration off California’s coast, where drilling rights haven’t been leased since 1984. (Bloomberg)
PIPELINES: The Army Corps of Engineers rejects a request for information on the potential effects of a spill from the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying the documents “could endanger people’s lives and property.” (Huffington Post)
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COAL:
• An analysis by Columbia University is the latest to affirm that competition from natural gas, and not Obama-era regulations, is the main reason the coal industry has declined in recent years. (Climate Central)
• Coal-state lawmakers say Congress is close to reaching a “permanent” fix to extend health benefits for retired coal miners and their families. (Associated Press)
EMISSIONS: Nearly half of the country’s largest Fortune 500 companies have targets to shrink their carbon footprints, according to a new report. (New York Times)
CLIMATE: A White House official says advisers will meet with the Trump administration on Thursday to discuss the future of the Paris climate agreement, bringing together officials with sharply opposing views. (Reuters, Washington Post)
POLICY:
• A state lawmaker is pushing for Maine to expand its two-person energy policy team into a Cabinet-level energy agency, with a commissioner and larger staff. (Portland Press Herald)
• President Trump signs an order giving the Interior Department just 120 days to review national monument designations dating back to 1996, in a move that critics are calling an “intended give-away” to fossil fuel companies. (ThinkProgress)
NUCLEAR: A House panel meets to consider the draft version of a bill to revive the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site, drawing criticism from Nevada lawmakers, who said Yucca is “dead and should remain dead.” (The Hill)
SOLAR:
• Solar manufacturer Suniva files a petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission calling for tariffs on imported solar cells. (Greentech Media)
• A coalition of tech and finance leaders send a letter urging Indiana’s governor to veto a controversial solar bill that seeks to cut incentives for residential solar. (PV-Tech)
• North Carolina-based Strata Solar wants to fill hundreds of job openings in Virginia with military veterans. (Southeast Energy News)
• The Smart Electric Power Alliance names the top 10 U.S. utilities for solar power and energy storage. (Solar Industry)
WIND: A California-based renewable energy company is seeking approval for a $1.4 billion transmission line that would carry wind power from Texas to the Southeast, via Mississippi. (Associated Press)
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• When a massive 2,250-megawatt coal plant closes in Arizona, its transmission lines could provide an opportunity to develop renewable energy projects in the region, according to experts. (Arizona Republic)
• Fifteen charts show how clean energy is shaping the future of power markets. (Bloomberg)
GRID: Billions of dollars spent to make Illinois’ power grid smarter, cleaner and more efficient are starting to pay off. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY:
• Three Midwest states are developing frameworks to help utilities switch their traditional business models to clean grid systems for the 21st century, says the communications and social media lead at Energy Innovation. (Forbes)
• A former EPA official explains why environmental protection shouldn’t be left to the states. (Grist)