OIL AND GAS: A Colorado study finds most methane in the groundwater in the northeast corner of the state comes from natural sources, while faulty wells, rather than fracking, are to blame in other instances. (Denver Post, InsideClimate News)
ALSO:
• The oil industry is quietly reconfiguring its stance on climate change. (Politico)
• How energy companies are fighting “the war against methane emissions.” (New York Times)
• The Ute tribe fights federal fracking rules, saying they fail to distinguish between tribal and federal lands. (EnergyWire)
• Resistance to new pipelines keeps New England markets off limits for Ohio and Pennsylvania natural gas producers. (Bloomberg)
• A Michigan judge blocks a metro Detroit city’s attempt to stop a church from drilling for oil on church property. (Detroit Free Press)
NUCLEAR: New York regulators proposed Friday to provide millions in subsidies for the state’s nuclear plants. (Greenwire)
CLIMATE: California Gov. Jerry Brown seeks to extend the state’s cap and trade program along with other climate initiatives. (Associated Press)
COAL:
• How the Sierra Club and non-profits in West Virginia and Ohio got control of a massive coal reserve. (Slate)
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to ensure a vote on extending federal pension and other benefits for retired coal miners. (West Virginia Public Broadcasting)
• As in Ohio and other parts of the U.S., advocates say Poland’s political and cultural connection to its coal industry won’t be enough to save it from economic and environmental pressures. (Midwest Energy News)
• A Virginia coal ash trial could impact the way the substance is handled elsewhere. (U.S. News and World Report)
SOLAR:
• The winding down of solar incentives in Hawaii is “incredibly disruptive” to the state’s industry. (Associated Press)
• Dow Chemical is shutting down its solar shingle business. (Chemical & Engineering News)
BIOENERGY:
• A Missouri-based company looks to turn Nebraska’s agriculture waste into a product known as “BioCoal,” which looks and burns like coal but has fewer carbon emissions. (Lincoln Journal Star)
• Clean-energy groups are growing increasingly skeptical of biomass as a sustainable energy source. (National Public Radio)
CLEAN TECH: A mass hydrogen-fuel market is beginning to form as researchers tout opportunities to bring the technology to market. (ClimateWire)
GRID: Environmental groups challenge new PJM capacity auction rules that they say penalize renewables in favor of fossil fuels and nuclear. (EnergyWire)
EFFICIENCY:
• A study finds social pressure, rather than financial incentives, are a stronger motivator for saving energy. (Washington Post)
• New York’s LED streetlights are seen as a crime deterrent by some, while others complain about aesthetics. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• A closer look at the multi-factioned climate movement. (New York Times)
• “The car culture may be dying or, at any rate, slumping into a prolonged era of eclipse.” (Washington Post)