FRACKING: Colorado’s Supreme Court rejects a local fracking ban, saying such efforts to block drilling are pre-empted by state law. (Denver Post)
PIPELINES:
• Investigators have still not determined what caused a Pennsylvania natural gas pipeline to explode last week. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
• Construction begins on the controversial Dakota Access pipeline. (NGI)
• Enbridge expects to pay $62 million in fines and penalties related to a 2010 oil spill near Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Associated Press)
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COAL:
• A Wyoming coal company says it will move away from the practice of self-bonding to cover mine clean up costs. (SNL Energy)
• CEOs for Arch Coal and Peabody were each paid nearly $5 million last year as their companies approached bankruptcy. (SNL Energy)
SOLAR:
• A Department of Energy program aims to push solar costs even lower. (InsideClimate News)
• Two clean energy advocates take seats on an Arizona utility’s board. (Arizona Republic)
• New Hampshire’s governor signs a law that doubles the state’s net metering cap. (Concord Monitor)
• Solar installers object to an Arizona utility’s plan to expand a program in which it owns customers’ rooftop solar installations. (Arizona Daily Star)
WIND: How Massachusetts’ renewable energy standard is driving the push for offshore wind. (Bloomberg)
NUCLEAR:
• New York lawmakers set aside $30 million for communities impacted by power plant closures. (WRVO)
• Potential buyers for an unfinished nuclear plant in Alabama have been identified but not disclosed as the TVA’s board prepares for a vote on Thursday. (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
RENEWABLES:
• Advocates are pushing Missouri-based Ameren to adopt a shareholder resolution calling for more investment in renewables, and are still encouraged by the utility’s recent vote rejecting it. (Midwest Energy News)
• An Alaska renewable energy program may fall victim to budget shortfalls. (EnergyWire)
CLIMATE:
• “We’re going to lose all our heritage, all our culture”: America’s first climate refugees, in Louisiana, react to being resettled. (New York Times)
• San Diego’s mayor proposes $127 million for the city’s climate plan, an amount he describes as “just the down payment.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)
UTILITIES: Facing pushback from FERC, Ohio utility FirstEnergy withdraws its income-guarantee plan before state regulators, instead pursuing a plan for customer surcharges that would avoid the need for federal intervention. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
TECHNOLOGY: Researchers seek ways to convert carbon dioxide to fuel. (New York Times)
EFFICIENCY: A state-funded program in Michigan brings retired engineers to small manufacturing companies to help them identify energy efficiency savings. (Midwest Energy News)
COMMENTARY:
• A New York Times forum discusses the obstacles to renewable energy.
• Why New York’s clean energy plan is a great economic strategy. (Huffington Post)
• Why our utility bills don’t reflect the true cost of energy. (Energy Collective)
• Community solar is a win-win for utilities. (GreenBiz)