RENEWABLES: Democrats in Congress consider extending federal tax credits for wind and solar beyond their upcoming sunset dates. (E&E News)
SOLAR:
• An unintended fallout from President Trump’s steel tariffs: solar companies are buying more components abroad to avoid paying the duties. (Bloomberg)
• The Illinois Municipal Power Agency pilots solar projects that will help member cities diversify their energy portfolios. (Energy News Network)
• An outside mediator helped craft Virginia’s new compromise legislation to extend the reach of solar for electric cooperatives. (Energy News Network)
• Tennessee Valley Authority staff conclude that no new solar capacity is needed on its system until 2023. (Utility Dive)
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WIND:
• Residents of a Rhode Island community tell city officials that placement of wind turbines at a landfill is a violation of their civil rights. (Cranston Herald)
• A fishing industry leader says a recent deal with Vineyard wind is “lousy,” “insulting,” and “poorly, poorly designed.” (ecoRI)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• How Pennsylvania’s electric vehicle roadmap fits into the national picture. (Energy News Network)
• Iowa officials recommend a $130 annual fee for electric vehicles to make up for lost revenue from gasoline taxes. (Radio Iowa)
TRANSPORTATION:
• The automobile is falling out of favor in cities around the world, and analysts say we may have already reached “peak car” in the U.S. (Bloomberg)
• At least one critic says the Green New Deal’s biggest failing is that it doesn’t address urban sprawl. (Grist)
OIL & GAS: Oil and gas companies are automating their workforces, undercutting the jobs argument for continuing their use. (Gizmodo)
PIPELINES: Two bills that would have protected landowners against eminent domain claims by pipeline companies fail in the Virginia House. (WHSV)
TRANSMISSION:
• Missouri regulators signal they’re ready to approve the 780-mile, $2.5 billion Grain Belt Express wind transmission project. (E&E News, subscription)
• A television ad accuses Maine Gov. Janet Mills of a “backroom deal” on a hydropower transmission line, but it is not known who paid for it. (Portland Press Herald)
COAL:
• A federal prosecutor adds charges against a coal company official for conspiring to falsify the required monitoring of coal dust. (Ohio Valley Resource)
• Coal-reliant states try to revive the industry since President Trump has failed to do so. (E&E News, subscription)
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CLIMATE:
• Some advocates say a tax credit for carbon capture may be critical to limit global warming. (USA Today)
• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker wants to shift the state’s proceeds from a regional carbon market to adaptation measures, rather than efficiency and clean energy. (Boston Globe)
COMMENTARY:
• Grid operator MISO’s interconnection process is stalling a significant amount of proposed renewable energy development in the Midwest, advocates say. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• A retired environmental regulator says pipelines put human and environmental health at risk and aren’t needed anyway. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)