CLEAN ENERGY: Despite the Trump administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan, a new report finds electricity providers have hit the Obama-era policy’s targets a decade ahead of schedule. (E&E News, subscription required)

ALSO:
• The Trump administration has granted an extension to some renewable energy projects so they can still qualify for federal tax credits. (The Hill)
• The International Energy Agency projects energy investments will drop 20% this year, slowing efforts to reduce emissions. (Greentech Media)

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EMISSIONS:
• Nearly two dozen states join California in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to weaken fuel efficiency standards for cars. (Los Angeles Times)
• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says the rollback is an “additional slap in the face to public health” during a pandemic. (MLive)
• A questionable study by a fringe scientist has been a driving force behind the EPA’s turnaround on pollution rules under Trump. (InsideClimate News)

CLIMATE:
• A new report says continued inaction on climate by the United States could set back global efforts to cut emissions by a decade. (Carbon Brief)
• Southern Company sets a net-zero carbon emissions target for 2050 with plans to expand renewable energy, nuclear and energy efficiency, while still moving ahead with new natural gas plants. (Greentech Media)  

SOLAR:
• Honolulu leads the nation in per capita solar capacity, according to a new report ranking the top U.S. cities for solar. (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Environment America)
• Democrats in Congress urge federal regulators to reject a petition that would remove solar net-metering programs from state control. (E&E News, subscription required)

STORAGE: Despite ambitious targets set for storage in a 2018 law, New Jersey has shown virtually no progress with the technology since. (Greentech Media)

EFFICIENCY: Missouri’s two largest cities are on very different trajectories when it comes to energy efficiency for buildings. (Energy News Network)

COAL: A large Wisconsin coal plant with no set retirement date could cost utility customers $257 million through 2030, according to a Sierra Club report showing clean energy is a cheaper option. (Utility Dive)

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MARKETING: Connecticut churches and nonprofits band together for group purchases of electricity for the second time in a year, with double the number of participants. (Energy News Network)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial writer says the Trump administration has been “ignoring the experts and conducting its own shoddy analysis” to justify rolling back vehicle emissions standards. (Los Angeles Times)
• Utilities across 15 Midwest states “exploited power market loopholes” in operating coal plants that cost customers $350 million in 2018, the Union of Concerned Scientists says in a new report. 

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.