OIL & GAS: Oil and gas industry officials say they have yet to feel any real consequences from the partial government shutdown. (Washington Post)
ALSO:
• A North Dakota judge recommends state officials issue a water permit for a proposed oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. (Associated Press)
• An analysis shows the Trump administration downplays environmental risks of opening Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. (Huffington Post)
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TRANSPORTATION:
• Bills seeking to put a price on carbon emissions from transportation are gaining momentum in Massachusetts. (Energy News Network)
• Maryland will put part of a $6 million settlement over Fiat Chrysler’s alleged diesel emissions test cheating toward electric school buses. (Baltimore Sun)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors is expected to announce Cadillac as its lead electric vehicle brand as it challenges Tesla. (Reuters)
RENEWABLES:
• Virginia regulators approve a green tariff for Appalachian Power that gives customers access to renewables but also blocks competition. (Virginia Mercury)
• Yale University launches an online certificate program to train professionals on how to finance and deploy clean energy projects. (Yale)
SOLAR: A bipartisan group of South Carolina lawmakers and solar advocates is renewing a push to ease restrictions on rooftop solar customers. (The State)
WIND:
• A survey shows recreational fishermen perceive Rhode Island’s offshore wind farm positively while commercial fishermen see it as negative. (ecoRI News)
• The Danish turbine manufacturer MHI Vestas Offshore Wind selects Boston for its U.S. headquarters. (Boston Globe)
BIOMASS: Wood pellet maker Enviva moves ahead with plans for a $140 million pellet mill and a $60 million ship-loading terminal on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR:
• A panel overseeing the decommissioning of a California nuclear plant wants to the process to begin as soon as it closes in 2024. (Associated Press)
• Congressional proponents of sending nuclear waste to Nevada’s Yucca Mountain for storage say the funding fight will likely shift to the U.S. Senate this year. (The Nevada Independent)
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UTILITIES:
• The president of an Indiana utility says the transition from coal to renewables is a “real revolution.” (Inside Indiana Business)
• Lawyers for Ohio manufacturers, consumers and environmental advocates urge the Ohio Supreme Court to halt an unrestricted charge by FirstEnergy’s Ohio utilities. (Energy News Network)
POLITICS:
• A number of Republicans worry if Trump declares a national emergency to build a border wall, the next president could do the same for climate change. (E&E News, subscription)
• Colorado’s new governor says he intends to give local governments more control over where oil and gas companies operate, a long-running conflict in the state where population growth and drilling frequently collide. (Associated Press)