RENEWABLE ENERGY: Investors continue to have a strong interest in renewable energy projects despite the Trump administration’s emphasis on fossil fuels. (Reuters)

ALSO:
• Montana regulators drastically cut incentives for clean energy, now the lowest in the Northwest. (Billings Gazette)
• The U.S. Conference of Mayors, who represent a 148 million people and 41.8 percent of the country’s electricity use, plans to vote this weekend on making 100 percent renewable energy targets a top policy priority over the next decade. (Huffington Post)

WIND: President Trump’s criticism of wind energy during a speech this week in Iowa didn’t sit well in a state that has bipartisan support for the industry. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• Why California sometimes has to pay neighboring states to take its excess solar power. (Los Angeles Times)
• A proposed solar farm in Connecticut faces public pushback. (Hartford Courant)
• A solar bill in North Carolina that would help many corporate customers to go solar may not help large electricity users like Google and the University of North Carolina. (Southeast Energy News)

OIL AND GAS:
• Bay Area regulators delay the first-ever greenhouse gas limits for oil refineries because not enough notice was given of changes to the plan. (East Bay Times)
• Idaho plans its first-ever audit of wells on state lands to ensure it is receiving its fair share of royalties. (Associated Press)

NUCLEAR:
• An Oregon company seeks to use small modular nuclear reactors to provide more consistent output for an Idaho wind farm. (Greentech Media)
• An official with grid operator PJM says there would not be a reliability problem if two Ohio nuclear plants are are forced to close without financial support. (Crain’s Cleveland Business)

HYDRO: A U.S. House committee advances a bill that would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authority over the licensing of all hydropower projects. (RTO Insider)

GRID:
• A report says cheap renewable energy and natural gas are putting merchant power plants at risk, which could impact grid reliability. (Utility Dive)
• Invenergy offers a look inside its control center in downtown Chicago, where the clean-energy company controls its fleet of wind turbines, natural gas generators and energy-storage systems across North America. (Midwest Energy News)

CLIMATE:
• Energy CEOs tell EPA administrator Scott Pruitt that they want carbon regulations on the books to help with future planning. (E&E News)
• Officials in San Antonio, Texas explore next steps after the city passes a resolution supporting action on climate change. (San Antonio Express-News)
• Congressional Democrats hold their own hearing on climate change to counter rejection of mainstream science. (E&E News)

COMMENTARY:
• A meteorologist who worked on the EPA’s climate change website calls its removal a “declaration of war” on climate science. (Washington Post)
• A New Jersey newspaper calls the shutdown of two coal plants “an enormous triumph for our environment.” (NJ.com)
• Why Scott Pruitt’s notion of “EPA originalism” is nonsense. (Vox)

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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.

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