CLIMATE: Recently released memos from the Reagan and Bush administrations reveal a sharp contrast with today’s Republican Party on climate change. (Washington Post)
ALSO:
• ExxonMobil will likely miss a deadline today to turn over documents on the company’s climate change research to New York’s attorney general. (InsideClimate News)
• The chair of the House science committee continues to lead an “ideological crusade” against climate science. (New York Times)
• Former defense secretary Chuck Hagel warns Republicans not to undermine Paris climate negotiations. (Politico)
• San Diego considers a plan to commit to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. (Los Angeles Times)
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CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• As Missouri fights the Clean Power Plan, the state’s regulators zero on in a compliance approach. (EnergyWire)
• Colorado’s Supreme Court declines a request by Gov. John Hickenlooper to determine whether the state’s attorney general has authority to sign on to a lawsuit opposing the Clean Power Plan. (Denver Business Journal)
COAL: Utilities are burning less coal than had been previously forecast. (Platts)
BLANKENSHIP TRIAL:
• A jury finds former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship guilty on a misdemeanor charge of violating coal mine safety violations, but not guilty on two felony counts. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
• Relatives of coal miners killed in the 2010 West Virginia coal mine explosion that prompted the trial express mixed emotions about the single misdemeanor verdict. (Charleston Gazette-Mail)
SOLAR:
• A solar industry group is under fire from some advocates. (Utility Dive)
• Advocates raise concerns about a northern Minnesota utility’s community solar program. (Midwest Energy News)
• Mississippi strikes a middle ground on net metering. (Associated Press)
NUCLEAR:
• How a group of California entrepreneurs plans to revive the nuclear industry. (Los Angeles Times)
• California regulators fine a utility $16.7 million for failing to report discussions over a closed nuclear plant. (Los Angeles Times)
GRID: California saw a surge in behind-the-meter battery systems installed in the last three months; the U.S. as a whole has seen more than 100 MW of energy storage deployed this year. (Greentech Media)
OIL AND GAS:
• The House approves a bill to lift the U.S. crude oil export ban, but does not have enough votes to override a veto by President Obama. (Reuters)
• Environmental groups appeal a judge’s decision to suspend new rules on oil and gas drilling on federal lands pending outcome of a legal challenge. (Associated Press)
• A researcher who has been studying drilling impacts in the Marcellus shale sets his sights on North Dakota. (EnergyWire)
DIVESTMENT:
• New York’s pension fund launches a $2 billion “low carbon” index that will reduce or eliminate investments in fossil fuels. (Reuters)
• The University of Massachusetts Foundation will divest its endowment from coal. (State House News Service)