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)

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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