GRID: A 154-mile transmission line that would bring hydropower from Canada to New England wins a key permit from the U.S. Department of Energy, clearing the way for construction as early as next year. (Associated Press)
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• Google says it will source all of its electricity from renewables starting next year. (Greentech Media)
• The transition away from fossil fuels is “irrevocably underway” in the U.S., according to a new report. (E&E News)
CLIMATE:
• General Electric says exiting the Paris climate deal would have little impact on demand for power plant upgrades because utilities save money by making the improvements. (Reuters)
• Former vice president Al Gore meets with Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump to discuss climate change. (New York Times)
POLITICS: Advisors to President-elect Donald Trump want to privatize lands on Native American reservations to encourage fossil fuel development there. (Reuters)
CAP-AND-TRADE:
• A two-thirds supermajority of Democrats in the California legislature could help turn the state’s cap-and-trade program into law. (ClimateWire)
• An extension of California’s cap-and-trade program is essential for meeting the state’s 2030 emissions targets. (E&E News)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: To rescind the Clean Power Plan, a Trump administration may need to convince the courts that climate change isn’t harming humans and the planet. (ClimateWire)
PIPELINES:
• The government’s decision to deny an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline sets an uncertain precedent for new projects, with House Speaker Paul Ryan calling it “big-government decision-making at its worst.” (Reuters/The Hill)
• A White House spokesman says President Obama played no role in blocking the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. (The Hill)
• A new environmental review and potential lawsuits are likely to delay the Dakota Access Pipeline indefinitely. (Grist/The Hill)
• Donald Trump’s transition team says the president-elect supports the Dakota Access Pipeline project and will review the matter after taking office. (Reuters)
• A Native American leader asks Dakota Access Pipeline protesters to return home, saying no construction will happen at the campsite in North Dakota before Donald Trump becomes president. (Reuters)
OIL & GAS: ExxonMobil pulls its sponsorship of the annual American Geophysical Union conference for the first time since 2001 after activists urged the group not to accept money from the company. (InsideClimate News)
FRACKING: Environmental activists are pressuring Maryland politicians to ban fracking in the state. (Washington Post)
COAL: A clean-coal technology plant in Mississippi pushes its start-up date to January, costing it an additional $35 million. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
REGULATION: An auto trade group is urging congressional negotiators to block the EPA from finalizing fuel economy standards. (Reuters)
COMMENTARY: Donald Trump would be wise to consult Elon Musk on how to expand manufacturing jobs in the U.S. (New York Times)