EMISSIONS: Earth’s carbon dioxide levels averaged more than 400 parts per million for the first time ever in March—the highest they’ve been in a million years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. (Bloomberg)
COAL: Bank of America is cutting off its financing for coal extraction projects, the company announced at its shareholder meeting Wednesday. (Huffington Post)
NATURAL GAS: Significant amounts of natural gas on federal lands are being wasted, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars each year and adding to greenhouse gas emissions, a congressional investigation has found. (Associated Press)
SOLAR:
• SolarCity posted a smaller first-quarter loss after surging demand for rooftop power plants helped the company beat its own installation forecast. (Bloomberg)
• The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission will install more than 100 solar panel systems in six California counties to help poor save money on electricity costs while combating climate change. (The Fresno Bee)
DISTRIBUTED ENERGY: A senator from Maine has introduced a bill that would protect the right of Americans “to connect their distributed resources to the grid for a reasonable price.” (The Hill)
GEOTHERMAL: A Montana lawmaker introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow oil and gas developers on public land to co-produce geothermal energy without going through an additional competitive lease process. (Great Falls Tribune)
NUCLEAR: Three Purdue students and a graduate have launched a startup that has found a way to transform nuclear waste into its own source of energy. (Sustainable Brands)
PIPELINES: A Republican senator from West Virginia has introduced a bill to speed up the federal pipeline approval process. (The Hill)
FUEL CELLS: Three Connecticut-based companies are joining forces to develop a 63.3-megawatt fuel cell power plant on a 24-acre site that once was a sand mine. (New Haven Register)
ELECTRIC CARS: Tesla reported a larger first-quarter loss on Wednesday that was smaller than analysts forecast, and the company appears on track to meet key production milestones. (The New York Times)
CLIMATE READINESS: Climate change deniers are increasingly running into true believers in big business and the Pentagon who are devising future strategies that take into consideration of climate resilience. (National Catholic Reporter)
THREATENED WILDLIFE: The lesser prairie has lost more than 80 percent of its range in recent years because of extensive development from the oil and gas industry and the wind energy sector. (Newsweek)
HAWAII:
• A bill that would make Hawaii the first state in the nation with a 100 percent-renewable-energy standard cleared the legislature on Tuesday and headed for the governor’s desk. (Pacific Business News)
• SolarCity will offer Hawaii residents the option next year of disconnecting from the electricity grid, using a combination of rooftop photovoltaic panels and Tesla Motors Inc.’s new Powerwall battery. (ClimateWire)