NUCLEAR: Placing carbon reductions above other concerns, some major environmental groups are softening their opposition to nuclear power. (Wall Street Journal)
ALSO: A Nebraska utility votes to close an uneconomic nuclear plant to save money over the next 20 years, while decommissioning costs are estimated at $1.2 billion. (Omaha World-Herald)
CLEAN POWER PLAN: The Obama administration is moving ahead with Clean Power Plan incentives for states despite a Supreme Court stay on the rules. (The Hill)
SOLAR:
• A new study says rate reforms could help settle disputes over net metering. (Utility Dive)
• Montana regulators suspend state rates for small solar projects, allowing utilities to negotiate case-by-case until new rates are established. (Associated Press)
• More people are opting to own, rather than lease, solar panels. (MarketWatch)
• An Illinois appeals court says ComEd is not required to offer net metering to community solar projects. (Cook County Record)
WIND: Why the West Coast’s underwater terrain makes it a more difficult place to site offshore wind. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
TRANSMISSION: Clean Line developers say a bill in Congress to stop one of their projects “changes the rules in the last quarter of the game.” (KUAR)
RENEWABLES:
• A Vermont utility’s unique weather forecasting tool helps it better plan for changes in wind and solar generation. (Daily Energy Insider)
• Rhode Island clean energy legislation will be presented as a standalone bill after being pulled from the state’s budget over a controversial carve-out for a wind developer. (GoLocalProv)
• A Nevada panel explores establishing a “green bank” to help encourage investment in clean energy. (Las Vegas Sun)
COAL:
• Senate Democrats introduce legislation to require mining companies to prove they can pay for cleaning up their sites. (The Hill)
• A judge says it is “alarming” that contaminated water continues to seep from a Montana coal ash pond four years after a cleanup agreement. (Associated Press)
• Maryland drops its opposition to Dominion Virginia Power’s plan to release treated coal ash water after the utility agrees to stricter testing standards. (Washington Post)
OIL BY RAIL: Oregon calls on federal regulators to ban oil trains in the state. (Reuters)
REGULATION: A federal energy regulator foresees ongoing tension between states and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over deregulated markets and keeping open uneconomic power plants. (EnergyWire)
BIOMASS: Advocates push back at efforts in Congress to declare burning wood for electricity a carbon neutral energy source. (Washington Post)
ELECTRIC CARS: A California board approves $10 million in tax credits for a new electric car manufacturer. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY:
• In the case of Peabody Energy, “sometimes bankruptcy can just make an awful company even worse.” (Vox)
• Why carbon capture is unlikely to save coal. (The Conversation)