OIL & GAS: ExxonMobil, once the world’s largest company, is dropped from the Dow Jones Industrial Average — a move analysts say reflects a broader shift in the American economy toward tech companies. (Dallas Morning News)
ALSO:
• A coalition of states is challenging a Trump administration rule allowing trains to transport liquefied natural gas. (Michigan Advance)
• Oil and gas companies are bracing for Tropical Storm Laura, which could hit Gulf Coast oil refineries, petrochemical plants and offshore platforms. (Houston Chronicle)
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COAL:
• More sustainable economies are possible for coal country, but coal’s long legacy of hope, promises and failure has instilled a political inertia that won’t be easy to overcome. (Energy News Network)
• Federal stimulus investment could help Appalachia transition from coal, especially after coal company Blackjewel abruptly shuttered and left hundreds of miners out of work last year. (Bloomberg)
OHIO: The Ohio Senate plans to return to session next month to consider repealing a power plant bailout law at the center of an alleged bribery scheme. (Columbus Dispatch)
NUCLEAR:
• Operators decide to permanently close Iowa’s only nuclear plant ahead of schedule after significant damage from a severe storm this month. (Cedar Rapids Gazette)
• Citing cost concerns, a northern Utah city withdraws from participating in a next-generation nuclear power plant and another city is considering doing the same. (Deseret News)
WIND:
• The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is developing a 235 MW wind project, the first of its kind on tribal land in North Dakota. (Bismarck Tribune)
• New York and New Jersey so far are allowing offshore wind developers to plan their own interconnections with land, but industry advocates say there is a need for a more coordinated and cost-effective approach. (Politico)
BIOGAS: Iowa researchers are studying ways to make renewable natural gas from agricultural waste more profitable for farmers. (Energy News Network)
GRID: A study by a clean energy group says an integrated grid in the Southeast could increase adoption of clean energy and lower costs. (Greentech Media)
UTILITIES: Pacific Northwest utilities are working on a new model of regional coordination in sharing resources in a bid to overcome the threat of power shortages. (Utility Dive)
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POLITICS: A new survey finds the proportion of voters concerned about climate change continues to rise. (New York Times)
COMMENTARY:
• An analyst explores why European and U.S. oil companies are taking divergent paths on clean energy. (Forbes)
• A clean energy advocate says we can easily afford to end energy poverty in the U.S. (Union of Concerned Scientists)