CLIMATE:
• Federal researchers say the public is still failing to grasp the risks of climate change. (Greenwire)
• A New Jersey lawmaker pushes his state’s attorney general to join New York and California in investigating Exxon Mobil’s climate disclosures. (NJ.com)

TRANSMISSION: After granting approval for an interstate wind-energy transmission line, the Energy Department says a 2005 law gives it authority to us eminent domain to acquire rights-of-way for the project. (New York Times)

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SOLAR:
• A review finds only 14 percent of solar customers are saving money under an Arizona utility’s demand-charge scheme. (Arizona Republic)
• State policy disputes mean an uncertain future for solar installers. (Wall Street Journal)
Proposed solar rules in Vermont would allow existing deals to stand for 20 years. (Associated Press)
• Solar backers are campaigning for a seat on an Arizona utility’s board of directors. (KJZZ)
• A Michigan utility looks to use vacant, city-owned property in Detroit for a 10-acre solar project. (Detroit Free Press)

WIND:
• An industry report says wind farms pay $222 million per year to rural landowners. (CleanTechnica)
A settlement is reached in a dispute over a Montana wind farm’s impact on raptors. (Great Falls Tribune)
• A Democratic candidate for governor in Vermont wants to ban large-scale wind farms. (Vermont Public Radio)

COAL:
• Critics say Utah lawmakers’ support of a California export terminal won’t be enough to save the state’s industry. (Deseret News)
• An Oklahoma utility seeks approval of a scaled-back plan for emissions upgrades at a coal plant. (Oklahoman)

OIL AND GAS:
• Oil executives come to terms with the bad financial bets that led to the oil bust. (Washington Post)
• Federal drilling leases remain in limbo amid concerns over sage grouse habitat. (Associated Press)

FRACKING:
• The Interior Department is appealing a federal judge’s injunction against new rules governing fracking on federal lands. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• The EPA questions findings by Wyoming regulators that downplayed the role of drilling in water contamination in the state. (Casper Star-Tribune)
• Nebraska lawmakers approve tougher oversight of drilling waste disposal. (UPI)

UTILITIES: Ratepayers could soon be on the hook for cost overruns at an Oregon power plant. (Oregonian)

CLEAN TECH: Finalists compete for a $1 million prize in Chicago as part of this year’s Clean Energy Challenge. (Midwest Energy News)

COMMENTARY:
• Why the feds keep underestimating wind and solar in energy forecasts. (Vox)
• How an Arizona utility could become a leader on solar power. (Arizona Republic)

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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