COAL:
• Federal regulators worry taxpayers will be stuck with a $1 billion bill for cleaning up after bankrupt coal companies. (New York Times)
• A proposed Washington state export terminal suffers another setback after a key state permit is rejected. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

COAL ASH:
• North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory vetoes a coal ash oversight bill, saying it is “not good for the environment or for the rule of law.” Background on the bill here. (Raleigh News & Observer, Southeast Energy News archive)
• Advocates are pushing for stronger safeguards in proposed coal ash storage rules in Illinois that allow for more public input, require analyses for permanent storage plans and ensure companies are financially liable for potential incidents. (Midwest Energy News)

POLITICS: How the Obama administration is working to “Trump-proof” America’s climate pacts. (Politico)

CONGRESS: It’s still uncertain how lawmakers will reconcile differences over drilling, water, wildlife and other issues in the U.S. House and Senate versions of a sweeping energy bill. (E&E Daily, Associated Press)

OIL TRAINS:
• In response to Friday’s derailment in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon’s governor calls on federal agencies to move forward on new safety standards. (Portland Business Journal)
• Officials in Spokane, Washington wants Union Pacific to stop oil shipments through the city: “We are playing Russian roulette with our citizens.” (Spokane Spokesman-Review)

SOLAR:
• Toyota’s new Texas headquarters will get about 25 percent of its electricity from solar. (Dallas Morning News)
• A stakeholder group, including a solar trade organization and the state’s largest utility, aims to break the “chilling atmosphere” for solar in Virginia. (Southeast Energy News)
New Jersey lawmakers debate over how long to continue state incentives for solar. (NJ Spotlight)

GRID: How cooperating with other states could make it easier for California to balance renewable energy on the grid. (NPR)

RENEWABLES: Vermont’s governor vetoes a bill that would have given local communities more control over renewable energy siting; lawmakers could still override the veto. (Vermont Public Radio)

UTILITIES: The utility’s CEO discusses modeling a continued decrease in demand and its new “business architecture” to accommodate distributed generation. (EnergyWire)

PIPELINES:
• Nebraska activist Jane Kleeb, noted for her role in defeating the Keystone XL pipeline, joins opponents of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia and West Virginia. (Charlottesville Daily Progress)
• The pipeline boom raises land use and eminent domain controversies across the country. (ThinkProgress)

NUCLEAR:
• State efforts to save struggling nuclear plants may come too late. (Utility Dive)
• New Jersey considers a zero-emissions surcharge for nuclear plants. (NJ Spotlight)
• The fate of nuclear plants in the Southeast is not as dire as it is for those in the Midwest. (EnergyWire)

CLIMATE: Washington D.C.’s pension fund announces it has divested all fossil fuel holdings. (InsideClimate News)

COMMENTARY:
• Why conservatives should thank net metering. (Greentech Media)
• Is “clean coal” economically feasible? (Forbes)

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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