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DIVESTMENT: A new report says the fossil fuel divestment movement has grown to $2.6 trillion in assets. (InsideClimate News)
KEYSTONE XL: Hillary Clinton says she opposes the Keystone XL pipeline, calling it a “distraction” in the fight against climate change. (The Guardian)
WILDLIFE: The Interior Department decides not to list the greater sage grouse as endangered, a decision that could have impacted oil, wind and transmission development. (Greenwire)
CLIMATE:
• Democrats unveil proposed clean energy legislation that aims to cut U.S. carbon emissions 34 percent by 2025. (Reuters)
• Contrary to the pope’s call for action on climate change, many dioceses in Texas and Oklahoma are continuing to lease oil and gas rights as a source of income. (Reuters)
SOLAR: Maine considers alternative mechanisms to replace net metering. (Energy Policy Update)
OHIO: Democratic lawmakers say testimony heard during the committee studying Ohio’s clean-energy freeze was generally “one-sided.” (Midwest Energy News)
POLLUION:
• Clean-air advocates say business groups are crying wolf over an upcoming EPA ruling to reduce ground-level ozone levels. (Midwest Energy News)
• Tennessee lawmakers are planning hearings about $900 million worth of incentives granted for a VW plant in Chattanooga amid charges the company used software to dodge emissions requirements. (Associated Press)
OIL: A North Dakota regulator says the West Coast will continue receiving oil by rail instead of pipelines “for the foreseeable future.” (Reuters)
COAL:
• Arch Coal, the nation’s second largest coal company, may be the next to file for bankruptcy. (Reuters)
• An Alaska coal company suspends exports for the year, citing a drop in global prices. (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
• An industry group issues a report saying coal plants in Missouri are not harming air quality there, a position environmental advocates call “Orwellian.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• A judge will allow lyrics from John Prine’s “Paradise” to stay as part of a federal lawsuit against Peabody Energy. (Associated Press)
TECHNOLOGY: Texas power providers are using smart-home technology to attract and retain customers. (Bloomberg)
MEDIA:
• The Associated Press updates its style guide, recommending “those who reject mainstream climate science” instead of “skeptics” or “deniers.”
• Coal company Murray Energy is suing Bloomberg, alleging it published trade secrets. (SNL Energy)
COMMENTARY:
• Why the pope should scare climate change deniers. (New York Times)
• Why Hillary Clinton’s opposition to Keystone XL is a major win for environmentalists. (Vox)