SUBSIDIES: Fossil fuel companies are benefiting from global subsidies of $5.3 trillion a year, equivalent to $10 million a minute every day, according to the International Monetary Fund. (Guardian)
GRID:
• Climate change could hurt the ability of utilities in the 11 Western states to generate power unless they “climate proof” their power grid with renewables and energy efficiency, say Arizona State University researchers. (Climate Central)
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants the EPA’s climate rule for power plants to include a “safety valve” to protect reliability of the nation’s grid. (The Hill)
CLEAN POWER PLAN:
• At least 41 states are in talks with neighbors about how they might cut power sector carbon emissions under the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. (ClimateWire)
• A poll of state governors on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s call to boycott implementation of the Clean Power Plan found most are reluctant to embrace the senator’s strategy. (Bloomberg BNA)
• Although opponents label it as a “war on coal,” the Clean Power Plan will work mostly by stoking more efficient uses of energy, according to a new analysis. (The Washington Post)
SOLAR:
• While Berkshire Hathaway utilities make massive investments in renewable energy, the company is fighting a plan to give Nevada residents more access to green power. (Bloomberg)
• The Nevada Senate on Sunday unanimously approved a bill that puts state regulators in charge of deciding how to credit rooftop solar homeowners for electricity generation. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
FRACKING: Texas’ governor said Monday he will sign into law a bill that reasserts state control over oil and gas drilling and prohibits cities from banning fracking, leaving them little control over the industry within city limits. (Fort-Worth Star Telegram)
COAL:
• Projections show coal’s future as a major energy source is being undermined by market forces and moral arguments as much as government regulations. (InsideClimate News)
• A pair of southern Illinois lawmakers are leading an effort to ensure the state’s power plants burn locally mined coal, a fuel source that fell out of favor a quarter-century ago. (EnergyWire)
BATTERIES: The first-ever electricity generating system to use recovered hybrid vehicle batteries for commercial energy storage is up and running at Yellowstone National Park. (Environmental News Service)
COW POWER: The Cow Power Program at Vermont’s Green Mountain Power provides electricity for 2,500 customers from large quantities of anaerobically digested manure. (ClimateWire)
INNOVATION: Governments must set clear carbon targets to force clean energy innovation, Unilever’s CEO said ahead of a business climate summit in Paris this week. (BBC)