TRANSITION: G7 leaders at a summit Monday agreed that the world must phase out fossil fuels by the end of this century, with a shorter-term goal of 40 to 70 percent cuts by 2050. (Bloomberg)
COAL:
• Coal giant Peabody Energy will cut 250 corporate and regional employees in an effort to trim costs during a coal industry downturn that shows no signs of letting up. (St. Louis Dispatch)
• A new investigation has found that Peabody Energy does not have adequate funds or insurance to clean up its own mining operations. (ThinkProgress)
• The Supreme Court on Monday declined to review whether a Clean Water Act permit shielded a coal depot from liability for discharges into an Alaska bay, handing a win to environmental groups. (Greenwire)
CRUDE EXPORTS: Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski on Tuesday provided a blueprint for foreign countries to acquire U.S. crude, as the Senate nears votes on the nation’s longstanding export ban. (FuelFix)
POLITICS: A North Carolina Republican has pledged $175 million of his own money to sway people in the GOP to take climate change seriously. (Politico)
CARBON PRICING: Setting a price on carbon emissions could be the most effective way for power plants in the Midwest to comply with the Clean Power Plan, according to a senior executive with the region’s grid operator. (EnergyWire)
FRACKING: Living close to fracking may be linked to an increased risk of having a lower birth weight baby, according to a new study in Pennsylvania. (HealthDay News)
BIOFUEL: Scientists from the University of California at Berkeley have outlined a new method for creating jet fuel and diesel from sugar factory waste. (Quartz)
CARBON SEQUESTRATION: A laser technology capable of detecting carbon dioxide emissions is being tested above ground at an Illinois carbon sequestration site. (Midwest Energy News)
ARCTIC DRILLING: With the U.S. and Russia poised for oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, scientists worry about how to contain and clean up potential oil spills in a region where roads, ports, airplanes and icebreakers are few and far between. (Yale Environment 360)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The U.S. Department of Energy and the Edison Electric Institute have signed a deal to increase the use of electric vehicles by “bringing utilities directly into the fold.” (The Hill)
NUCLEAR:
• The federal agency that regulates nuclear power is planning to cut employees as part of an effort to realign itself with the new needs of the industry and regulators. (The Hill)
• The nuclear energy industry is pushing to keep a critical export agreement that allows U.S. companies to export products and technologies to China. (The Hill)
SOLAR: While residential rooftops tend to grab the solar development spotlight, public buildings have often been overlooked, according to a new report. (Midwest Energy News)