POLICY: House Democrats release a white paper outlining a vision for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 across the entire U.S. economy. (The Hill)
ALSO:
• The Trump administration is expected to release proposed changes today that would narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews. (Washington Post)
• Clean energy lobbyists say they are still confident, despite recent setbacks, that Congress will pass tax incentive policies this year. (E&E News, subscription)
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EFFICIENCY:
• A new school campus in Maine seeks to be a model for the state as plans call for it to produce more energy than it consumes. (Energy News Network)
• A Florida nonprofit plans to build seven net-zero homes in a city south of Tampa to help improve affordable housing. (Tampa Bay Times)
SOLAR:
• Developers of two large solar projects in Appalachian Ohio may have to build incrementally, likely reducing the economic impact. (Energy News Network)
• National dairy co-op Organic Valley has helped hundreds of farmers across the U.S. install on-farm solar projects. (Civil Eats)
• Nevada utility NV Energy will provide 350 MW of solar and as much as 280 MW of battery storage for a Google data center outside Las Vegas. (Greentech Media)
STORAGE:
• The U.S. Department of Energy announces a 10-year initiative aimed at accelerating energy storage technologies. (E&E News, subscription)
• An energy storage working group presents recommendations to Maryland regulators, including how the resource should be compensated. (Utility Dive)
TRANSPORTATION: Chicago’s new fees on ride sharing services are meant to reduce congestion while also supporting a more equitable and lower-carbon transportation system. (Energy News Network)
TRANSMISSION: Maine regulators approve a proposed power line to import Canadian hydropower, saying it is permitted under state law. (NewsCenterMaine)
OIL & GAS:
• Environmental groups want to stop oil and gas lease sales in the ecologically sensitive National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, offshore Arctic waters, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (InsideClimate News)
• Dominion Energy fired a Rock Springs, Wyoming oilfield worker a few days before Christmas after he saved an estimated 50 waterfowl from wastewater ponds. (WyoFile)
COAL:
• Xcel Energy offers to run its Minnesota coal plants seasonally rather than self-committing to the market, which could save ratepayers tens of millions of dollars annually. (Utility Dive)
• The coal industry lobbies West Virginia lawmakers to prop up the state’s nine remaining coal-fired power plants. (WV News)
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UTILITIES: Smart meter deployment is slowing as more customers receive the devices and some regulators balk at the technology’s additional costs. (Utility Dive)
COMMENTARY:
• Bigger and faster emissions reductions are possible if environmentalists work together with oil and gas companies, writes the head of a climate coalition that includes five large energy companies. (New York Times)
• Carbon capture and utilization depends on policy incentives that, if not designed correctly, could provide greater benefits to fossil fuel companies than the climate, David Roberts writes. (Vox)