Correction: An item in Wednesday’s digest about Permian Basin drillers giving away surplus gas contained an incorrect link. Read the story here.
POLITICS: House Democrats plan to hold hearings on the role industry insiders played in President Trump’s rollback of energy and environmental regulations. (CNBC)
ALSO:
• Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, pointing to his clean energy record, is running for president on a campaign built around climate change action. (The Atlantic)
• Colorado native and former fossil fuels lobbyist David Bernhardt prepares to take over the Interior Department as the acting secretary. (Huffington Post)
***SPONSORED LINK: The 12th annual Storage Week, February 25-27 in San Francisco, is the development and finance business hub at the forefront of behind-the-meter and grid-connected storage system deployments. Join energy storage executives and active financiers as they explore the road to bankable projects!***
SOLAR:
• How activists helped turn a shuttered coal plant in central Massachusetts into the largest solar-plus-storage project in the state. (Fast Company)
• An Oklahoma coal producer urges Indiana regulators to deny a utility’s application to build a 50 MW solar project. (Platts)
• Solar advocates say California’s recent wildfire outbreak illustrates why clean energy must play an even bigger role in the state’s grid. (San Francisco Chronicle)
WIND:
• A survey finds only 1 in 10 beachgoers think their experience would be worsened by wind turbines placed 20 miles offshore. (University of Delaware)
• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam calls for a multistate offshore wind collaborative in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. (E&E News, subscription)
VEHICLES:
• Tesla’s car production hits record levels, but its stock fell as the company cut prices to offset lower tax credits. (Quartz, Reuters)
• General Motors reportedly hit 200,000 electric vehicle sales by the end of 2018, triggering a phase-out of a federal tax credit over the next 15 months. (Reuters)
• With financial backing of several automakers, a Colorado company is building the nation’s largest solid-state battery factory outside of Boulder. (Colorado Sun)
UTILITIES:
• Regulators and lawmakers in Georgia and Mississippi debate whether electric cooperatives should be allowed to deliver high-speed internet. (E&E News)
• An energy giant in the Southeast grows larger as Dominion Energy finalizes its acquisition of South Carolina’s Scana Corp. (Greentech Media)
MICROGRIDS: There’s growing interest in shared or multi-user microgrids, but big questions remain about how to manage them. (Energy News Network)
NUCLEAR: A Georgia superior court drops a case against utility regulators over the Vogtle nuclear project. (E&E News, subscription)
PACE: A program lets homeowners finance clean energy via property tax bills, but the true cost and payback time isn’t always disclosed. (Tampa Bay Times)
PIPELINES:
• Maryland officials vote against an easement for a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run under the Potomac River. (Baltimore Sun)
• A federal appeals court declines Atlantic Coast Pipeline developers’ request to speed the pace for a case over permitting. (S&P Global)
• Michigan’s new governor asks the state’s attorney general for legal opinions related to her predecessor’s pipeline deal with Enbridge. (Detroit News)
***SPONSORED LINK: The Solar Power Finance & Investment Summit, March 19-21 in San Diego, is recognized as the leading gathering place for senior-level solar and financial executives to network and set their deal-making calendars for the upcoming year. See you at the 2019 summit!***
OIL & GAS:
• The Permian Basin oil boom is reshaping the energy market and presenting unprecedented challenges, some analysts say. (Time)
• The chairman of oilfield services firm Halliburton retires amid a federal probe into a land deal negotiated with former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. (The Hill)
CLIMATE: Cities, states, nonprofits and others are busily forging ahead with climate solutions despite President Trump’s refusal to address the crisis. (USA Today)